Based on more than 30 years of clinical experience as a psychiatrist and a therapist, Dr. Breggin's book, now available in an affordable paperback, illustrates the importance of developing a therapeutic bond--or healing presence--between helping professionals and their clients. The author provides useful vignettes, case studies, and personal insights to help both beginning and experienced therapists develop more empathy in therapeutic relationships. He asserts that the first step toward effective treatment is empathic self-transformation in the therapist. It is empathy and self-transformation that lie at the heart of being helpful. Topics include vulnerability, nurturing, helplessness, forgiveness, and spirituality, as well as tips for working with clients in extreme emotional crises, children and families, and patients of culturally diverse backgrounds.

Acknowledgements

1. Creation of Healing Presence


2. Being in Someone Else's Presence


3. Acceptance of Our Own Personal Inadequacy


4. Nurturing of Human Nature


5. Does Empathy Hurt Too Much?


6. Does Empathy Make Us Too Vulnerable?


7. Beyond the Quick and Easy Cure


8. From Fear and Helplessness to Love


9. How to Help in Extreme Emotional Crises


10. Creation of Healing Aura in Families


11. Helping People Who Seem Very Different from Us


12. Empathy and the Reform Spirit


13. Finding Ourselves Through Principled Living


14. Empathy and Forgiveness for Grievous Misdeeds


15. Empathy for Children and Childhood


16. Importance of Empathy for Ourselves


17. Grateful Healer


18. Is Love Enough?

Index