ABSTRACT
The material in this chapter is drawn from my book Understanding Ourselves: The Uses of Therapy (1988). It is based on my experience as a feminist and a psychotherapist working with fairly ordinary but deeply distressed individuals whose problems are readily recognisable and easy to identify with. The material selected for inclusion in this book illustrates the processes by which people come to repeat or replicate distressing experiences from their childhood. It also explains what therapy can contribute to understanding these repetitive cycles and to helping afflicted individuals to stop abusing themselves and others.
