• Healing the Child Within

  • Discovery and Recovery for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families
  • By: Charles Whitfield
  • Narrated by: Robert Feifar
  • Length: 5 hrs and 16 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (521 ratings)

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Healing the Child Within  By  cover art

Healing the Child Within

By: Charles Whitfield
Narrated by: Robert Feifar
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Publisher's summary

Have you ever heard of your inner child? Well, this is the classic book that started it all.

In 1987, Charlie Whitfield's breakthrough concept of the child within - that part of us which is truly alive, energetic, creative, and fulfilled - launched the inner child movement. Healing the Child Within describes how the inner child is lost to trauma and loss, and how by recovering it, we can heal the fear, confusion, and unhappiness of adult life.

Eighteen years and more than a million copies sold later, Healing the Child Within is a perennial selling classic in the field of psychology. And it is even more timely today than it was in 1987. Recent brain research, particularly on the effects of trauma on the brain of developing children, has supported Whitfield's intuitive understanding as a psychiatrist.

About HCI Recovery Classics: HCI's recovery backlist contains some of the most important and best-selling works in the recovery field. These books are still sought after today, selling more than 100,000 copies per year. Our new line of branded audiobooks features expanded editions of our top recovery titles, new introductions, updates on pertinent recent developments in the field, and contemporary new cover art.

©1987 Charles L. Whitfield (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Healing the Child Within

Average customer ratings
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Dysfunction from Emotionally Absent Parents

This book helped me see and understand the dysfunction within my family. My parents were not alcoholics but the lack of emotional support, created an environment that looked like that of alcoholics. Many people don't even realize that they may have a problem. Many therapist don't address these emotional issues in their sessions. It seems like job security in the mental health field.

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14 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Don't need to know the history

What was most disappointing about Charles Whitfield’s story?

In the first parts, the author goes on and on about the history and the concepts (the leaders in the field) of the "child within." It's technical and boring. I feel like I'm reading a text book in psyche class. I want to get to the meat of it, not how it was conceptualized. I lost interest.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Robert Feifar?

Very old school narration. If the content was interesting, I wouldn't mind it that much, but with the boring introduction, it made it hard to keep focused.

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13 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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An excellent guide

Surprisingly still accurate for a book written in 1987. It's an excellent guide.

I love how he stresses the importance of not rushing ourselves through the process. It's so frequent that we get stuck in our stories, stuck in our emotions, and the people we love become tired of hearing about it. Even support groups do this. We need to respect our own timing for moving on (preferably without burdening everyone though - why I am a proponent of self talk).

Through this unconditional validation, we will eventually reach an epiphany. We have a choice in deciding how we feel. .... We can let go, and it's on us.

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11 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not a "How To."

The closest you get to, "how to," is being told to go to a therapist or a support group.
Book should be titled, "do you have a broken inner child? yes you do."

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8 people found this helpful

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Must Read! Probably the only self help book you’ll need!

This book explains simply how we as humans work and how we can reclaim our true self and rediscover the happiness that lies within. It’s an essential when trying to understand feelings and emotions and how to grieve and work through our core issues and what the process looks like. It’s a short, easy read, with a tremendous amount of truth, information, and knowledge. Quick and to the point. I love it. Probably the only “self help” book you’ll ever need!

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6 people found this helpful

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Some good concepts but dated

I've done quite a bit of reading on the subject and found some good concepts but nothing really new here

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6 people found this helpful

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worth reading

this audiobook is something one needs to read repeatedly in order to absorb the information.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Child within me...

I love Charles Whitfield and all his work. I will use all of his helpful advice to move forward and cope.

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3 people found this helpful

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Great study of the Inner Child

Excellent presentation. Enjoyed the study. Very insightful audible! Highly recommend to those on the journey.

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3 people found this helpful

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A classic that is helpful

If you could sum up Healing the Child Within in three words, what would they be?

There are no words to explain full extent of self awareness that's had by reading or listening to this book.

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3 people found this helpful