ABSTRACT
This book is for adult replacement children and their families, for members of the medical professions, psychoanalysts and therapists and policy-makers. When life starts after a death or linked to a death, this can have dramatic life-long consequences for so-called replacement or substitute children. While not every child born after a death is a replacement child, those who are born or designated to replace a lost sibling or other member of the family are not free to be themselves: they are supposed to be someone else – the human being they replace. Many are unaware that this condition is the underlying cause for their feeling ill at ease in life and their relationships. This is the first book by a Jungian analyst addressing the psychological suffering of adult replacement children, offering hope that by becoming conscious they can experience a psychological rebirth into a life of their own. Schellinski discusses key concepts of Depth Psychology, developed by C. G. Jung, which help understand the psychology of adult replacement children and illustrates their application with cases from 20 years of clinical practice, literary examples and art. The Individuation Process allows adult replacement children to rediscover their unique identity by reconnecting with their true self and affirm the essence of their being: this is who I am.
