Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Part I Identifying the Mother Wound
1 The Taboo of Questioning Your Mother's Love: "Don't you dare say anything had about your mother." 13
2 The Severely Narcissistic Mother: "But what about me?" 24
3 The Overly Enmeshed Mother: "You are my whole life." 51
4 The Control Freak Mother: "Because I said so." 69
5 Mothers Who Need Mothering: "I depend on you to take care of everything." 87
6 Mothers Who Neglect, Betray, and Batter: "You're always causing trouble." 105
Part II Healing the Mother Wound
7 The Beginnings of Truth: "I'm starting to see it wasn't all my fault." 139
8 Acknowledging the Painful Feelings: "It feels so good to get it all out." 156
9 Tapping the Wisdom in Your Anger and Grief: "I'm ready to face the feelings I've pushed down for so long." 171
10 Change Your Behavior, Change Your Life: "I see that change is really hard, but not changing is harder." 192
11 Setting Boundaries: "I would never have believed I had the right to say no." 206
12 Deciding What Kind of Relationship You Want Now: "I finally feel like an adult." 222
13 The Most Difficult Decision: "It's come down to a choice between my mother and my well-being." 242
14 Old, Sick, or Alone: The Suddenly Dependent Mother: "I have to be there for her. After all, she is still my mother." 253
Coda: Connecting, at Last, with the Good Mother 263
Acknowledgments 271
Suggested Reading 273
Index 275