Recovery begins with embracing our pain and taking the risk to share it with others. We do this by joining a group… — John Bradshaw Groups Copy Share Image
“Generally speaking, most of our vital, spontaneous, instinctual life gets shamed. Children are shamed for being too rambunctious, for wanting things and… — John Bradshaw Children Copy Share Image
“A covert kind of sexual abuse occurs when Dad or Mom talk about sex in front of the children when the age… — John Bradshaw Children Copy Share Image
I know from my own clinical work that when people are beaten and hurt, they numb out so that they cant feel… — John Bradshaw Beaten Copy Share Image
“Love-that which biologists, nervous about being misunderstood call "attachment"-fuels the bond between dog and master or mistress.” — John Bradshaw Dog Copy Share Image
“(b) Boundary Violation. This involves children witnessing parents in sexual behavior. They may walk in on it because parents don’t provide closed… — John Bradshaw Children Copy Share Image
“A toxically shamed person is divided within himself and must create a false-self cover-up to hide his sense of being flawed and… — John Bradshaw Copy Share Image
I define a 'good person' as somebody who is fully conscious of their own limitations. They know their strengths, but they also… — John Bradshaw Broken Copy Share Image
“The ego defense of conversion transforms developmental needs into the need for something else. This could be food, money or excessive attention.… — John Bradshaw Communication Copy Share Image
“In fact, the most paradoxical aspect of neurotic shame is that it is the core motivator of the superachieved and the underachieved,… — John Bradshaw Aspect Copy Share Image
“If our primary caregivers are shame-based, they will act shameless and pass their toxic shame onto us. There is no way to… — John Bradshaw Primary care Copy Share Image
“If a cat falls out of a high-rise building or a tall tree, it has another trick available: forming a “parachute” by… — John Bradshaw Fall Copy Share Image
“In the past, when dogs’ functions were mostly rural, it was accepted that they were intrinsically messy and needed to be managed… — John Bradshaw Best friend Copy Share Image
“IDENTIFICATION When victimization takes place the victim often identifies with the persecutor. By so doing the victim no longer feels the helplessness… — John Bradshaw Shame Copy Share Image
That's the trouble with the conventional doctors. They always say, 'How does it work?' but often there isn't any neat little answer...Something… — John Bradshaw Age Copy Share Image
“Unconditional love and acceptance of self seems to be the hardest task for all humankind. Refusing to accept our “real selves,” we… — John Bradshaw Human suffering Copy Share Image
The figure of Satan and the fires of hell have been demythologized by modern Christian biblical scholars, theologians and philosophers. — John Bradshaw Been Copy Share Image
“SHAME-BASED FAMILIES AND MULTIGENERATIONAL ILLNESS One of the devastating aspects of toxic shame is that it is multigenerational. The secret and hidden… — John Bradshaw Family Copy Share Image
“I agree with John Holt that the true test of intelligence is not what you know or can regurgitate from memory on… — John Bradshaw Intelligence Copy Share Image
“the male cat’s penis is equipped with 120 to 150 sharp spines, designed to trigger her ovulation (cats, unlike humans, do not… — John Bradshaw Copy Share Image
To be shame-bound means that whenever you feel any feeling, need or drive, you immediately feel ashamed. The dynamic core of your… — John Bradshaw Ashamed Copy Share Image
“Children have an amazing ability to perceive this need in the parent(s). The true self of the child seems to know it… — John Bradshaw Children Copy Share Image
“High achievement is often the result of being driven by toxic shame. Feeling flawed and defective on the inside, I had to… — John Bradshaw Motivation Copy Share Image
“When our instinctual life is shamed, the natural core of our life is bound up. It’s like an acorn going through excruciating… — John Bradshaw Life Copy Share Image
