Family Secrets - The Path to Self-Acceptance and Reunion (Paperback)

by John Bradshaw (Author) "When I was in the seven grade, a Boy Scout leader came to our class and gave an inspiring lecture on the virtues of scouting..." (more)
Key Phrases: dark secrecy, toxic shame, destructive secrets, Beverly Sue, James Jeder, Donald Jamison (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Recovery specialist Bradshaw offers his insights into coming to grips with skeletons in the familial closet.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
All families have secrets. Some secrets are healthy. But others--those John Bradshaw calls "dark secrets"--limit the wholeness and freedom of every member of the family, often generation after generation.

John Bradshaw's compelling new book takes us into the heart of the family's mysterious power to impact our lives. It ex-plores how secrets are created, how they influence us (even if we don't know they exist), and the risks we take in exploring them.

At the core of Family Secrets is a step-by-step guide to uncovering the secrets of the past and present, using a tool called the genogram to chart key relationships. Through many fascinating examples, this unique book shows how to recognize crucial gaps and silences, reconstruct missing information, and decipher partial memories.

It also offers readers vital advice on how to deal with the truths revealed, plus ways to stay safely and honestly connected with our families.

John Bradshaw's six-part PBS television series, "Family Secrets," first aired in summer 1995, and will remain in syndication in the United States and Canada through 1997. A second new series, "John Bradshaw on Eating Disorders," is also in circulation.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553374982
• ISBN-13: 978-0553374988
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #120,588 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book can change your life, your family and your death, August 19, 2003

By	Carole A. Fielder (Pompano Beach, FL United States) - See all my reviews

I first read this book when the subtitle was "What you don't know can hurt you." Bradshaw and others have finally done research to prove his thesis that generations repeat patterns, events, behaviors--not just personality types and genetic diseases. Reluctantly I had to agree because my observations, although unscientific, confirm what he explains.

Understanding Bradshaw's book altered my life and the abbreviated life of my brother, as indicated in the book "Gossip Kills (The 9th/8th? Commandment). The story therein is a case study of what Bradshaw posits in Family Secrets. A "must read" for anyone who understands or suspects that we're only as sick as our secrets.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insghtful and powerful, July 16, 2006

By	Tim Josling (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Family Secrets provides powerful tools for understanding the dynamics of families, and understanding how you may have become unknowingly enmeshed in patterns that can persist for generations.

The most valuable parts of the book are the techniques for uncovering family secrets, and the method for bringing all the information together in such a way that it makes sense. These techniques are practical and really work. I made several major discoveries about families I am involved with as a result of this book.

Bradshaw includes many new insights about how families work throughout the book.

Overall, highly recommended.

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding work again by John Bradshaw, August 26, 2001

By	Jeanie M. Winstrom (Troy, Montana) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one of the best works that I have ever read. Honest, with clear direction on what steps to take to improve the state of your life. Highly recommend!