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In a story that captivated many readers in the THE WEEKEND STAR, Mark's* life took an unexpected turn when, at 23, he discovered that the woman he was dating was his biological mother.

Now 30, Mark reflected on the turbulent journey from shock to healing, a process marked by deep emotional and psychological upheaval. Clinical psychologist Dr Paul Smith weighed in on the emotional complexity of such situations, pointing out that this may be a case of genetic sexual attraction. This refers to the phenomenon where individuals, especially those separated from their biological relatives early in life, experience an intense emotional or physical attraction when reunited.

"There are persons who have strong genetic connection and you will feel it, some will not, but others will," he explained. "This attraction can be intense, even if it doesn't lead to sexual contact, and is often mistaken for a form of sexual desire."

Subtle inconsistencies in his partner's stories prompted Mark to dig deeper into her past, culminating in the startling revelation of their biological connection. This discovery upended his personal life and challenged the very foundation of his relationship. Smith further explained the mental toll such revelations can have.

"It is a rare thing, but it does happen, and trauma might be the ultimate response because they might not be able to eat or sleep, they can't relax because there is something in them now that has implications," he said.

"It can bring chaos. The person might not know what to do because they might be in a relationship for a while and love each other only to find that the narrative has changed. So it might be a period of confusion. 'What do we do now that we have found out that we are related? What do we do?'"

Smith said that emotional responses can range from anger and shame to self-blame and guilt. He further noted that sometimes these emotional responses might stem from ignored instincts.

"Chances are, it is an instinct or feeling that came up and was ignored or they did not use that emotional intelligence to say that the feeling is stronger," he said. Smith stressed the importance of proper mental processing.

"It is important too that mentally they are processing it and that there are no irrational thoughts that might be going through their mind, because not everyone has that level of resilience to stand up. Some will go under stream and can't deal with it at all."

Mark said that he feels a sense of relief after sharing his story, noting that some of the comments made him laugh.

"Old time people use to say yuh affi take bad things make joke," he said. "The timing (of opening up) for me was great, because mi woulda never, ever share this experience closer to the time when it happen to how mi did shame and traumatised."

"If anything mi considered this part of my healing journey and mi proud a miself because the mental space mi did inna couple years ago. Mi medz did mash up," he added.

What made it even harder, Mark said, was how differently his mother reacted.

"Mi think it woulda easier fi get over it if she did as traumatise as mi. Mi nuh know, but is like she nuh care, so mi just affi deal wid it pan mi own," he told THE STAR.

The emotional scars have made Mark cautious about love, and he admitted that he is not ready to get involved with anyone else.

"Mi just a take mi time. I think I have to be a better version of myself for any other woman inna mi life. Mi cya paranoid inna one relationship; that a go mash it up," he said. "I'm doing good in my career, mi father good, my health good and that a my main priority inna life right now."

*Name changed to protect identity