
Psychologist Perlmutter (founder, Family Recovery Inst., CA), himself a part of a wounded family, provides a model for understanding family system turmoil and underscores the importance of building trust among all members. He urges readers to look at the family unit, its stress-induced, impaired coping methods amid disorder, feelings of deprivation, danger, doubt, and denial, and notes that these survival strategies are the problem. Perlmutter proposes a recovery action plan in which family members no longer accept the current “deal” and change their individual responses.
VERDICT Essential for those whose family dynamics are in disarray and who wish to develop healthy relationships