Breaking the Chain of Low Self-Esteem

Rating:
Summary: Helpfull, But With Serious Flaws
Review: This set was helpfull, in that it allowed me to see the root causes of my low self-esteem. However, very little information about how to recover from low self-esteem is given. The author relies entirely on a recommendation that you get expensive therapy (at least one year) - an option that the vast majority of people cannot afford. There is virtually nothing suggested about how you can help yourself, except for a proposal that you get a second job or borrow money from your family so that you can afford therapy. The long-winded descriptions and stories do, however, accurately illustrate what it is like to experience low self-esteem. Some descriptions apply only to the most severely affected sufferers. The most beneficial segments correctly link low self-esteem to painfull experiences in childhood, and these illustrations are helpful in relieving guilt and allowing you to see that what has happened to you is not really your fault. At one point I was brought to tears as I recalled the painfull experiences of my childhood and realized that not only was I not responsible for the way I was treated, but also that recovery is entirely possible. It was helpfull to realize that I was not the only one with this problem - many people suffer from low self-esteem. The characterizations are so accurate that it becomes easy to recognize other people you may know who also suffer from low self-esteem; and helps you better understand their feelings and behavior.
The flaws are glaring and unpleasant. The set starts out with a scathing rebuke of the modern practice of psychology/psychiatry, with all practicioners who do not agree with the author being portrayed as the bad guys. About halfway through the tapes, the listener is assaulted with a lengthy diatribe condemning the mis-treatment of all women by all men since the beginning of time. All women are portrayed as victims, and all men are portrayed as villians - the concept that a woman can be equally capable of hurting a man seems lost on this author. Also disappointing was the author's absolute condemnation of any women who consents to be involved in a traditional religion - Christian women should not listen to these tapes! A good portion of the end of the set is devoted to telling you which therapists NOT to see - which is virtually any therapist whom does not completely agree with the author in every detail. She has no tolerance whatsoever for any other opinion but her own, and the language is always written in a doomsday fashion - the listener is told repeatedly that recovery is utterly impossible unless her recommendations are followed precisely.
Conclusion: Overall it is beneficial to purchase and own these tapes, but take the authors man-hating, condemnation of religion, and doomsday rhetoric with a BIG grain of salt.

Rating:
Summary: A valuable tool and empowering book
Review: When Marilyn Sorenson says that finding a therapist that understands LSE is important, she is not making an overstatement. In lieu of that temporarily, you have her book. All the things that one might feel badly about oneself for, are in here and she has a wonderful way of writing.

Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC BOOK!
Review: ® "Fantastic book! It helped a lot because I was starting to slip down into an abyss of despair. The book helped me see that the way I am doesn't make me strange or different from the majority of people. Where before I thought I was stuck with some sort of personality defect, now I have a name for it, a reason, as well as a pathway leading away from it. Thank-you, Dr. Sorensen for your straightforward approach in guiding us 'lost souls'!