Mothers Who Can't Love: A Healing Guide for Daughters
Mothers Who Can't Love: A Healing Guide for Daughters book cover

Mothers Who Can't Love: A Healing Guide for Daughters

Paperback – October 21, 2014

Price
$15.99
Format
Paperback
Pages
304
Publisher
Harper Paperbacks
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0062204363
Dimensions
5.31 x 0.68 x 8 inches
Weight
8 ounces

Description

“Forward validates the reader’s feelings and presents effective coping mechanisms, offering suggestions on setting boundaries, negotiating for a better relationship, [and] being assertive . . . Highly recommended.” — Library Journal (starred review) “A useful challenge to accepted wisdom about the normally taboo subject of mother love, with helpful tips on how to jump-start the healing process.” — Kirkus Reviews “A riveting, compassionate guide to helping women transcend the wounds inflicted by their rejecting or abusive mothers.” — Janis Abrahms Spring, Ph.D., author of How Can I Forgive You? The Courage to Forgive, The Freedom Not To “I know so many women who will feel enormously grateful for Mothers Who Can’t Love , and rightly so. This thoughtful and thorough book will validate their feelings and their stories, and even more important will offer invaluable and empowering wisdom.” — Mira Kirshenbaum, author of I Love You but I Don't Trust You and Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay “Once again Susan Forward has identified an important issue that has been calling out for her expertise and unique perspective. This landmark book is powerful, accessible and extremely supportive - just what women need! Her case examples are riveting, her techniques are brilliant and her wisdom is poignant.” — Beverly Engel, author of Healing Your Emotional Self and The Nice Girl Syndrome “Susan Forward has saved millions of lives with her profound wisdom that children raised by abusive parents need not “forgive and forget” to heal and move on to happy, healthy lives. . . . A powerful guide to self healing.” — Carole H. Brower, Research Professor, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA Over the course of thirty-five years as a therapist, Susan Forward has worked with a large number of women struggling to escape the emotional damage inflicted by the women who raised them. Subjected to years of criticism, competition, role reversal, smothering control, emotional neglect, and other forms of abuse, women raised by mothers who can't love are plagued by anxiety, depression, relationship problems, lack of confidence, and difficulties with trust. But as Forward explains, it is possible to heal the mother wound and find help and validation. Filled with compelling case histories, Mothers Who Can't Love looks at the devastating impact unloving mothers have on their daughters and provides effective techniques to help them overcome the pain of their childhoods, reclaim their confidence and self-respect, and break the cycle of emotional destructiveness for future generations. Susan Forward, PhD, is an internationally renowned therapist, lecturer, and author. Her books include the number-one New York Times bestsellers Men Who Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them and Toxic Parents . In addition to her private practice, she has served as a therapist, instructor, and consultant in numerous Southern California psychiatric and medical facilities. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • With
  • Mothers Who Can't Love: A Healing Guide for Daughters
  • , Susan Forward, Ph.D., author of the smash #1 bestseller
  • Toxic Parents
  • , offers a powerful look at the devastating impact unloving mothers have on their daughters—and provides clear, effective techniques for overcoming that painful legacy.
  • In more than 35 years as a therapist, Forward has worked with large numbers of women struggling to escape the emotional damage inflicted by the women who raised them. Subjected to years of criticism, competition, role-reversal, smothering control, emotional neglect and abuse, these women are plagued by anxiety and depression, relationship problems, lack of confidence, and difficulties with trust. They doubt their worth, and even their ability to love.Forward examines the Narcissistic Mother, the Competitive Mother, the Overly Enmeshed mother, the Control Freak, Mothers who need Mothering, and mothers who abuse or fail to protect their daughters from abuse.
  • Filled with compelling case histories,
  • Mothers Who Can’t Love
  • outlines the self-help techniques Forward has developed to transform the lives of her clients, showing women how to overcome the pain of childhood and how to act in their own best interests.
  • Warm and compassionate,
  • Mothers Who Can’t Love
  • offers daughters the emotional support and tools they need to heal themselves and rebuild their confidence and self-respect.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(1.3K)
★★★★
25%
(555)
★★★
15%
(333)
★★
7%
(155)
-7%
(-155)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

Not all mothers are great: how to cope if you are unlucky

I wish I had had this book available 30 or so years ago, when I was wrestling with my mother's nastiness and what my acceptance of it was modeling for my daughter. My instincts did help- but it would have been very supportive to have had the information and perspectives in this book at the time!

Most, close to all mothers, do the best they can. Some do not, and for some, the "best they can" is utterly inadequate. This book addresses the daughters of such mothers with both perspective and ways to cope with the reality of our lives- from effectively setting boundaries up through "divorcing" her if nothing else works.

Highly recommended for daughters of unloving mothers.
36 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Not all mothers are great: how to cope if you are unlucky

I wish I had had this book available 30 or so years ago, when I was wrestling with my mother's nastiness and what my acceptance of it was modeling for my daughter. My instincts did help- but it would have been very supportive to have had the information and perspectives in this book at the time!

Most, close to all mothers, do the best they can. Some do not, and for some, the "best they can" is utterly inadequate. This book addresses the daughters of such mothers with both perspective and ways to cope with the reality of our lives- from effectively setting boundaries up through "divorcing" her if nothing else works.

Highly recommended for daughters of unloving mothers.
36 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Not all mothers are great: how to cope if you are unlucky

I wish I had had this book available 30 or so years ago, when I was wrestling with my mother's nastiness and what my acceptance of it was modeling for my daughter. My instincts did help- but it would have been very supportive to have had the information and perspectives in this book at the time!

Most, close to all mothers, do the best they can. Some do not, and for some, the "best they can" is utterly inadequate. This book addresses the daughters of such mothers with both perspective and ways to cope with the reality of our lives- from effectively setting boundaries up through "divorcing" her if nothing else works.

Highly recommended for daughters of unloving mothers.
36 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

this book is like my bible

i gave it five stars because, as im still reading it, its already helped me tremendously!! i have come to understand why my mother who is a narcissist .(she doesnt know it of course) has inflicted sooo much damage upon my life. years of criticism, abuse, letting her husband molest me.. and her stealing my child.. ETC, etc.. know i FINALLY know.. this book is like my bible.. lol.. it has explained my mother in vivid detail. and, i can now forgiver her. thanks to amazon and susan forward..
11 people found this helpful
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Worthy Read! Cathartic!

Relatable case studies, healing words from Dr. Forward, effective strategies to deal with toxic mothers and recover from their hurtful behaviors! Highly recommend this book for people who have been traumatized by their unloving mothers and the people who support those recovering from such harmful relationships. The book is aimed at mother-daughter relationships in particular, but could just as likely be applied to mother-son relationships as well - or more generally, to parent-child relationships. Slightly more targeted than Toxic Parents. I read and learned a lot from both books!
3 people found this helpful
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Needed this book a long time ago.

This book is an easy read. It's been a painful read, but spot on and necessesary in order to move toward and heal.
3 people found this helpful
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Helpful and insightful for anyone with mother relationship issues

Excellent read .... I grew up with a mentally ill narcissistic mother. This book was a very healing / comforting reading experience, It is nice to know that I'm not alone. I would recommend it for anyone who has mother relationship issues.
3 people found this helpful
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I haven't completed the book, but I could relate ...

I haven't completed the book, but I could relate to the first few paragraphs right away and was very helpful to understand that others have feelings similar to mine. It covers the difficulty in the guilt you experience.
3 people found this helpful
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Good advice with examples of troubled mother/daughter relationships

This is a good book for those with frustrating mothers (or others) in their lives. I was interested in the Enmeshment chapters mostly, but I found myself reading the book twice. For those with difficult relationships, a lot of the advice (or role playing examples) will help in many situations. I have shared this book with a friend and she finds it beneficial as well.
3 people found this helpful
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We didn’t fail as daughters. Our mothers failed as mothers.

Read this book when you have support lined up. What a freeing book though. Solid read. Great real-life examples methods to work towards healing.
2 people found this helpful