The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self

This bestselling book examines childhood trauma and the enduring effects it has on an individual's management 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.

Author: Alice Miller
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 07/22/2008
Pages: 144
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.25lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 0.50d
ISBN13: 9780465016907
ISBN10: 0465016901
BISAC Categories:
- Psychology | Developmental | Child
- Psychology | Psychotherapy | Child & Adolescent
- Psychology | Psychopathology | Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

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.