The Emotional Incest Syndrome

What to Do When a Parent's Love Rules Your Life

By: Patricia Love EdD, Jo Robinson

Narrated by: Laural Merlington

Do these "endearments" sound familiar to you?

"Of all my children, I expect the most of you." Translation: I've selected you to be the one to make my life worth living.

"You've never caused me a minute of trouble." Translation: Ignore your own needs, I can't handle them.

"You're the only one who truly understands me." Translation: I would be totally alone if it weren't for you.

If so, you may have been a "chosen child", seemingly the focus of loving and devoted parents, but in reality a child walking a psychological tightrope - learning early on to deny your own needs in order to meet the emotional needs of a parent. Today, there is a name for this devastating form of child abuse: emotional incest. Here, Dr. Patricia Love offers adults real hope - and help - in overcoming the hurtful legacy of being a chosen child. Based on proven therapeutic techniques and using real-life case histories, her total program of recovery will help you identify the signs of emotional incest, confront your parents - and your past - with love and understanding, disentangle your life from theirs, and create a positive relationship with your parents - and your own children.

©1990 Patricia Love and Jo Robinson (P)2017 Tantor

Game changing truths!

This book made so many connections for me. It’s changed how I look at a lot of my childhood history and adult relationships. It should be a foundational read for anyone who has significant struggles with their parents or partner relationships.

Stimulates healing

Even if the chosen child isn’t your dominant childhood wound, you’ll find it’s dimensionality in your own life or those near and near. This is a must read for anyone seeking self-healing and better relationships.

If you relate to anything in this book, you need therapy.

But you are so worth it. This book is very eye opening and helpful in navigating relationships.

Life Changing

This has probably been the most important book I have ever encountered. I thought my life and experiences were unique and lonely. I often thought my memories and feelings were based off of some unearthly fever dream that only I experienced. I was incredibly surprised therefore to read my childhood and history in the paages of this book. I highly recommend reading it too. it has brought me so much healing.

Amazing

I have just begun my journey for self healing and I could never explain why I was so miserable...this book gave me an answer. There was so much that I had gone through that I didn’t know wasn’t normal. I can finally begin my road to recovery thanks to this book. I will listen many times over!!!