Showing titles in Dysfunctional Families

Shame is one of the most destructive of human emotions. If you suffered childhood physical or sexual abuse, you may experience such intense feelings of shame that it almost seems to define you as a person. In order to begin healing, it's important for you to know that it wasn't your fault. In this gentle guide, therapist and childhood abuse expert Beverly Engel presents a mindfulness and compassion-based therapeutic approach to help you overcome the debilitating shame that keeps you tied to the past.

Following her disastrous first year in the adult world, it's hard to imagine how seventeen-year-old Keri's life could possibly get any worse. However, as anyone who's ever been down can attest to, getting back up can often be difficult without a helping hand...But what if all the hands around you only want to push you down further?

A victim of her mother’s Munchausen by proxy and child abuse survivor, Gypsy-Rose Blanchard’s unique and controversial case made headlines across the world. Now, she’s finally free to start living her life on her terms—and to tell her own story as only she can.

A young girl's life is shadowed by secrets and lies. When Willow arrives in the Allen household, curious things begin to happen. Who is the strange child dressed in outlandish clothes who refuses a mobile phone? What are the mysterious allegations that have been made about her?

Fourteen-year-old Adrianna arrives on Casey’s doorstep with no possessions, no English, and no explanation. It will be a few weeks before Casey starts getting the shocking answers to her questions…. Brought to Casey as a short-term emergency placement, fourteen-year-old Adrianna arrives with...

Abby's Story is the second book in the Thrown Away Children series by author and foster mum Louise Allen. She doesn't want this baby. She can't look after this baby. She will never be able to love this baby. Little Abby's life begins badly, then just gets worse. Now foster mum Louise and her family must help her deal with the truth of her past to give her the chance of a future.

Why do some people manipulate, exploit, and harm with chilling consistency—while others, even when raised in the same environment, do not? Cruelty by Nature dismantles the comforting myths that abuse is merely the product of trauma, bad parenting, or social wounds. Instead, it draws from neuroscience, genetics, and clinical psychology to reveal a sharper truth: personality pathology is rooted in stable biological systems that bias individuals toward exploitation.

Million-copy bestselling author Cathy Glass tells the story of Dawn, a sweet and seemingly well-balanced girl whose outward appearance masks a traumatic childhood of suffering at the hands of the very people who should have cared for her. Dawn was the first girl Cathy Glass ever fostered. Sweet...

Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) is a 12 Step organization that helps people deal with trauma, neglect, abandonment and abuse experienced in childhood that still affects as adults. This book is an official conference approved book of the fellowship of ACA. These daily readings, one for each day of the year, offer shared experiences from actual ACA members about the subject for the day that also include a passage from the Adult Children of Alcoholics / Dysfunctional Families Big Red Book. The pages are cited and the readings can be used as part of a daily meditation exercise.

Toxic relationships exert a power over us like few things in life can, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for them. In fact, by simply deciding you want more from life, you can start to reclaim your worth and take action. The problem is that this is so much easier said than done. If only you could stumble across a step-by-step guide that would show you how to reclaim your life and rebuild from the ground up.

On September 8, 2022, the world stood still as news broke of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing. Her death dismantled the protective shield around the world’s most famous family, and saw a long-simmering crisis of confidence in the British monarchy begin to resurface. Now, with unique insight, deep access and exclusive revelations, journalist Omid Scobie pulls back the curtain on an institution in turmoil—exposing the chaos, family dysfunction, distrust and draconian practices threatening its very future. This is the monarchy’s endgame. Do they have what it takes to save it?

When six-week-old Jasmine is placed in her care, foster mother Maggie Hartley is delighted to have a baby in the house again. Maggie's been given temporary custody of Jasmine after social services were concerned that the baby was failing to thrive and develop. With Maggie's love and care, Jasmine soon flourishes into a healthy, happy baby - but it is clear that all is not quite as it seems with her mum, Hailey.

In 2015, Mary Yoder returned home from the chiropractic center that she operated with her husband, Bill, complaining that she felt unwell. Mary, health-conscious and vibrant, was suddenly vomiting, sweating, and weak. Doctors in the ER and ICU were baffled as to the cause of her rapidly progressing illness. Her loved ones - including Bill and their children, Adam, Tamryn, and Liana - gathered in shock to say good-bye. In the weeks that followed Mary's death, the grief-stricken family received startling news from the medical examiner: Mary had been deliberately poisoned with colchicine.

'Soaring with compassion, intelligence and hard-won wisdom. Ireland's most important contemporary voice.' LOUISE KENNEDY, author of Trespasses 'Amazing. I couldn't put it down.' ELAINE FEENEY, author of As You Were 'Every woman needs to read this book. Every man needs to read this book.' EDEL...

Is the Narcissist in Your Life Driving You Crazy? Are you tired of feeling exhausted, enraged, and overwhelmed by the insane things they do? This book will help you understand what the heck is going on and what to do about it. For over 25 years I've seen the profound damage narcissists cause in my clients' lives. I created this book out of a passion for helping people break free of those devastating dynamics.

Innocent is the shocking true story of little Molly and Kit, siblings, aged 3 years and 18 months, who are brought into care as an emergency after suffering non-accidental injuries. Aneta and Filip, the children’s parents, are distraught when their children are taken into care. Aneta maintains...

It's the night before Christmas when Casey and Mike get the call. A 12-year-old girl, stuck between a rock and a hard place. Her father is on a ventilator, fighting for his life, while her mother is currently on remand in prison. Despite claiming she attacked him in self-defence, she's been charged with his attempted murder. The girl is called Bella, and she's refusing to say anything. The trouble is that she is also the only witness....

"I was one of 28 children born to my dad and his three wives. Indoctrinated to believe that the outside world was evil, and that I resided among the righteous, I was destined to marry a man chosen for me by the Prophet. I would then live in harmony with my sister-wives, bear many children, and obey and serve my future husband in this life and throughout eternity. But my innocence didn't last long." Flora goes on from there to tell the dramatic true story of how she ultimately escaped and has been rescuing women and children from the FLDS.

NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025, AN POST IRISH BOOK AWARDS The heart-breaking account of a search for the truth behind the brutal killings that shocked a nation. On 29 August 2016, devastating news hit the headlines that an entire family was found dead in a rural community. For Jacqueline...

Betrayal, family loyalties, secrets: not all gangsters live in the East End. Two families run this part of Manchester: the Johnsons and the Bennetts. With the head of the Johnson family banged up, the Bennetts have made their move. But power comes at a price. Now Charlie Johnson is out of prison and he wants his empire back. But the Bennetts have had a taste of the money and the control. Charlie’s sons want to strike now and destroy their rivals, but Charlie wants to wait. He has a personal score to settle.