Healing the Shame That Binds You

This classic book, written 17 years ago but still selling more than 13,000 copies every year, has been completely updated and expanded by the author.

"I used to drink," writes John Bradshaw,"to solve the problems caused by drinking. The more I drank to relieve my shame-based loneliness and hurt, the more I felt ashamed."

Shame is the motivator behind our toxic behaviors: the compulsion, co-dependency, addiction and drive to superachieve that breaks down the family and destroys personal lives. This book has helped millions identify their personal shame, understand the underlying reasons for it, address these root causes and release themselves from the shame that binds them to their past failures.

Shame is the heartbeat of addiction.

Shame is a healthy emotion, but for addicts shame is an emotion that festers. It destroys our ability to love, to find happiness, to be spontaneous and it reinforces feelings of self-loathing and unworthiness.

In recovery we learn to admit our defects and make amends, to identify the trauma and pain we have experienced and which we have caused.

In Bradshaw's groundbreaking book we learn how to rid ourselves of toxic shame and to experience shame as a healthy emotion, essential to our recovery. Healthy shame reinforces our sense of self and worthiness, allowing us to acknowledge and defend our boundaries, to feel happiness and pleasure in a life of sobriety.

About the Author