The Truth About Childhood, As Many Of

The Achievement Of Freedom Is Hardly Possible Without The Felt Mourning. This Ability To Mourn, I.e, To Give Up The Illusion Of A Happy Childhood, Can Restore Vitality And Creativity If A Person Is Able To Experience That He Was Never Loved As A Child For What He Was, But For His Achievements, Success And Good Qualities. And That He Sacrificed His Childhood For This Love, This Will Shake Him Very Deeply.

Quite Often I Have Been Faced With People Who Were Praised And Admired For Their Talents And Their Achievements... According To Prevailing Attitudes, These People-the Pride And Joy Of Their Parents-should Have Had A Strong And Stable Sense Of Self-assurance. But The Case Is Exactly The Opposite... Whenever They Suddenly Get The Feeling They Have Failed To Live Up To Some Ideal Image Or Have Not Measured Up To Some Standard, Then They Are Plagued By Anxiety Or Deep Feelings Of Guilt And Shame. What Are The Reasons For Such Disturbances In These Competent, Accomplished People?

It Is Possible To Resolve Childhood Repression Safely And Without Confusion - Something That Has Always Been Disputed By The Most Respected Schools Of Thought.

The Attempt To Be An Ideal Parent, That Is, To Behave Correctly Toward The Child, To Raise Her Correctly, Not To Give To Little Ortoo Much, Is In Essence An Attempt To Be The Ideal Child--well Behaved And Dutiful--of One's Own Parents. But As A Result Of These Efforts The Needs Of The Child Go Unnoticed. I Cannot Listen To My Child With Empathy If I Am Inwardly Preoccupied With Being A Good Mother; I Cannot Be Open To What She Is Telling Me.

The Victimization Of Children Is Nowhere Forbidden; What Is Forbidden Is To Write About It.