Toxic Parents: Overcoming Their Hurtful Legacy and Reclaiming Your Life

Written by Craig Buck and Dr. Susan Forward

Narrated by Jo Anna Perrin

When you were a child...



—Did your parents tell you you were bad or worthless?



—Did your parents use physical pain to discipline you?



—Did you have to take care of your parents because of their problems?



—Were you often frightened of your parents?



—Did your parents do anything to you that had to be kept secret?



Now that you're an adult...



—Do your parents still treat you as if you were a child?



—Do you have intense emotional or physical reactions after spending time with your parents?



—Do your parents control you with threats or guilt? Do they manipulate you with money?



—Do you feel that no matter what you do, it's never good enough for your parents?



In this remarkable self-help guide, Dr. Susan Forward draws on case histories and the real-life voices of adult children of toxic parents to help you free yourself from the frustrating patterns of your relationship with your parents—and discover a new world of self-confidence, inner strength, and emotional independence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Sep 27, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452674421

Reviews for Toxic Parents

[Carmen Vann · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazingly real got some much out of this book wonderful

[Cecylia Alvarez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book. There is a lot of useful content. I'm planning to listen to it again (at least one more time) to understand it better and work through every detail. Thank you Susan. You've helped me great deal even though I've never met you.

[David · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Incredibly hard to read/listen but is very much worth it. Two key points of dealing with toxic parents (reacting vs responding, and how you eventually have to confront them) are so useful for everyone involved in a dysfunctional family. The incest chapters were rough, but full of great exercises and examples. I highly recommend you buy this book, take the tests within it, and do the exercises.
Great read for a tough topic!

[Becki · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Highly Recommend! At first, I didn't think the book was for me, and I was down on it. But the longer I listened, the more this book became one of my favorites with really helpful advice and info.

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had my first counselling session today, and mostly she just wanted me to read books, once she'd got some idea of how I'm feeling and why. This was one of them. I've always recognised that my parents were not the best possible parents they could be. While much of this book didn't apply to me, much of it could help me. While it does seem to set out a bit of an only-one-way attitude to it, which I don't think is true, it can definitely be helpful. It includes case studies as examples, some of which are quite upsetting, especially if you identify with them at all. It's easy to read, in the sense that it doesn't use complicated vocabulary, and it's quite matter-of-fact.

I felt quite resistant to parts of it, but that didn't mean it wasn't true on some level. Definitely worth reading, and if you have a counsellor/therapist, talking over your reactions with them.

[Hebz Hegz · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I gave 1 star because the book in unavailable in my country. Who is in their right mind disallows knowledge to be spread? (Author, publisher, others - I don't care) why such an act?!!

[Ravi Aildasani · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Insightful really good book highly recommend it. Educational for sure!

[kslade-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting about bad influence of some parents.

[glennbell_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The author is a counselor who treats victims of parental abuse and incest. The case studies are instructive and her advice is helpful. I am concerned with the potential negative impact of confrontation with abusive parents. Maybe the pain is worth it in the end. For the present, it is sufficient for me to acknowledge and recall the toxic environment of my childhood. It is helpful to understand one's self and how childhood experiences have impacted adult behavior. I recommend this book to anyone who had toxic parents.

[katherinemayfield · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was very helpful. As I read it, I began to understand that I wasn't defective and unlovable -- I only believed that because of how my parents treated me. A must-read for anyone who has a dysfunctional family.

[bookangel_a · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. I devoured this book. I found it riveting, fascinating, absorbing - I couldn't put it down. I am intrigued by books that help me understand how people work. Why does my friend have these emotional issues? How has a troubled relationship with her father affected the rest of her life? This book does an amazing job of explaining the psychology of those questions. Plus, it was an enjoyable read. Usually books like this have a tendency to go over the head of the average person. But this was written in an easy writing style. I laughed and cried with the people who were featured as cases.

[crowyhead · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this, not because my own parents are toxic, but to get a better idea of what several people I love are going through in their own lives. It was definitely helpful in that regard, and I would not hesitate to recommend this to someone I knew well who was having problems with their parents.

[sadiebooks_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

i actually never read this. a good friend owned it and it was assimilated into my collection and i thought it was hilarious that he owned it.