Narcissistic families have a parental system that is, for whatever reason (job stress, alcoholism, drug abuse, mental illness, physical disability, lack of parenting skills, self-centered immaturity), primarily involved in getting its own needs met. The children in such narcissistic family systems try to earn love, attention and approval by satisfying their parents' needs, thus never developing the ability to recognize their own needs or create strategies for getting them met. By outlining the theoretical framework of their model and using dozens of illustrative clinical examples, the authors clearly illuminate specific practice guidelines for treating these individuals. Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman is a therapist, consultant, and trainer. She is known for her work with dysfunctional families, particularly with survivors of incest. Robert M. Pressman is the editor-in-chief and president of the Joint Commission for the Development of the Treatment and Statistical Manual for Behavioral and Mental Disorders.

    Offering hope, support, and guidance through practical explanations and compelling first-person stories, the authors take readers through the stages of the healing process.

    Dr. David K. Sakheim, co-editor of Out of Darkness: Understanding Satanism and Ritual AbuseIf you know or suspect that you are a survivor of ritual abuse, you are not alone. This book is an inspiring, comprehensive guide showing that healing is possible. In a clear and gentle voice, Oksana helps demystify ritual abuse cults, and offers groundbreaking strategies for recovery. Drawing on inner wisdom and spirituality Oksana takes survivors step by step through the healing process.This has got to be, definitely, the best book yet available on ritual abuse healing. I loved the whole book. I kept saying Yes, yes, yes - this is how it isI thank you, my inner kids thank you, and I think future generations will thank you. A Survivor

    Intrigued by the mysterious and angry Romany boy who joins her class, thirteen-year-old Gray finds that he shares her love of horses but harbors a dark secret.

     PRAY FOR HER! The lies began as fantasies, and before long, young Dani was lying about everything. Now she's being adopted by a picture-perfect family, and the lies must stop. But behind the dream is a cruel reality. No one believes her when she discovers a shocking secret...and her foster father will kill to make sure no one finds out!

    This step-by-step guide speaks directly to victims of sexual abuse3/4to help them come to grips with what is happening to them and overcome their feelings of isolation, confusion, and self-doubt.

    Then she met a man who offered her something she'd never known, something she thought was a dirty word: love. The only challenge left was to accept it.

    Lower and lower she sank into a life of prostitution, heroin addiction, physical abuse and daily threats from the vicious pimp she'd hoped would protect her from a worse fate. When two kind strangers appeared out of nowhere and offered Debbie a new life based on Jesus' teachings, it didn't take her long to accept it.

    LGBT Studies. Lesbian. Queer. Child sexual abuse. Mothers. Parenting."A true story about Ellen's discovery that her daughters were being sexually abused by their father. There are no arrests, no happy endings and no one gets "healed". Instead, it's a painful account of how the children are harmed and how communities respond to such accusations. At a time when so much focus is on convictions and criminals, I found this a moving reminder that the reality of these situations is much more complex." (Ros Coward Observer)"Ellen Prescott writes with a literary flair that adds to the power of her story. She hits the reader in the gut on page 1: "In 1982, when my daughters were four and one, I decided to kill them . . . I was so in love with them, there at the door of their bedroom, that all I could think of was murder." You'd have to be anesthetized to put the book down at this point." (Toronto Star)"I recommend it to anyone, including most physicians who need a better understanding of human responses to suffering." (Willard Edwin Smith, BSc, MD, FRCP)"Well paced and … excruciatingly well written." (Quill and Quire)"This is a gripping story which I read from start to finish at one sitting." (Geist)"I liked Mondays are Yellow, Sundays are Grey so much that I bought a couple of copies for my office and they are rotating amongst my clients. I’m sure that it will be of tremendous help to both survivors and mothers of survivors." --Caren Durante, M.Ed."I was very impressed with the writer’s account and with her accomplishment of dealing with her own and her daughters’ abuse experiences. I appreciate your bringing this book to my attention." Dr. J. Adler, Registered Psychologist"I’m writing to tell you how much I admired and relished Mondays are Yellow, Sundays are Grey. I stayed in bed for 2 days and read it slowly. The story’s truth had my inner organs hiding behind each other, shifting all around. Having been abused as a kid myself, I was the victims; being a parent, I was the mother; being a man, I was the abuser. The critical me admired the smooth, unblinking text." –a reader"Thank you for writing about your experience. It helped me understand a lot about myself and my relationships to read about all of you. I have never read a personal account that so closely mirrored mine. I wish I had had a mother like you to hold me and comfort me and reassure me that not all life was pain. You’re a heck of a writer." –a reader'You'd tell me if Daddy touched your private parts, wouldn't you, Carolina?''No,' said Carolina firmly.'Why not, honey?''Because it's a secret.'It is only when long-buried memories from her own childhood start to surface that Ellen realises the terrible truth about her two young daughters: Carolina and Amy are being sexually abused by their father.Ellen writes with unflinching honesty about the heartbreak of finding out her daughters were abused, her fears of losing custody and her fight to have her story believed by sceptical doctors and social workers.A harrowing true story of sexual abuse from a mother's point of view, No More Hurt is a deeply affecting chronicle of Ellen's hard-won battle to create a place of safety and love for herself and her daughters.

    Robert Ackerman and Susan Pickering reveal the warning signs of controlling relationships and how women get caught in them; the most common reasons for staying in a controlling relationship and how women can protect themselves; how women can leave when they still love their partners or believe they're needed; where safe places for women are and how to get help; how the children are affected and what help is available to them and how alcohol and drug abuse affect controlling behavior and abuse.Also included are self-assessment tests--such as how to determine if you are in a controlling relationship--to help women identify not only high-risk men, but also some of their own high-risk behaviors. This book is the first to handle head-on the role of alcohol and other controlled substances--whether used by the abuser or the victim--in a controlling or abusive relationship. The appendix is an excellent resource for women who need help, giving addresses and phone numbers of supportive organizations in every state. More importantly, this book shows that women still have time to get the help they deserve-before it's too late.