Making Sense of Suffering: The Healing Confrontation with Your Own Past

by J. Konrad Stettbacher

Swiss therapist Stettbacher provides a four-step program that enables adults to reconstruct their histories, find and heal their primal childhood traumas. Famed psychotherapist Alice Miller says, "I have undergone this therapy myself and felt its astonishing holistic effect on the body, mind, and emotions."

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Tom Britz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only is this a good book on self therapy and healing from childhood abuse he also has an intriguing theory on humanity at large and why we are so violent. It is worth the read.

[Andrew Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book defines the process of understanding suffering, and articulates clearly the means to heal from deep internal wounds. This book does in less than two hundred pages what other psychotherapy and counseling books don't come close to accomplishing. It has been extremely helpful to me in my own healing process.

My relationship to this book was deepened through reading Alice Miller. They inform each other a lot.

[Keybo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t finish this book. To me, it was outdated psychology that blames the mother for improper child rearing. Maybe it was the translation (it was written in German) but there wasn’t an implication of true trauma or abuse. The outdated psychology of mother blaming isn’t worth the time for me to try to find grains of knowledge in the treatment aspect of this book.

[Morthen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book that gave many seeds for thought. At some stages I thought the writing to be jumping from here to there, but I still enjoyed reading it. Not agreeing with all the writings and proposed ideas, but still thought that the book was worth reading.

[S.C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book serves as a map for people from difficult or abusive families to examine their current problems and trace their origins into the deep past. Ideally then, one would be freed from the difficulties and the problems resulting from not being cared for as a child...A lot of work but the four steps and the book serve as a trusted guide in a forest of much darkness and uncertainty...

[Andrew Feist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information within these pages. Not the most egaging or moving; and seriously strange at certain points. Short and to the point and worthwhile in general for someone interested in developmental trauma

[Susan]

Read long ago.
Only comment is "way too dry"

[amaaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A practical book about healing from past tragedy. From this book i also learn and take notes on how things cam affect children painfully and that the future parents should avoid at all cost.

[Devin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short book outlining the general theory and practice of primal therapy. Interesting stuff, particularly as it gets such high marks from Alice Miller. If you haven’t read Alice Miller, make sure to do so before or while reading this book for a deeper understanding, as this book is more of an outline than a treatise.

[Tommi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confusing. I stopped reading half way through and resumed reading an Alice Miller book.