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Shame is the root of all addictions.

John Bradshaw

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John Bradshaw
Died: 1567
Died: January 1
Philosopher
Politician
Shame
Roots
Addictions
Root
Addiction

More quotes by John Bradshaw

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Ego is to the true self what a flashlight is to a spotlight.
John Bradshaw
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I define a good person as somebody who is fully conscious of their own limitations. They know their strengths, but they also know their shadow - they know their weaknesses. In other words, they understand that there is no good without bad. Good and evil are really one, but we have broken them up in our consciousness. We polarize them.
John Bradshaw
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Recovery begins with embracing our pain and taking the risk to share it with others. We do this by joining a group and talking about our pain.
John Bradshaw
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It's okay to make mistakes. Mistakes are our teachers -- they help us to learn.
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There are plenty of quacks in the field. Fewer than you'd expect, though still plenty (in alternative medicine).
John Bradshaw
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Evil is a source of moral intelligence in the sense that we need to learn from our shadow, from our dark side, in order to be good.
John Bradshaw
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Hell, in my opinion, is never finding your true self and never living your own life or knowing who you are.
John Bradshaw
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Chronically dysfunctioning families are also delusional. Delusion is sincere denial.
John Bradshaw
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The capacity for love that makes dogs such rewarding companions has a flip-side: They find it difficult to cope without us. Since we humans programmed this vulnerability, it's our responsibility to ensure that our dogs do not suffer as a result.
John Bradshaw
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Since the earliest period of our life was preverbal, everything depended on emotional interaction. Without someone to reflect our emotions, we had no way of knowing who we were.
John Bradshaw
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We cannot heal what we cannot feel.
John Bradshaw
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Our beliefs create the kind of world we believe in. We project our feelings, thoughts and attitudes onto the world. I can create a different world by changing my belief about the world. Our inner state creates the outer and not vice versa.
John Bradshaw
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The spiritual quest is not some added benefit to our life, something you embark on if you have the time and inclination. We are spiritual beings on an earthly journey. Our spirituality makes up our beingness.
John Bradshaw
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Children need parents who model self-discipline rather than preach it. They learn from what their parents are actually willing to do not from what they say they do.
John Bradshaw
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All these feelings need to be felt. We need to stomp and storm to sob and cry to perspire and tremble.
John Bradshaw
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It's essential to tell the truth at all times. This will reduce life's pain. Lying distorts reality. All forms of distorted thinking must be corrected.
John Bradshaw
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Healthy shame is an emotion that teaches us about our limits. Like all emotions, shame moves us to get our basic needs met.
John Bradshaw
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Children are curious and are risk takers. They have lots of courage. They venture out into a world that is immense and dangerous. A child initially trusts life and the processes of life.
John Bradshaw
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Virtue is an inner strength. It expands your nature.
John Bradshaw
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That's the trouble with the conventional doctors. They always say, 'How does it work?' but often there isn't any neat little answer...Something simply works...We don't really know how it works. We say we do. We know one or two things we can see and measure.
John Bradshaw