The Abused Children Are Alone With Their

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.

Genuine Feelings Are Never The Product Of Conscious Effort. They Are Quite Simply There, And They Are There For A Very Good Reason, Even If That Reason Is Not Always Apparent.

What Is Addiction, Really? It Is A Sign, A Signal, A Symptom Of Distress. It Is A Language That Tells Us About A Plight That Must Be Understood.

The Art Of Not Experiencing Feelings. A Child Can Experience Her Feelings Only When There Is Somebody There Who Accepts Her Fully, Understands Her, And Supports Her. If That Person Is Missing, If The Child Must Risk Losing The Mother's Love Of Her Substitute In Order To Feel, Then She Will Repress Emotions.

Many People Suffer All Their Lives From This Oppressive Feeling Of Guilt, The Sense Of Not Having Lived Up To Their Parents' Expectations. This Feeling Is Stronger Than Any Intellectual Insight They Might Have, That It Is Not A Child's Task Or Duty To Satisfy His Parents Needs. No Argument Can Overcome These Guilt Feelings, For They Have Their Beginnings In Life's Earliest Periods, And From That They Derive Their Intensity And Obduracy.