Drama Free

A Guide to Managing Unhealthy Family Relationships

By: Nedra Glover Tawwab

Narrated by: Nedra Glover Tawwab

Instant New York Times Bestseller

From the bestselling author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace, a road map for understanding and moving past family struggles—and living your life, your way.

Every family has a story. For some of us, our family of origin is a solid foundation that feeds our confidence and helps us navigate life’s challenges. For others, it’s a source of pain, hurt, and conflict that can feel like a lifelong burden. In this empowering guide, licensed therapist and bestselling relationship expert Nedra Glover Tawwab offers clear advice for identifying dysfunctional family patterns and choosing the best path to breaking the cycle and moving forward.
Covering topics ranging from the trauma of emotional neglect, to the legacy of addicted or absent parents, to mental health struggles in siblings and other relatives, and more, this clear and compassionate guide will help you take control of your own life—and honor the person you truly are.

Critic reviews

“Without a fresh perspective and the belief that we can break the cycle, we can get stuck in family patterns rather than living as our whole selves. With compassion and clarity, Nedra Tawwab offers a much-needed guide to understanding our upbringing—and becoming an agent for change in our own lives.” —Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and co-host of the Dear Therapists podcast


“In Drama Free, therapist Nedra Tawwab gives us the tools to understand family relationships and manage them in a healthier way – while staying true to who we are and what we need. This book offers a powerful path forward.” —Charlamagne Tha God, New York Times bestselling author and co-host of The Breakfast Club


“Many people go to therapy to work through the issues in their heads, overlooking that their biggest challenges often lie in their family relationships. In this book, therapist Nedra Tawwab offers practical wisdom to help you handle problems with parents, siblings, children, and yes, even in-laws. In a time when mental health is finally getting the attention it deserves, this is a vital guide to building healthier families.” —Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast Re:Thinking


"Drama Free is an engaging and relatable guide to understanding what's really going on within our families, offering practical steps for creating healthy changes as needed." —Myleik Teele, CURLBOX founder


“The family dynamics we grew up with can feel like an immutable fact of life—a set of patterns and rules we carry with us, for better or worse. In this empowering book, Nedra Tawwab upends this assumption, unpacking these complex relationships and offering tools for positive change.” —Judson Brewer, MD, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety

Realistic and Practical!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It is a valuable resource for those that have complex family relationships. This book was broken down into 3 Parts:

1.Unlearning Dysfunction
2.Healing
3.Growing

This is like a bundle of family therapy sessions in a book. I would recommend the audiobook. And yes, the author narrates it!
It discusses all types of family relationships from immediate family to in-laws. 😅 Every topic may not apply so it’s ok to skip around to the topics that apply to you. I listened to everything because I can use the information I gleaned, to help others or have as a tool for myself if needed. The topics and scenarios were very realistic and practical.
I also would recommend the physical copy because it has exercises to do.

Helpful and practical steps to managing relationships and boundaries

Great book! So many good point and actual steps on how to interact in these difficult situations. In the first few chapters, this book identified and helped me really accept what I’m doing with family and other relationships as well as the limitations that I may be able to control.

Impactful

I loved it. I will purchase a written copy and listen again. Helpful book to those who want to improve themselves and have a better mindset with other relationships.

Awesome book and advice!!!

I absolutely loved this book. It was very relatable and I did not feel alone. It was like looking into a mirror of my life. Thank you!!!

Great Read

Mind blowing and informative read. Book helps you identify trauma and effects of trauma. Great healing gem. Author has others as well.