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Alice Miller Quotes

Psychologist

Alice Miller, born on January 12, 1923, and died on April 12, 2010, was a renowned psychologist. Her research focused on child psychology and the psychology of abuse, delving deeply into the psychological impact of child abuse and neglect.

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Famous Alice Miller Quotes

“I sincerely believe that we not only have the right to know what is good and what is evil; we have the duty to acquire that knowledge if we hope to assume responsibility for our own lives and those of our children. Only by knowing the truth can we be set free.”

Ifs Knows Believe Children Truth Evil Responsibility Knowing Duty Our Children Assuming Acquire Good And Evil Sincerely Knowing The Truth

Book:The Truth Will Set You Free: Overcoming Emotional Blindness and Finding Your True Adult Self

Source: The Truth Will Set You Free: Overcoming Emotional Blindness and Finding Your True Adult Self

“Anyone who has ever been a mother or father and is at all honest knows from experience how difficult it can be for parents to accept certain aspects of their children. It is especially painful to have to admit this if we really love our child and want to respect his or her individuality yet are unable to do so.”

Ifs Knows Want Children Mother Certain Father Parent Difficult Accepting Honest Aspect Our Children Individuality Painful Love Our Children

Book:For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence

Source: For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence

“The attempt to be an ideal parent, that is, to behave correctly toward the child, to raise her correctly, not to give to little ortoo much, is in essence an attempt to be the ideal child--well behaved and dutiful--of one's own parents. But as a result of these efforts the needs of the child go unnoticed. I cannot listen to my child with empathy if I am inwardly preoccupied with being a good mother; I cannot be open to what she is telling me.”

Ifs Needs Giving Wells Children Littles Mother Parent Results Effort Empathy Ideals Essence Raises My Children Behave Unnoticed Good Mother Being A Good Mother

Author:Alice Miller

“For some years now, there has been proof that the devastating effects of the traumatization of children take their inevitable tollon society--a fact that we are still forbidden to recognize. This knowledge concerns every single one of us, and--if disseminated widely enough--should lead to fundamental changes in society; above all, to a halt in the blind escalation of violence.”

Source: For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence

“If it's very painful for you to criticize your friends - you're safe in doing it. But if you take the slightest pleasure in it, that's the time to hold your tongue.”

“Regression to the stage of early infancy is not a suitable method in and of itself. Such a regression can only be effective if it happens in the natural course of therapy and if the client is able to maintain adult consciousness at the same time.”

Ifs Happens Able Courses Natural Consciousness Stage Adults Method Therapy Clients Comeback Suitable Infancy Regression Infancy Is

Author:Alice Miller

“The art of not experiencing feelings. A child can experience her feelings only when there is somebody there who accepts her fully, understands her, and supports her. If that person is missing, if the child must risk losing the mother's love of her substitute in order to feel, then she will repress emotions.”

Ifs Feels Children Persons Art Feelings Mother Order Emotion Accepting Support Risk Missing Losing Substitutes Mother's Love

Book:The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self

Source: The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self

“We don't yet know, above all, what the world might be like if children were to grow up without being subjected to humiliation, if parents would respect them and take them seriously as people.”

People Ifs Knows World Children Might Grows Parent Growing Up Learning Humiliation Unschooling

Book:For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence

Source: For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence

“Genuine feelings are never the product of conscious effort. They are quite simply there, and they are there for a very good reason, even if that reason is not always apparent.”

Ifs Reason Feelings Effort Products Conscious Very Good Genuine

Book:The Body Never Lies: The Lingering Effects of Cruel Parenting

Source: The Body Never Lies: The Lingering Effects of Cruel Parenting

“If we do not work on all three levels -- body, feeling, mind -- the symptoms of our distress will keep returning, as the body goes on repeating the story stored in its cells until it is finally listened to and understood.”

Ifs Mind Stories Feelings Body Three Levels Goes On Understood Cells Distress Symptoms

Author:Alice Miller

“If a mother respects both herself and her child from his very first day onward, she will never need to teach him respect for others.”

Ifs Needs Firsts Children Mother Teach Respecting Others

Book:Prisoners of Childhood

Source: Prisoners of Childhood

“The achievement of freedom is hardly possible without the felt mourning. This ability to mourn, i.e, to give up the illusion of a happy childhood, can restore vitality and creativity if a person is able to experience that he was never loved as a child for what he was, but for his achievements, success and good qualities. And that he sacrificed his childhood for this love, this will shake him very deeply.”

“Ultimately the body will rebel. Even if it can be temporarily pacified with the help of drugs, cigarettes or medicine, it usually has the last word because it is quicker to see through self-deception than the mind. We may ignore or deride the messages of the body, but its rebellion demands to be heeded because its language is the authentic expression of our true selves and of the strength of our vitality.”