Preloading

The Painful Secret This Mom Kept from Her 6 Daughters

Season 4 Episode 415
Aired on 05/06/2017 | CC
Each of Alicia's six adult daughters struggle in their relationship with their mother. Some, like 29-year-old Preccious, have been living with a deep sense of abandonment, while others, like eldest sister Shay, say they feel nothing at all. But none of Alicia's children know about the painful secret that caused her own life to fall into chaos many years ago.

As Alicia tells Iyanla, after she gave Preccious to family in Louisiana when the girl was an infant, Alicia kept her distance. A big reason why, she says, is because a man in that family molested her.

"When I was molested as a teenager, no one knew about it then," Alicia says. "Until later on in life, it was kept a secret."

Alicia adds that her abuser and her unsuspecting daughter Shay maintain a close relationship. Iyanla tells the mother of six that she must be honest with all her children and must also forgive herself if any progress is to be made in this family.

"Miss Alicia grew up in chaos, confusion and pain, and she has passed that disorder along to her daughters," Iyanla explains later to the viewing audience. "Unless we can interrupt that pattern, it is going to be repeated in the next generation of this family."

Iyanla's work with this family continues in Part 2, airing Saturday, May 13, at 9 p.m. ET.

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