Every word, facial expression, gesture, or action on the part of a parent gives the child some message about self-worth. It is sad that so many parents don't realize what messages they are sending.

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The full life is filled with vulnerability, not defense. You face whatever feeling there is.

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I believe the greatest gift I can conceive of having from anyone is to be seen by them, heard by them, to be understood and touched by them.

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As a therapist, I am a companion. I try to help people tune into their own wisdom.

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Taste everything, but swallow only what fits.

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Communication is to relationships what breath is to life.

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We need to see ourselves as basic miracles.

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Adolescents are not monsters. They are just people trying to learn how to make it among the adults in the world, who are probably not so sure themselves.

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I have talked about choosing rather than acting from compulsion. When you feel that you have to live according to someone else's direction or live so that you never disappoint or hurt anybody, then your life is a continual assessment of whether or not you please other people.

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It is now clear to me that the family is a microcosm of the world. To understand the world, we can study the family: issues such as power, intimacy, autonomy, trust, and communication skills are vital parts underlying how we live in the world. To change the world is to change the family.

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