Empathy Grows As We Learn.

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?

There Are People Who Have Benefited From Therapy Without Being Confronted With The Past At All.

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.

Almost Everywhere We Find . . . The Use Of Various Coercive Measures, To Rid Ourselves As Quickly As Possible Of The Child Withinus--i.e., The Weak, Helpless, Dependent Creature--in Order To Become An Independent Competent Adult Deserving Of Respect. When We Reencounter This Creature In Our Children, We Persecute It With The Same Measures Once Used In Ourselves.

Child Abuse Damages A Person For Life And That Damage Is In No Way Diminished By The Ignorance Of The Perpetrator. It Is Only With The Uncovering Of The Complete Truth As It Affects All Those Involved That A Genuinely Viable Solution Can Be Found To The Dangers Of Child Abuse.