Toxic Family: Transforming Childhood Trauma into Adult Freedom (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781735898162)

In a small rural town in central Pennsylvania, young Susie is facing trauma as the middle child in a violent and chaotic household. Her brilliant, alcoholic, astrophysicist father and equally ingenious mentally ill, homemaking mother have collided in dysfunction. Creating five children in short succession covert and overt abuse is running rampant. Hurt and damaged children are raising more hurt and damaged children.

A riveting and intense chronicle of a childhood filled with harsh initiations all led to a masterful and thought-provoking transformation. The ebullient belief and determination of a young girl with a vision who would not bend to self-destruct but rather would convert her experience to triumph are told masterfully in this stunning work.

Like a breath of fresh air, Susan refuses to fit the everyday norm of looking to follow like a lemming. She's traversing and hurdling her way up and over traditional splintering systems. She's meeting competition and jealousy with kindness while soaring to thrive. In recovery from addiction, Susan shows us how she leans into her energetic strength as an empath to heal and move forward while unknowingly healing others along the way.

Once the journey is complete for this opus, Susan leaves us with support and some of the practical tools she used and uses today to move forward. The appendix is an experiential workbook matching each chapter of the book, with interactional tools centered around each section's theme: breathwork, journaling, meditation, movement, and the voice all combine in a creative healing process.