Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self, Revised Edition

The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self This book was recommended to me by my therapist of 6 years. It is a fascinating and truly enlighting read if you want to learn and understand how you came to be the person you are now. This book reads as if had been written just for me - it's my story and you may think, possibly yours too. It explains how from the very second of being born, we are influenced by our first experiences, good ones resulting in a pretty rounded, confident and happy people; bad experiences as in my case, result in so many life problems, for example, mental health disorders (you are often mis-labelled as in my own case, i am listed by my psychiatrist as having rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, chronic depression, anxiety states, borderline personality disorder and atypical anorexia). In actual fact, when you are dedicated to sticking out sometimes very painful therapy, you actually find that these labels are wrong. You are who you are because of your very earliest influences and experiences. I couldn't put this book down - it was like looking in a mirror and seeing myself. It will have you smiling and crying all on the same page! It is the most amazing book i have ever read and has helped me understand so much better why i am who i am and then using that knowledge with your therapist, you can get your life back, you can be 'normal', it's ok to be angry, sad, jealous, happy, even ecstatic - these are all normal emotions which have been stunted in your early years by either abuse or neglect of any sort. Reading this book has given me back my life. I have turned from being a shy, very introverted, unhappy, frightened woman with extremely low self-esteem, to now, being confident, happy, and that's really ok, i value my needs and refuse to get into abusive situations. I don't think i could ever bear to part with this book, although i know people that have been involved in my mental health care would be interested to read it, but i'm afraid they'll have to purchase this book for themselves 'cos i'm not letting go of my precious copy! Extremely highly recommended. Happy reading!

Amazing book. Everyone should read this!

Very interesting read!

This was absolutely brilliant. Never before have I felt so understood by anyone. Alice talks us through how we develop a false sense of self for our survival as children. Then as we grow up, the fortunate ones among us re-sensitise. We have this mask crack off and we become our authentic selves again. It was so beautifully truthful that I cried, mourned, screamed and eventually found a lot comfort and inner peace. Perfect for everyone on a path of self-development and spiritual awakening. And the fact it's only about 100 pages makes it even more impressive.

Great read

Small and manageable if you struggle for time to read. Very much a used book.

Great book - it helps to understand narcissism from a different perspective, more like a collection of difficult experiences that lead to development of narcissistic defences. Instigates personal reflection which I have found useful as a trainee psychologist, but also useful for qualified people - reinforces interpersonal patterns that lead to certain defence styles.

An emotional read that generates such freeing understanding - highly recommended to anyone trying to gain a deeper understanding of themselves, their past, their mechanisms, .... to help transform through awareness into the full potential of our being.

Livre de psychanalyse ardu parfois mais toujours intéressant notamment au niveau des rêves! Pour mieux se comprendre et se vivre!

This book came to me just at the right time for understanding and healing. It helped so much

Utilissimo per i sopravvissuti e non. In maniera semplice e chiara, partendo dall'infanzia, mette in luce i meccanismi che portano a sviluppare codipendenza e narcisismo patologico in età adulta. Utile a tutti coloro che soffrono della "sindrome della crocerossina" e che, incapaci di abbandonare una relazione tossica senza futuro, vogliono capire meglio le origini dei disturbi di personalità.

Muy buen libro para entender muchas cosas. El lenguaje es sencillo pero al estar en inglés la traducción sí debe leerse un par de veces el mismo párrafo para entender la idea. Yo lo compré porque ya había leído uno anterior "El cuerpo nunca miente" y me gustó. La autora es directa y pone ejemplos de pacientes. Hay términos que se pueden cuestionar o investigar pero hay que entender o leer más a la autora.

I read the book that the author's son wrote just before I read Alice's book. Martin's book as a response to his mother's gave me a better lens with which to view Alice's writing in this book. Alice has great insight into the importance of the early years of childhood and describes how we were treated will effect how we treat our children and how we work out issues with our parents through the relationships we create with our children. Interesting to know through her son's book that Alice was unable to see her own blind spots in her own mothering and was herself unable to avail herself of some of these excellent insights that she provides for others. Martin actually says that Alice's book helped him deal with healing his own damage but that Alice the person could not. Highly recommend both this book and her sons book which includes the same title but prefaced with The True...