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Summary: Hits the nail on the head
Review: A truly excellent book. The author writes with insight and clarity and really identifies the feelings and implcations of 'shame'. It becomes apparent that a lot of other feelings could more accurately be appropriated to shame. Highly recommended.
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Summary: I use this book to deal with the pain of my accident.
Review: After the torpedo accident, I lost my legs and the ability to speak. I turned to drinking robitussin to deal with my anger, and my bitter, bitter remorse. I became depressed, and I suffered hallucinations most of the day, and I had horrible nightmares whenever I could sleep. After I read this book, I understood that torpedo accidents are God's way of playing tricks on us, and all we can do is laugh, and think of how much satisfaction God gets from watching us deal with misfortunes like torpedo accidents. Now, I begin everyday by praying and asking God to give me the grace to understand his wicked sense of humor. I also pray that I avoid further episodes with torpedos. I love this book, and I love submarines, but I hate torpedos. Thanks Amazon.com!
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Summary: Stars Come and Go, But Bradshaw Still Shines!
Review: Even though John Bradshaw's star has waned and has been replaced by Dr. Phil's stardom (a good behavioral therapist), "Healing the Shame That Binds You" remains a classic "Know thyself" book.
As the first-born son of an alcoholic father, I felt the need to fill some emptiness inside me with high academic and professional achievements, like Bradshaw himself. But "Healing the Shame" helped me see the wisdom in James Taylor's song "The Secret of Life" ("is enjoying the passage of time / It's okay to feel afraid / But don't let that stand in your way / Planets spinning through space / Welcome to the human race").
"Homecoming" is a good companion to "Healing." I also recommend Charles Whitfield, Alice Miller, and one of my current super novas Daniel Goleman ("Emotional Intelligence") Thanks, John, for putting me on a non-type-A healing path.
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Summary: Incredible insight and compassion
Review: He brings together a lot of information which makes so much sense. He gives very workable solutions. His style is easy to read and understand.
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Summary: Taking the healing process to the next level.
Review: Healing The Shame That Binds You is an integral read for anyone going through a recovery process. The concept of shame is intangible and esoteric, which makes this book a harder read than some of the more popular self help books, but Bradshaw's work is a classic for a reason. Bradshaw provides an understanding of the pain we carry from the past, the role we take on early in life to control others' emotions, how we continue to live life through others, how this dynamic contributes to depression, and how we can break the cycle. The end of the book overviews a number of tools we can use to further understand 'the shame that binds us'. While I wouldn't recommend Bradshaw's book for anyone new to recovery, it's highly recommended to those who are looking to take their journey into self-realization to a new level and looking to become more intimate with their deepest emotions and difficult memories in order to heal.
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Summary: Marginally better than "Bradshaw On: The Family:"
Review: I actually wanted to give it 3 1/2 stars, but as that isn't an option, I chose to round up, because the book does have alot of good points.The first part of the book describes what toxic shame is, how it comes about, and how it impacts people. Much of this section of the book is a shorter, clearer, more well written version of the material presented in "Bradshaw On: The Family." My only concern about this section is that the author seems to imply that every single problem everyone has is rooted in toxic shame, which seems simplistic at best. The second section is a series of techniques on how to cope with and alter one's toxic shame. Again, Bradshaw sings the praises of 12 step support groups and does not really get into the arguments that say such groups are not effective on their own, for most people. His unwillingness to answer his critics is disconcerting; he seems to be hiding. The techniques range from meditation to cognitive behavioural techniques. I found that some of the meditations could be difficult at best and harmful at worst for a person doing them alone. These are meditations he has done in groups, where he was there to monitor if people were being triggered. I think people trying them alone, without the supervision of a qualified professional, could bring up stuff they can't cope with. The other techniques seem safer and easier to use on one's own. In terms of the book as an overall whole, as usual, Bradshaw seems to write from a place of victimhood, which is discouraging. As well, he still uses too much personal examples The stories sometime distract from the text and seems self-aggrandizing rather than being the appropriate self-disclosure some therapists will use. I often wondered, "What does this have to do with anything?" If you like Bradshaw's other works, this book will please you. If you haven't read him before, this is a better place to start than "On the Family". If you don't like his other work, this won't change your mind, especially if you don't have patience for "New Age" techniques like meditation.
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Summary: this is one of the most helpful books i have ever read.
Review: i have trouble with low self-esteem. this book has helped me to see why i have low self-esteem. i have enjoyed this book more than any book i have ever purchased
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Summary: I did not like it at all. I think it was very bad
Review: I think the content was horrible and everything was false. I belive the writer is not very good one, and the book seems to not understand the problems we are all going through.
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Summary: Hit home
Review: I was amazed at the clarity of what Bradshaw wrote and how I could relate to it. So many things make more sense now. I'm not saying that it fixes you, that still requires personal work, but it sure did explain alot of my own behavior.
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Summary: Not an easy book to read
Review: If any part of your childhood (or adult life) was or is dysfunctional, this is a must-read book. I wish I could tell everyone how important it is to get a book like this and read it until everything in your past and present begins to make sense. It took me a while to "get it," but now I see how important it is to understand that everyone in the family has to play certain roles to keep the dysfunctional family dysfunctionally functioning. When you read this book you'll understand why everything happened in your family the way it did. Thanks, John Bradshaw, for explaining the dysfunctional family so clearly - and showing how to change your life forever by healing the shame that binds you.
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