Eight Stages and Endless Opportunities to Heal

In this day and age it is common knowledge that the origin of many of our rough edges and soft spots go back to our past with parents and other significant caregivers. Good therapy acknowledges this, but also believes that there are endless opportunities to heal and grow past these emotional and developmental injuries. How hurts are healed is the subject of one of my favorite books: Healing the Eight Stages of Life by Matthew Linn, Sheila Fabricant, and Dennis LInn. They look at Erik Erikson’s work which emphasizes that our strongest drive is towards mature relationships.  For Erickson, growth is a “lifelong process with ever new opportunities to discover gifts for loving.” This book is an easy read and a good introduction to Erikson’s work for  faith-based folks ready to learn more about what makes them tick.