Description Prologue: Emotional Abuse — Breaking Free from Its Wounds and Its Legacy Part 1. Children Who Grow Up Looking in the Mirror of Their Parents Chapter 1. Parents as Mirrors Self-esteem and self-image affect every part of life | Low self-esteem often has its roots in childhood | Frequent scolding and criticism create an inner critic in a child's mind | Emotional abuse and neglect parents commonly commit without realizing it | The effects of emotional abuse and neglect on children | Shame breeds perfectionism | Self-awareness | Children see themselves through the mirror of their parents Chapter 2. Seven Types of Parents Who Become Bad Mirrors for Their Children The Neglectful, Unfit Parent | The Parent Who Abandons or Rejects Their Child | The Emotionally Smothering, Possessive, or Overly Intrusive Parent | The Overly Controlling or Tyrannical Parent | The Perfectionistic Parent | The Overly Critical or Shaming Parent | The Self-Centered, Narcissistic Parent Chapter 3. The Body as a Mirror of Our Inner Self Those Who Live Glued to the Mirror vs. Those Who Avoid It | How Is Body Image Formed? | How Emotional Abuse, Neglect, and Smothering Parenting Affect a Child's Body Image | How Physical Symptoms Can Be Warning Signs | Reconnecting with Your Body Part 2. Breaking the Distorted Mirror Reflected by Your Parents Chapter 4. Recognizing the Distorted Mirror Your Parents Reflected Seeing the Facts as They Are and Releasing Suppressed Emotions | Placing Responsibility for Abuse or Neglect on Your Parents, Not Yourself, and Rejecting Their Projections | Turning Shame into Righteous Anger | Clearly Identifying and Challenging the 'Negative Core Beliefs' Instilled by Your Parents Chapter 5. You Can Become a Good Parent When You Emotionally Separate from Your Own Parents Emotional Separation and Individuation | Enmeshment | Confronting an Abusive Parent with the Truth | Resolving the Relationship with the Person Who Abused You | Facing the Pain and Confusion of Emotional Separation Chapter 6. Freeing Yourself from the Inner Voice That Criticizes and Blames You The Inner Voice That Criticizes You | Getting to Know Your Inner Critic | Freeing Yourself from Your Inner Critic | When Criticism Turns Destructive | Transforming a Mocking, Blaming Voice into a Positive, Supportive One Part 3. Creating a New Mirror That Reflects Your True Self Chapter 7. Discovering Your True Self Reconnecting with Your Body and Emotions | Learning About Yourself Through Your Emotions | You Must Know Your Feelings to Change Them | Discovering Your True Essence | How an Idealized Self-Image Makes Us Unhappy Chapter 8. Giving Yourself Now What You Didn't Receive as a Child Becoming Your Own 'Empathetic Mirror' | Creating a Nurturing Inner Voice | Setting Healthy Boundaries | Finding Balance in Life | How Well Are You Taking Care of Yourself? | Learning Healthy Ways to Comfort Yourself | Treating Yourself the Way Your Parents Treated You Chapter 9. Learning to Love Your Body Communicating with Your Body | The Body as a Good Teacher | How Your Parents Treated Your Body vs. How You Treat It Now | Being Grateful to Your Body | Loving Yourself Part 4. Healing the Wounded Inner Child Chapter 10. If You Were Neglected, Rejected, or Abandoned by Your Parents Paying Attention to Yourself | The Importance of Human Connection | Not Abandoning Yourself | Indulgence and Excess as Another Face of Deprivation | Stopping Self-Attack | Redirecting Your Anger | Ending the Habit of 'Protecting Your Parents' | Awakening to Your Own Worth and Lovability Chapter 11. If Your Parents Were Overprotective or Emotionally Smothering Joshua the Mama's Boy | Healing the Wounds of Emotional Incest | Steps of Action for Healing Chapter 12. If You Were Severely Controlled or Dominated by Your Parents Making It Clear That You Are No Longer Being Controlled | How to Reclaim Your Power | Continuing to Practice Loving Yourself Chapter 13. If You Grew Up with an Overly Critical, Shaming, or Perfectionistic Parent Shame and Guilt Are Different | If You Externalized Your Shame | If You Internalized Your Shame | How to Let Go of Shame | Confronting the Messages You Received from a Perfectionistic Parent Chapter 14. If You Have a Self-Centered or Narcissistic Parent Building an Independent Self | Allowing Yourself to Experience Life | Discovering the Creativity Within You | ...