The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self, Revised Edition

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0465016901 ISBN 13: 9780465016907

Publisher: Basic Books, 1997

The bestselling book on childhood trauma and the enduring effects of repressed anger and pain
Why are many of the most successful people plagued by feelings of emptiness and alienation? This wise and profound book has provided millions of readers with an answer--and has helped them to apply it to their own lives.
Far too many of us had to learn as children to hide our own feelings, needs, and memories skillfully in order to meet our parents' expectations and win their "love." Alice Miller writes, "When I used the word 'gifted' in the title, I had in mind neither children who receive high grades in school nor children talented in a special way. I simply meant all of us who have survived an abusive childhood thanks to an ability to adapt even to unspeakable cruelty by becoming numb.... Without this 'gift' offered us by nature, we would not have survived." But merely surviving is not enough. The Drama of the Gifted Child helps us to reclaim our life by discovering our own crucial needs and our own truth.

From the Publisher:

Now revised to reflect the author's new insights on healing the hurt child in all of us, this modern classic explains why many of the most successful people are plagued by feelings of emptiness and alienation -- and tells how to break the cycle.

About the Author:

Alice Miller (1923-2010) achieved worldwide recognition for her work on the causes and effects of childhood traumas. She was also the author of many books, including The Truth Will Set You Free, Banished Knowledge, Breaking Down the Wall of Silence, Thou Shalt Not Be Aware, and For Your Own Good.