Showing titles in Dysfunctional Families

A horrifying account of torture and humiliation at the hands of her family, My Firefly will pull you in and grab hold of your spirit. Seen from the perspective of the family home, this young girl struggles to stay alive as she is slowly ripped apart emotionally, physically, and sexually by her father. You'll experience an abundance of feelings throughout this book and won't be able to put it down. My Firefly is a flicker of light in complete darkness, leading to safety. It is cruel and brutish and bloody. But, if you want inspiration, then listen to My Firefly.

The worst part of being the family scapegoat is that you had no idea you were the runt of the family until decades later, by which time the damage was already done. What seems blatantly obvious now all the while was happening under the radar when you were none the wiser. The 64,000 dollar question of course is "why me?" Both in being labeled as the "chosen one" and the inevitable mistreatment to follow. Targeted abuse that was set in stone from day one and destined to remain that way.

Dr. Kerry McAvoy was juggling the life of an overly-committed mom, wife, and psychologist when the loss of her husband brought her world to a crashing halt. Then she meets Cesar, a charming, handsome, and ambitious man who sweeps her off her feet with the promise of new love.

Frank Senko had always known how to have a good time. But after a job change forced Frank to begin a long car commute every day, his daughter Jen noticed changes in his personality and beliefs. Long hours on the road listening to talk radio commentators like Rush Limbaugh sucked her father into a suspicion-laden worldview dominated by conspiracy theories, fake news, and rants about the "coastal elite" and "libtards" trying to destroy America.

This haunting yet wry coming-of-age memoir set at an all-girls summer camp fast-forwards decades into the future as Barbara Graham grapples with the knowledge that the "love affair" she believed she'd shared with her female camp counselor in the 1960s fits every definition of sexual abuse. The book will appeal to anyone who has experienced a betrayal of trust or conflated love and abuse.

George Diener, World War II veteran and traveling salesman, and his wife, Carol, had old-fashioned values and ordinary aspirations: a home, a family, the pleasure of watching their two sons grow up. But in February 1972, an unthinkable tragedy occurred in the basement of their Nassau County residence, shattering their hopes and dreams forever.

If your partner: seems irritated or angry at you several times a week, denies being angry when he clearly is, does not work with you to resolve important issues, rarely or never seems to share thoughts or plans with you, or tells you that he has no idea what you’re talking about when you try to discuss important problems…you need this audiobook.

From a young age, her life was defined by uncertainty—by trauma and strength, sadness and hope, terrible lows and wondrous highs. As a teenager she found the courage to speak up after experiencing awful and ongoing child sexual abuse. This fight to find her voice would not be her last. The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner is Grace's story, in Grace's words, on Grace's terms. Like Grace, it is sharply intelligent, deeply felt and often blisteringly funny. And, as with all her work, it offers a constructive and optimistic vision for a better future for all of us.

If you spent your childhood dealing with a narcissistic mother, then you know that the effects of living with someone so arrogant, self-centered, manipulative, and demanding don’t end when you leave home. If you have spent the intervening years trying to overcome the mental and emotional hurdles left in your way by such an experience, then now is the time to make a change!

Natasha Trethewey was born in Mississippi in the '60s to a Black mother and a White father. When she was six, Natasha’s parents divorced and she and her mother moved to Atlanta. There, her mother met the man who would become her second husband and Natasha’s stepfather. While she was still a child, Natasha decided that she would not tell her mother about what her stepfather did when she was not there: the quiet bullying and control, the games of cat and mouse. Her mother kept her own secrets, secrets that grew harder to hide as Natasha came of age.

It’s a fact that the narcissist in your life doesn’t care about you. Dr. Judith Orloff said it best: “Narcissists have an empathy deficit disorder. They’re not capable of empathy as we know it.” As a result, they are more likely to engage in manipulative behaviors than to commit long-term. To the narcissist, you're nothing more than a source of attention, admiration, and praise. They need you to supply these things so that they can continue to support their inflated false sense of self.

No bond is more sacred than the one between a mother and child. And no figure is more sympathetic than a mother whose child faces a life-threatening illness. But what if the mother is the reason for the illness? What if the sympathy is the point? With help from some of the top MBP experts in the world, Dunlop and Weber uncover the complex maze of psychological, systemic, and cultural issues that compound MBP and offer solutions for how we might find our way out.

This a purposefully short book that contains powerful messages. It is like having a good and genuine friend by your side. Written by a therapist with many, many years of practical experience in the resolution of problems such as these, what this book does is to turn sufferers into survivors and then those survivors into happy and fulfilled regular people. It shows how that wonderful, but fake, love affair is all about the narcissist and not you. They can only love themselves. That is narcissism, and it is a personality disorder.

In this powerful and practical guide, Minaa shares therapeutic tools, client stories, and actionable insights to help you on your healing journey, along with reflections from her personal experiences. Each chapter focuses on a common emotional struggle—from overcoming dysfunctional family patterns to developing emotional maturity, finding our village, navigating racial trauma, and moving past isolation and despair.

Difficult brings to life the conflicts that arise for mothers who are confronted with the unexpected and burdensome dependencies of their adult children associated with mental illness, substance use, or chronic unemployment. Through real stories of mothers and their challenging adult children, this book offers accessible, provocative, and, at times, shocking illustrations of the excruciating maternal dilemma: Which takes precedence—the needs of the mother or of the distressed adult child? Difficult addresses a family situation which too many keep secret.

Each year at least a billion children around the world are victims of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that range from physical abuse to racial discrimination to neglect and food deprivation. The brain plasticity of our most vulnerable makes the adverse effects of trauma only that much more damaging to mental and physical development. Those dealt a hand of ACEs are more likely to drop out of school, have a shorter life, abuse substances, and suffer from myriad mental health and behavioral issues.

Relationships with narcissists are turbulent, draining you of your essence while feeding their endless fire. Yet, like the phoenix, you possess the power to rise, reborn from the ashes, stronger and more radiant. It's time to prioritize your wellbeing, reclaim your narrative, and embrace the flight of the Phoenix. Begin your ascent towards healing and empowerment.

Best-seller du New York Times ! Avez-vous déjà réfléchi pourquoi tant de personnes, bien qu'elles soient couronnées de succès, ressentent un vide intérieur et une aliénation ? Savez-vous que les traumatismes de l'enfance peuvent avoir des effets durables sur la gestion de la colère et de la douleur refoulées ? Dans Le drame de l’enfant doué, Alice Miller, psychologue et psychanalyste renommée, explore ces questions avec une profondeur et une perspicacité remarquables. À travers ce livre, Miller examine les conséquences des abus subis durant l'enfance et comment ces expériences façonnent notre vie adulte.

Would you like to know how to transition from abuse and trauma into radical aliveness? This audiobook by number-one international best seller Dr. Lisa Cooney will allow you to not only overcome an abusive past but also propel you beyond anything that has stopped you from full-out living thus far. You will get a glimpse into the change that can actually help you move through your limitations and into creation, possibility, and hope. Your life may never be the same.

Boxing legend Christy Martin was a trailblazer in the ring and continues to be an inspiration to female fighters across the globe. She is without a doubt the most important woman in the history of female combat sports. But behind the scenes Martin was in a losing battle, unable to express her true sexual identity and struggling to survive sexual and domestic abuse at the hands of her husband. In Fighting for Survival: My Journey Through Boxing Fame, Abuse, Murder, and Resurrection, Christy Martin recounts her harrowing yet inspiring story.