The Primal Wound: A Transpersonal View of Trauma, Addiction, and Growth (S U N Y Series in the Philosophy of Psychology) (Suny Series, Philosophy of Psychology) [Paperback]

John Firman (Author), Ann Gila (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0791432947 | ISBN-13: 978-0791432945

The primal wound is the result of a violation we all suffer in various ways, beginning in early childhood and continuing throughout life. Because we are treated not as individual, unique human beings but as objects, our intrinsic, authentic sense of self is annihilated. This primal wounding breaks the fundamental relationships that form the fabric of human existence: the relationship to oneself, to other people, to the natural world, and to a sense of transpersonal meaning symbolized in concepts such as the Divine, the Ground of Being, and Ultimate Reality. In this book Firman and Gila apply object relations theory, self-psychology, transpersonal psychology, and psychosynthesis to the issues of psychological wounding, healing, and growth and show how this wounding can be redeemed through therapy and through changing one's way of living.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: State University of New York Press (April 25, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0791432947
• ISBN-13: 978-0791432945
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #151,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the most lucid book on the basic problem of being human, January 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Primal Wound: A Transpersonal View of Trauma, Addiction, and Growth (S U N Y Series in the Philosophy of Psychology) (Hardcover)

Jonh Firman's "The Primal Wound" (with help from partner Ann Gila), is definitely not just another self-help book. It is the book to read if you want to understand the deep dynamics of growing up and the wounds or the primal wound that you carry.Using the wonderfully post-Jungian model of Psychosynthesis, Firman details in clear and simple language the development of wounds and how they create a survival personality that is different from one's authentic personality. The book is a gem, full of ideas from amny sources. The integration of them will cause transpersonal theorists to take a closer look at what psychosythesis theory has to offer.This book shows that it has a lot to offer because it is integrative and synthesizing in nature. This dynamic is part of the structure of Psychosynthesis and Firman's book proves that we haven't heard the last of him. There is a wealth of material here and wisdom as powerful as it gets.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for trauma and abandonment survivors, November 5, 2010

By 

Amy Hoffman - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Primal Wound: A Transpersonal View of Trauma, Addiction, and Growth (S U N Y Series in the Philosophy of Psychology) (Suny Series, Philosophy of Psychology) (Paperback)

If you have suffered trauma and/or abandonment in the past and now have self-destructive patterns of behavior such as addictions or compulsions, this book is a must read. The book is well organized, written in everyday language, and is presented in easy-to-understand building blocks. A main concept is essentially how a non-empathic parent causes a child to split their sense of self into "good" and "bad" to hide the bad part and preserve the good part. Both become repressed, severely limiting the child's consciousness and numbing their life-experience. What is repressed shows up as addictions. The "healing" part of the book covers psychosynthesis, and re-uniting and accepting both the good and bad senses of self that were repressed; this targets the underlying cause for addictions. It also addresses healing the feelings for the parent/adult who caused the trauma through basically the same process -- the child had separated their feelings of parent into good and bad (e.g. idealization and rage); to heal, both sides must be acknowledged and accepted.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ever person over 30 should read this book......., September 13, 2002

By 

Iravani "OD" (San Marcos, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Primal Wound: A Transpersonal View of Trauma, Addiction, and Growth (S U N Y Series in the Philosophy of Psychology) (Suny Series, Philosophy of Psychology) (Paperback)

If you have lived your life in the adult world for any period of time, it's time you read this book. Take a look at your emotions and relationships from a new perspective! This book gives us insight into why we behave the way we do, and then suggests ways to integrate ourselves into a broader perspective that allows us to change those things that are making us unhappy.

I sent this book to relatives in the US and abroad, and I know that it is providing us all with great information to help us heal our lives and move beyond real unhappiness and discontent.

It's a psychology book, and is not a quick read. But it makes a lot of sense and pushes you along. The references to other work are helpful and useful as well.

Good reading!