• About
    • About Severance
    • From the Editor
    • Submission Guidelines: How to Contribute
    • Contact Us
  • Articles
    • abandonment
    • Adoption
    • Advocacy
    • DNA & Genetic Genealogy
    • DNA Surprises
    • Donor Conception
    • Family Secrets
    • Genetics & Heredity
    • Interviews & Profiles
    • Late Discovery Adoptees
    • Psychology & Therapy
    • NPEs/MPEs
    • Search & Reunion
  • Essays & Fiction
    • abandonment
    • Adoption
    • DNA surprises
    • Donor Conception
    • NPEs/MPEs
    • Late Discovery Adoptees
    • Search & Reunion
    • Secrets & Lies
  • Short Takes
    • Short Takes: Books
    • Short Takes: Events
    • Short Takes: Film & Video
    • Short Takes: People, News & Research
    • Short Takes: Podcasts & Radio
  • Self Care & Coping
    • Coping Strategies
    • Self-Care
  • Speak Out
    • Micro-Memoirs
    • Your Video Stories
  • Resources
    • Start Here
    • Abandonment
    • Adoption
    • DNA & Genetic Genealogy
    • Donor Conception
    • Genetics & Heredity
    • Late-Discovery Adoptees
    • NPEs (Not parent expected) & MPEs (Misattributed parentage experience)
    • Psychology & Therapy & Coaching
    • Search & Reunion
    • Secrets & Lies
    • Self-Care
  • NEED HELP TELLING YOUR STORY?
Severance Magazine

Secrets

Knowing You, Knowing Me

Explanation is Not Obligation

Becoming After Betrayal

When the Questions Don’t Lead to the Right Answers

I Meet the Parents

Nunc Pro Tunc

Her Name is Sheva

Diplomas

The Ring of Truth

Bedrock

Cracks in the Foundation

My Mom Jayne

A Coffee Date with My Younger Self

There Was a Secret

20 Questions and a World of Stories

Articles

The Four Major Losses of the Adoptee

January 20, 2026

Through my lived experience as an adoptee

by bkjax January 20, 2026

Who Am I?

January 5, 2026

My husband, Martin’s, midday phone call jolted me out of my usual routine.

by bkjax January 5, 2026

One Big Happy Family

October 8, 2025
by bkjax October 8, 2025

Unfixed: A Memoir of Family, Mystery and the Currents That Carry You Home

October 1, 2025
by bkjax October 1, 2025

And Then the Music Came

July 28, 2025
by bkjax July 28, 2025

The Constellation Speaks

July 20, 2025
by bkjax July 20, 2025

In Search of Origin

May 29, 2025
by bkjax May 29, 2025

Should Health Care Professionals Tell the Truth About Paternity?

April 14, 2025
by bkjax April 14, 2025

Rabbit Holes and Hobbits

March 12, 2025
by bkjax March 12, 2025

Smile for the Camera!

March 3, 2025
by bkjax March 3, 2025

A Tale of Two Adoptees

February 5, 2025
by bkjax February 5, 2025

What They Never Told Us

January 15, 2025
by bkjax January 15, 2025

Why the Details on Your OBR Matter––A Lot!

December 20, 2024
by bkjax December 20, 2024

The Illusion of Adoption is Over

December 15, 2024
by bkjax December 15, 2024

Family Preservation

December 10, 2024
by bkjax December 10, 2024

A Call to Action

September 22, 2024
by bkjax September 22, 2024

Psychedelic Assisted Therapy

August 22, 2024
by bkjax August 22, 2024

Drained Brain

February 5, 2024
by bkjax February 5, 2024

Essays, Fiction, Poetry

Secrets

March 2, 2026

The first arrow attacked my psyche in 1977 during a fundraiser at Mr. Silks 3rd Base

by bkjax March 2, 2026

Knowing You, Knowing Me

February 23, 2026

A month to immerse myself in German life.

by bkjax February 23, 2026

Explanation is Not Obligation

February 16, 2026
by bkjax February 16, 2026

Becoming After Betrayal

February 5, 2026
by bkjax February 5, 2026

When the Questions Don’t Lead to the Right Answers

February 4, 2026
by bkjax February 4, 2026

I Meet the Parents

January 26, 2026
by bkjax January 26, 2026

Nunc Pro Tunc

January 16, 2026
by bkjax January 16, 2026

Her Name is Sheva

January 12, 2026
by bkjax January 12, 2026

Diplomas

November 22, 2025
by bkjax November 22, 2025

The Ring of Truth

October 19, 2025
by bkjax October 19, 2025

Bedrock

July 7, 2025
by bkjax July 7, 2025

Cracks in the Foundation

July 2, 2025
by bkjax July 2, 2025

My Mom Jayne

June 29, 2025
by bkjax June 29, 2025

A Coffee Date with My Younger Self

June 10, 2025
by bkjax June 10, 2025

There Was a Secret

April 17, 2025
by bkjax April 17, 2025

20 Questions and a World of Stories

April 7, 2025
by bkjax April 7, 2025

The Wizard and I

March 17, 2025
by bkjax March 17, 2025

We Three

March 10, 2025
by bkjax March 10, 2025

Short Takes

Buried Truth

October 26, 2025

In 1993, when he was 48, Jim Graham learned a secret that turned his whole world upside down

by bkjax October 26, 2025

Live Podcast Weekend with Adoption: The Making of Me

August 4, 2025

Adoption: The Making of Me podcast comes to life in Washington, D.C. this September

by bkjax August 4, 2025

Who’s My Daddy?

August 14, 2024
by bkjax August 14, 2024

Let Us Be Greater

June 24, 2024
by bkjax June 24, 2024

Hiraeth Hope & Healing Retreats

June 3, 2024
by bkjax June 3, 2024

Second Annual DNA Surprise Retreat

June 1, 2024
by bkjax June 1, 2024

A New Workbook for Your New Identity

January 20, 2024
by bkjax January 20, 2024

Secrets of the Asylum: Norwich State Hospital and My Family

November 27, 2023
by bkjax November 27, 2023

Australian Adoption Literary Festival

October 1, 2023
by bkjax October 1, 2023

Contribute to New Research about NPEs

April 28, 2023
by bkjax April 28, 2023

Retreat Provides Community for People Who Have Experienced DNA Surprises

February 22, 2023
by bkjax February 22, 2023

New Documentary About DNA Discoveries

December 6, 2022
by bkjax December 6, 2022

Adoption is a psychological barrier

July 29, 2022
by bkjax July 29, 2022

The Faces of NPE Project

June 24, 2022
by bkjax June 24, 2022

An Essential Resource for Adoptees, NPEs, and MPEs

May 27, 2022
by bkjax May 27, 2022

A Life In Between

May 21, 2022
by bkjax May 21, 2022

American Bastard

April 20, 2022
by bkjax April 20, 2022

Matthew Charles: Poet and Transracial Adoptee

April 6, 2022
by bkjax April 6, 2022

Self-Care

The Butterfly Hug

December 18, 2020

For many of us, DNA test results have delivered news that’s made nothing in our world seem normal.

by bkjax December 18, 2020

To Lift Spirits During the Pandemic, Sing Together!

May 26, 2020

When I visited Venice, Italy many years ago, what struck me most—after the gorgeous skies and the pastel colors

by bkjax May 26, 2020

Loving-kindness Meditation

April 11, 2020
by bkjax April 11, 2020

Rejection: A Q&A With Lisa Bahar

February 27, 2020
by bkjax February 27, 2020

Mindful Self-Compassion: How to Soothe Yourself

September 26, 2019
by bkjax September 26, 2019

Calm in the Middle of a Storm: A Conversation with Mindfulness Expert Julie Potiker

June 19, 2019
by bkjax June 19, 2019

Urge Surfing: Ease the Mind by Riding the Wave

June 19, 2019
by bkjax June 19, 2019

Have You Just Learned a Shocking Family Secret? Now What?

June 19, 2019
by bkjax June 19, 2019

Caring and Sharing: Peer Support on Facebook

June 19, 2019
by bkjax June 19, 2019

Dance Away the Stress

June 19, 2019
by bkjax June 19, 2019

Speak Out

A Double NPE

April 12, 2023
by bkjax April 12, 2023

The Lies We’re Told

April 7, 2023
by bkjax April 7, 2023

My NPE Story

November 9, 2022
by bkjax November 9, 2022

Meeting My Daughter

May 18, 2022
by bkjax May 18, 2022

My Father, The Pizza Man

February 17, 2022
by bkjax February 17, 2022

Ungrateful

November 20, 2021
by bkjax November 20, 2021

Severance is a community for NPEs (people who’ve had a “not parent expected” experience), adoptees, and others who've been severed from biological family. It was founded and is edited by B.K. Jackson. Click here to learn more about the magazine, here to learn about the editor, and here for information about how to share your stories. Severance has no subscription fees, does not accept advertising, and includes no AI-generated copy for affiliate links.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZM6m_GJhr8

What’s New on Severance

  • Secrets
  • Knowing You, Knowing Me
  • Explanation is Not Obligation
  • Becoming After Betrayal
  • When the Questions Don’t Lead to the Right Answers
  • I Meet the Parents

After a DNA Surprise: 10 Things No One Wants to Hear

Tags

abandonment adoptee adoptees adoptee stories adoption advocacy biological family birthmother books DNA DNA surprise DNA surprises DNA test DNA tests donor conceived donor conception essay Essays family secrets genetic genealogy genetic identity genetics grief heredity Late Discovery Adoptee late discovery adoptees Late Discovery Adoption meditation memoir MPE MPEs NPE NPEs podcasts psychology Q&A rejection research reunion search and reunion secrets and lies self care therapy transracial adoption trauma

Recommended Reading

The Lost Family: How DNA is Upending Who We Are, by Libby Copeland. Check our News & Reviews section for a review of this excellent book about the impact on the culture of direct-to-consumer DNA testing.

What Happens When Parents Wait to Tell a Child He’s Adopted

“A new study suggests that learning about one’s adoption after a certain age could lead to lower life satisfaction in the future.”

Janine Vance Searches for the Truth About Korean Adoptees

“Imagine for a minute that you don’t know who your mother is. Now imagine that you are that mother, and you don’t know what became of your daughter.”

Who’s Your Daddy? The Twisty History of Paternity Testing

“Salon talks to author Nara B. Milanich about why in the politics of paternity and science, context is everything.”

What Separation from Parents Does to Children: ‘The Effect is Catastrophic”

“This is what happens inside children when they are forcibly separated from their parents.”

Truth: A Love Story

“A scientist discovers his own family’s secret.”

Dear Therapist: The Child My Daughter Put Up for Adoption is Now Rejecting Her

“She thought that her daughter would want to meet her one day. Twenty-five years later, that’s not true.”

I’m Adopted and Pro-Choice. Stop Using My Story for the Anti-Abortion Agenda. Stephanie Drenka’s essay for the Huffington Post looks at the way adoptees have made unwilling participants in conversations about abortion.

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@2019 - Severance Magazine

Severance Magazine
  • About
    • About Severance
    • From the Editor
    • Submission Guidelines: How to Contribute
    • Contact Us
  • Articles
    • abandonment
    • Adoption
    • Advocacy
    • DNA & Genetic Genealogy
    • DNA Surprises
    • Donor Conception
    • Family Secrets
    • Genetics & Heredity
    • Interviews & Profiles
    • Late Discovery Adoptees
    • Psychology & Therapy
    • NPEs/MPEs
    • Search & Reunion
  • Essays & Fiction
    • abandonment
    • Adoption
    • DNA surprises
    • Donor Conception
    • NPEs/MPEs
    • Late Discovery Adoptees
    • Search & Reunion
    • Secrets & Lies
  • Short Takes
    • Short Takes: Books
    • Short Takes: Events
    • Short Takes: Film & Video
    • Short Takes: People, News & Research
    • Short Takes: Podcasts & Radio
  • Self Care & Coping
    • Coping Strategies
    • Self-Care
  • Speak Out
    • Micro-Memoirs
    • Your Video Stories
  • Resources
    • Start Here
    • Abandonment
    • Adoption
    • DNA & Genetic Genealogy
    • Donor Conception
    • Genetics & Heredity
    • Late-Discovery Adoptees
    • NPEs (Not parent expected) & MPEs (Misattributed parentage experience)
    • Psychology & Therapy & Coaching
    • Search & Reunion
    • Secrets & Lies
    • Self-Care
  • NEED HELP TELLING YOUR STORY?
Severance Magazine
  • About
    • About Severance
    • From the Editor
    • Submission Guidelines: How to Contribute
    • Contact Us
  • Articles
    • abandonment
    • Adoption
    • Advocacy
    • DNA & Genetic Genealogy
    • DNA Surprises
    • Donor Conception
    • Family Secrets
    • Genetics & Heredity
    • Interviews & Profiles
    • Late Discovery Adoptees
    • Psychology & Therapy
    • NPEs/MPEs
    • Search & Reunion
  • Essays & Fiction
    • abandonment
    • Adoption
    • DNA surprises
    • Donor Conception
    • NPEs/MPEs
    • Late Discovery Adoptees
    • Search & Reunion
    • Secrets & Lies
  • Short Takes
    • Short Takes: Books
    • Short Takes: Events
    • Short Takes: Film & Video
    • Short Takes: People, News & Research
    • Short Takes: Podcasts & Radio
  • Self Care & Coping
    • Coping Strategies
    • Self-Care
  • Speak Out
    • Micro-Memoirs
    • Your Video Stories
  • Resources
    • Start Here
    • Abandonment
    • Adoption
    • DNA & Genetic Genealogy
    • Donor Conception
    • Genetics & Heredity
    • Late-Discovery Adoptees
    • NPEs (Not parent expected) & MPEs (Misattributed parentage experience)
    • Psychology & Therapy & Coaching
    • Search & Reunion
    • Secrets & Lies
    • Self-Care
  • NEED HELP TELLING YOUR STORY?
@2019 - Severance Magazine