{"product_id":"letters-to-my-dad-ben-selvaggio-9798279149087","title":"Letters to my Dad","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLetters to My Dad\u003c\/b\u003e is a profound psychological chronicle detailing a son's journey to resolve the \"unresolve\" left behind by his father's sudden death. What began as a series of letters intended to process grief soon transformed into an intensive exploration of the \u003cb\u003efather archetype\u003c\/b\u003e and the \"broken father-child relationship\". When rational constructions failed to reach the core of the author's pain, he turned to \u003cb\u003eactive imagination\u003c\/b\u003e to plumb the depths of his own unconscious.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe book offers an \"unvarnished\" and \"baldly honest\" look at the complexities of a relationship marked by negligence, \"twisted love,\" and historical abuse. The author navigates a \"lonely road\" through the underworld of his own psyche, accompanied by mythic figures like \u003cb\u003eVoiceless\u003c\/b\u003e, a psychopomp who guides him through the \"garden of death\" and into the \"purgatorial realm\" where the father's spirit resides.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKey themes explored in the work include: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Resolution of Anger: \u003c\/b\u003e Moving past a \"pool of poison\" in the soul to reach a place of genuine empathy and forgiveness.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eGenerational Trauma: \u003c\/b\u003e Examining how the \"bear's guilt\" and unresolved traumas are passed down through the bloodline from father to son.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Reeducation of the Archetype: \u003c\/b\u003e An extraordinary sequence where the author negotiates his father's release from the \"King of the Dead\" and \"reeducates\" the father archetype in a love for life and the acceptance of failure.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe narrative arc is framed by the \u003cb\u003ePhoenix legend\u003c\/b\u003e, depicting the son carrying his deceased father in a \"hollowed-out egg\" across the desert and sea. This \"heartwarming emotional myth\" culminates in a final crossing to the \u003cb\u003eSeven-Tiered City of Rebirth\u003c\/b\u003e, where the father finds \"a new city, a new life, a new light\".\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUltimately, \u003ci\u003eLetters to My Dad\u003c\/i\u003e is more than a record of grief; it is a \"testament to the transformative power\" of making the unconscious conscious [Introduction]. By finding his father for the first time after death, the author succeeds in \u003cb\u003efinding himself more deeply\u003c\/b\u003e and establishing a \"groove in the stones\" for others to follow on their own paths toward wholeness [5.3, 173].\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAnalogy for the Process: \u003c\/b\u003e Plumbing the depths of a broken relationship through active imagination is like \u003cb\u003eunearthing a buried city\u003c\/b\u003e. At first, you only find the rubble of old arguments and the \"rust\" of past hurts, but as you dig deeper with the tools of the unconscious, you discover the original, majestic architecture of the connection-eventually allowing you to rebuild a \"new house\" where both the son and the memory of the father can finally live in peace [2.1, 4.1, 172].\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Ben Selvaggio\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798279149087\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/02\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 126\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.39lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.30d","brand":"Ben Selvaggio","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":49171278004479,"sku":"9798279149087","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/letters-to-my-dad-ben-selvaggio-9798279149087","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}