Those who perpetuate the cycle of neglect and abuse do so because
they are out of control and feel they have no other options. Breaking
the Cycle of Abuse shows you those options, giving you the power to
break abusive patterns for good and offering a legacy of hope and
healing to you and your family.
Throughout the book, Engel shares
many dramatic personal stories, including her own experiences with abuse
and abusive behavior. She also addresses the sensitive topic of sexual
abuse and how to avoid becoming an abuser if you were sexually abused
yourself. Engel explains why abusive patterns are established and
presents both short-term and long-term strategies for gaining control
over emotions while offering alternative ways to react to stress, anger,
fear, and shame—significant factors in continuing the cycle of abuse. Her
step-by-step program provides the skills needed to:
Stop negative behavior before it becomes habitual and causes significant
harm to your loved ones
Heal the damage you experienced from prior abuse or neglect
Change negative attitudes and beliefs that create a victim or
abuser mentality
Learn healthy ways of communicating needs and resolving conflicts
Learn parenting skills that will help prevent you from passing on
what was done to you
Repair damage that has already occurred to your relationships,
including those with your children
Seek out further assistance and support
What Critics are Saying
"We all have the power to break the cycle of abuse. In this
remarkably powerful, wise, and compassionate book, Beverly Engel leads
readers step by step through a program that will help survivors of
emotional, physical, or sexual abuse in childhood to heal from their
wounds so they don't need to re-enact their abusive pasts. She offers
expert advice and strategies to help parents and would-be parents avoid
doing to their children what was done to them and helps both abusers
and victims in emotionally and physically abusive relationships make
vitally important changes in their relationships."
—Susan Forward, Ph.D., author of
Toxic Parents and Emotional Blackmail
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