Is there a silver lining to growing up in a dysfunctional family? Bestselling recovery author Karen Casey looks at stories of people who grew up in dysfunctional families and "the good stuff" that can come from the experience. "Throughout my many decades in recovery rooms I have interacted with thousands of women and men whose journeys reveal, in detail, the harrowing history of dysfunction that has troubled their lives," says Casey. "But what is also apparent in their stories is their eventual and quite triumphant survival, often against extreme odds." Casey interviewed more than 24 survivors of families rife with dysfunction; survivors who willingly shared their stories and came to realize they had, surprisingly, thrived as the result of their often harrowing experiences. In The Good Stuff from Growing Up in a Dysfunctional Family, Casey shares the stories and the skills these survivors developed to live more creative and fulfilling lives.

In Every Bad, There's Some Good─And A Lesson to Be Learned Twenty-four survivors recount their stories of living in a dysfunctional family. It isn't always easy. You can't choose your situation or where you come from, but you can choose the lessons you take away. Is there a silver lining to growing up in a dysfunctional family? Bestselling recovery author Karen Casey looks at stories of people who grew up in dysfunctional families and "the good stuff" that can come from the experience. "Throughout my many decades in recovery rooms I have interacted with thousands of women and men whose journeys reveal, in detail, the harrowing history of dysfunction that has troubled their lives," says Casey. "But what is also apparent in their stories is their eventual and quite triumphant survival, often against extreme odds." From 24 families rife with dysfunction. Casey interviews the survivors who emerged from the fires of a turbulent household to willingly share their stories and come to realize they had, surprisingly, thrived as the result of their often-harrowing experiences. In The Good Stuff from Growing Up in a Dysfunctional Family, Casey reveals the stories and the skills these survivors developed to live more creative and fulfilling lives. In this book find tales that help you to: Realize lessons in disguise Acknowledge your personal growth Point out your own silver lining If you enjoyed books like Daring Greatly, Codependent No More, or Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, then you'll want to read Good Stuff from Growing Up in a Dysfunctional Family.

Inspirational stories of survivors leaving their abusive households—and drawing on the wis-dom gained from adversity to transform their lives. So many people have experienced bleak childhoods in which degradation, pain, and neglect were common. But as survivors of toxic families, their triumphs are not only powerful but inspirational. This book follows twenty-four stories about finding happiness after surviving a dysfunctional family. With enlightening honesty, humor, and apt quotes, you’ll experience the transformative effects that hope and resilience can have. Thriving means more than just letting go of the past and its hardships; it means becoming your own silver lining. Karen Casey and our narrators explore how your worst experiences can help you create meaningful skills for building a new, fulfilling life. With each narrator sharing the moment they decided to thrive instead of giving up, this self-compassion book will show you that no matter how dysfunctional life can be, you can emerge stronger than ever from it. Promises and positive affirmations to live The importance of nourishing your emotional strength Beginning your healing journey by putting your heart first Forgiving your family’s pain to avoid repeating it, and more “Explores the benefits that result from surviving in a dysfunctional family, including resiliency, perseverance, a sense of humor, forgiveness, kindness, and the ability to discern real love. Simple but authentic points are enumerated at the conclusion of each chapter. With unrelenting optimism and a solid faith in God, Casey helps readers learn to let go of judgment and embrace acceptance. New readers as well as followers of the author’s earlier works will be uplift-ed.” —Publishers Weekly “You just can’t go wrong with Karen Casey.” —Earnie Larsen, author of From Anger to Forgiveness

Do you long to drive a Ferrari at top speed on the open road, but find yourself always stuck on the freeway during rush hour? Do you wonder how you can feel like "not enough" and "too much" at the same time? Like the rain forest, are you sometimes intense, multilayered, colorful, creative, overwhelming, highly sensitive, complex, and/or idealistic? And, like the rain forest, have you met too many chainsaws?Enter Paula Prober, M.S., M.Ed., who understands the diversity and complexity of minds like yours. In "Your Rainforest Mind: A Guide to the Well-Being of Gifted Youths and Adults," Paula explores the challenges faced by gifted adults of all ages. Through case studies and extensive research, Paula will help you tap into your inner creativity, find peace, and discover the limitless potential that comes with your Rainforest Mind.

An illuminating and practical guide helping Christians recover from the experience of growing up in a dysfunctional family. Johnson and Grayson offer profiles of dysfunctional families, then go on to help readers examine their pasts and identify their current issues. They show how growing up in a dysfunctional family can lead to a distorted view of God, and how the church can foster recovery.

Growing Up Again offers guidance on providing children with the structure and nurturing that are so critical to their healthy development -- and to our own. As time-tested as it is timely, the expert advice in Growing Up Again Second Edition has helped thousands of readers improve on their parenting practices. Now, substantially revised and expanded, Growing Up Again offers further guidance on providing children with the structure and nurturing that are so critical to their healthy development -- and to our own. Jean Illsley Clarke and Connie Dawson provide the information every adult caring for children should know -- about ages and stages of development, ways to nurture our children and ourselves, and tools for personal and family growth. This new edition also addresses the special demands of parenting adopted children and the problem of overindulgence; a recognition and exploration of prenatal life and our final days as unique life stages; new examples of nurturing, structuring, and discounting, as well as concise ways to identify them; help for handling parenting conflicts in blended families, and guidelines on supporting children's spiritual growth.About the Authors:Jean Illsley Clarke is a parent educator, teacher trainer, the author of Self-Esteem: A Family Affair, and co-author of the Help! for Parents series. She is a popular international lecturer and workshop presenter on the topics of self-esteem, parenting, family dynamics, and adult children of alcoholics. Clarke resides in Plymouth, Minnesota.Connie Dawson is a consultant and lecturer who works with adults who work with kids. A former teacher, she trains youth workers to identify and help young people who are at risk. Dawson lives in Evergreen, Colorado.

Based on the public television series of the same name, Bradshaw On: The Family is John Bradshaw's seminal work on the dynamics of families that has sold more than a million copies since its original publication in 1988. Within its pages, you will discover the cause of emotionally impaired families. You will learn how unhealthy rules of behavior are passed down from parents to children, and the destructive effect this process has on our society. Using the latest family research and recovery material in this new edition, Bradshaw also explores the individual in both a family and societal setting. He shows you ways to escape the tyranny of family-reinforced behavior traps--from addiction and co-dependency to loss of will and denial--and demonstrates how to make conscious choices that will transform your life and the lives of your loved ones. He helps you heal yourself and then, using what you have learned helps you heal your family. Finally, Bradshaw extends this idea to our society: by returning yourself and your family to emotional health, you can heal the world in which you live. He helps you reenvision societal conflicts from the perspective of a global family, and shares with you the power of deep democracy: how the choices you make every day can affect--and improve--your world.