Book Review - Homecoming: Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child
Written by John Bradshaw
Are you outwardly successful but inwardly do you feel like a big kid? Do you aspire to be a loving parent but all too often “lose it” in hurtful ways? Do you crave intimacy but sometimes wonder if it’s worth the struggle? Or are you plagued by constant vague feelings of anxiety or depression?
If any of this sounds familiar, you may be experiencing the hidden but damaging effects of a painful childhood—carrying within you a “wounded inner child” that is crying out for attention and healing.
In this powerful book, John Bradshaw shows how we can learn to nurture that inner child, in essence offering ourselves the good parenting we needed and longed for. Through a step-by-step process of exploring the unfinished business of each developmental stage, we can break away from destructive family rules and roles and free ourselves to live responsibly in the present. Then, says Bradshaw, the healed inner child becomes a source of vitality, enabling us to find new joy and energy in living.
Homecoming includes a wealth of unique case histories and interactive techniques, including questionnaires, letter-writing to the inner child, guided meditations, and affirmations. Pioneering when introduced, these classic therapies are now being validated by new discoveries in attachment research and neuroscience. No one has ever brought them to a popular audience more effectively and inspiringly than John Bradshaw.
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About the Author
John Bradshaw is one of America’s leading personal growth experts. He pioneered the concept of the “inner child” and brought the term “dysfunctional family” into the mainstream. Bradshaw is the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including Homecoming, which shows readers how to reclaim and nurture their inner child. His books have sold over four million copies in North America.
Bradshaw has lived everything he writes about. Born in Houston into a troubled family, he was abandoned by his alcoholic father and became a high academic achiever who was also an out-of-control teenager. He completed his education in Canada, where he studied for the Roman Catholic priesthood, earning three degrees from the University of Toronto.
During the past 25 years, Bradshaw has worked as a counselor, theologian, management consultant, and public speaker. He created and hosted four nationally broadcast PBS television series based on his best-selling books. He also lectures and holds workshops throughout the country, touching millions of lives.
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