Louise Browne is adopted. A Baby Scoop Era baby, she was born Tiffany Lyn in 1968. She spent a few days with her biological mother (age 19), before being relinquished. Louise was adopted into a loving home outside Denver, Colorado and has one older brother who was not adopted. (Louise and her brother are very close as adults and they have had enlightening conversations about her being an adoptee and all of what that entails- which has been healing for them both).
She always knew she was adopted although growing up she didn’t feel she could ask about her origins without causing hurt to her family. This is very common with adoptees. An unspoken guilt and loyalty that is deeply embedded in the psyche. As a child Louise didn’t like to be hugged or held and often shied away from intimacy (that lasted through her adult life).
When Louise’s only son was born, she was in awe, as many adoptees are, at having her first known biological relative. Staring at her son in the delivery room she said, “I know him.” This sparked an intense desire to learn about her ‘Chapter One’, although a search was time consuming and it all seemed so daunting and overwhelming. In a twist of fate soon thereafter, her biological family made contact – It was then that she found out that her birth mother had died in a tragic accident in 1975.
This piece of information proved to be a touchstone between the guiding and protective voice in her head and the events of the past. Louise has gotten to know maternal relatives and it has proved to be a grounding and healing experience. She has recently let go of some ‘adoptee guilt’ and has embraced knowing her biological roots.
Louise is the Co-Host of a podcast geared for adoptees entitled: Adoption: the Making of Me, now wrapping up its 4th season. Hosting the podcast with her friend and fellow adoptee Sarah Reinhardt has been therapeutic. The process has helped in the understanding of emotions she suppressed in order to fit in, as well as making sense of feelings of abandonment and anxiety.
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