I. Toxic parents.

Godlike parents : the myth of the perfect parent

"Just because you didn't mean it doesn't mean it didn't hurt" : the inadequate parents

"Why can't they let me live my own life?" : the controllers

"No one in this family is an alcoholic" : the alcoholics

The bruises are all on the inside : the verbal abusers

Sometimes the bruises are on the outside, too : the physical abusers

The ultimate betrayal : the sexual abusers

Why do parents behave this way? : the family system

II. Reclaiming your life.

You don't have to forgive

"I'm a grown-up. Why don't I feel like one?"

The beginnings of self-definition

Who's really responsible?

Confrontation : the road to independence

Healing the incest wound

Breaking the cycle

Epilogue: letting go of the struggle.