The Emotional Incest Syndrome Audiobook By Patricia Love EdD, Jo Robinson cover art

The Emotional Incest Syndrome

What to Do When a Parent's Love Rules Your Life

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The Emotional Incest Syndrome

By: Patricia Love EdD, Jo Robinson
Narrated by: Laural Merlington
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.47

Buy for $15.47

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

Do these "endearments" sound familiar to you?

"Of all my children, I expect the most of you." Translation: I've selected you to be the one to make my life worth living.

"You've never caused me a minute of trouble." Translation: Ignore your own needs, I can't handle them.

"You're the only one who truly understands me." Translation: I would be totally alone if it weren't for you.

If so, you may have been a "chosen child", seemingly the focus of loving and devoted parents, but in reality a child walking a psychological tightrope - learning early on to deny your own needs in order to meet the emotional needs of a parent. Today, there is a name for this devastating form of child abuse: emotional incest. Here, Dr. Patricia Love offers adults real hope - and help - in overcoming the hurtful legacy of being a chosen child. Based on proven therapeutic techniques and using real-life case histories, her total program of recovery will help you identify the signs of emotional incest, confront your parents - and your past - with love and understanding, disentangle your life from theirs, and create a positive relationship with your parents - and your own children.

©1990 Patricia Love and Jo Robinson (P)2017 Tantor Abuse Developmental Psychology Dysfunctional Families Mental Health Parenting & Families Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships
Insightful Information • Healing Guidance • Objective Dialogue • Eye-opening Content • Helpful Explanations
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
This has probably been the most important book I have ever encountered. I thought my life and experiences were unique and lonely. I often thought my memories and feelings were based off of some unearthly fever dream that only I experienced. I was incredibly surprised therefore to read my childhood and history in the paages of this book. I highly recommend reading it too. it has brought me so much healing.

Life Changing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Even if the chosen child isn’t your dominant childhood wound, you’ll find it’s dimensionality in your own life or those near and near. This is a must read for anyone seeking self-healing and better relationships.

Stimulates healing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
But you are so worth it. This book is very eye opening and helpful in navigating relationships.

If you relate to anything in this book, you need therapy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have just begun my journey for self healing and I could never explain why I was so miserable...this book gave me an answer. There was so much that I had gone through that I didn’t know wasn’t normal. I can finally begin my road to recovery thanks to this book. I will listen many times over!!!

Amazing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The title remained consistent with the content. Each chapter gradually advanced from problem to solution offering practical insight towards change

Relalevance

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
highly recommend for every adult who is unsure where their relationship difficulties originated from. Helped to put pieces together and explain things were not understood before

an eye opener!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A very common yet misunderstood phenomenon, it’s good for all adults to learn this, whether you’re a parent or want to become one, or don’t.

Highly Recommended

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A well-thought out and surprisingly personable work about the affects of our conditioned life experiences. Self-awareness leading to understanding of boundaries in life is pressed home through the authors voice. Excellent self-help book.

Eye Opening and Illuminating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have already recommending and gifted out this book to friends and family. I gave a copy to my therapist. I cant recommend enough. This book providing a lot more language and clarity into unhealthy parent child boundaries and how it effects everyone involved. She gives really good examples and exercises. I'm going to reread and go back to many times as a reference. Thank you Dr. Love!!!

Life Changer!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
While not perfect, this book helped me understand multiple areas in family systems type stuff. Also, as an adult man I'm a bit biased and the narrator was difficult listening to. But I got through it by just imagining what it would sound like if a man read it.

Helpful with multiple areas

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews