New Hope for Treating Adults Who Have Grown Up in Emotionally Abusive Families In this compelling book, the authors present an innovative therapeutic model for understanding and treating adults from emotionally abusive or neglectful families?families the authors call narcissistic.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.

THE NARCISSISTIC FAMILY MODEL; Narcissus and Echo: The Original Narcissistic System; Characteristics of the Narcissistic Family; Narcissus, Narcissism, and the Narcissistic Family Model; THERAPY WITH ADULTS RAISED IN NARCISSISTIC FAMILIES; Acceptance: The Key to Recovery; Feelings and Communication; Setting Boundaries; Decision Making and Deferment of Gratification; Trust and Therapy; Intimacy, Sex, and Friendship; "I Do, Therefore I Am" Versus Validating the Treasure.