Will I Ever Be Good Enough?

Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers

By: Karyl McBride

Narrated by: Karyl McBride

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

The first book specifically for daughters suffering from the emotional abuse of selfish, self-involved mothers, Will I Ever Be Good Enough? provides the expert assistance you need in order to overcome this debilitating history and reclaim your life for yourself. Drawing on over two decades of experience as a therapist specializing in women's psychology and health, psychotherapist Dr. Karyl McBride helps you recognize the widespread effects of this maternal emotional abuse and guides you as you create an individualized program for self-protection, resolution, and complete recovery.Narcissistic mothers teach their daughters that love is not unconditional, that it is given only when they behave in accordance with maternal expectations and whims. As adults, these daughters have difficulty overcoming feelings of inadequacy, disappointment, emotional emptiness, and sadness.

©2008 Dr. Karyl McBride (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"The author provides parenting tips as well as advice on maintaining healthy love relationships and friendships." ( Publishers Weekly)

A MUST read for everyone!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book can help everyone that has or knows women that have a narsistic mother. Great for daughters, daughter-in-laws, sons, son-in-laws, spouses and even friends of these victims.

What did you like best about this story?

Finally, I feel like my brother and I are not alone! This explains so very much. And for the first time I feel like I am OK!

Have you listened to any of Karyl McBride’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I felt like Rocky after I finished! I reached the top of the steps and with this knowledge I can deal with the fights. Just knowing that I can clearly see all of the manipulation my mother has used on me for 50 years is so freeing. No one will ever please her and finally I can work through excepting that...because it is her and I am good enough!

Any additional comments?

I will listen to this book many more times...especially before major family events (Holidays, Celebrations...). I can now put her battles for attention "in a box" and find my happiness! My husband says he has seen a change in the way I deal with " mom issues".

An eye opener

This is a very important book for those women who always felt something was missing in thier lives ... that they didn't have a normal childhood ... that thier moms were different ... women who whatever they did thier moms never seemed to be pleased ...
This book helps you realize the problem ... face your denial ... make peace with your past and accept reality ... then start the journey towrds healing ...just make sure to take your time and do as the books says ... don't be tempted to skip anything
The author herslef was a victim of a narcassit mother so she knows what she's talking about ...and not only i found the book extremely helpful but the soothing voice of the author and narrator made a great deal of difference

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Felt like it suddenly didn’t apply to me.

I was learning so much until around 3h the author started talking about God being in me. All of a sudden my attempts to let what she was teaching resonate with me kinda fell apart and I took the book less seriously. Do only Christians have narcissistic mothers?

Finally a book that hits my issues

My mother is an addict who is also self absorbed. I was neglected so much as a child that depression became my best friend. I thought I was damaged and the crazy one. My mom never supported anything I did including school stuff. She would buy me expensive dresses that she couldn't afford instead of money for books. (She always took credit for my looks, which of course I rebelled and hurt myself by gaining weight to try to individualize myself. Sooo Unhealthy I know) I waitressed starting at 15 to 25 to put myself through school. When I got into UCLA my mom wouldn't even visit the campus despite living an hour away. I had to stop talking to her for months till she even came to my graduation. (She was grumpy and critical the entire time that it ruined the special day that I had worked so hard for.) I'm looking forward to working the steps in chapter 11+ to heal. I'm done with having low self esteem, narcissistic bfs, self destructive habits, and not knowing who I am. I choose to be my authentic, healthy self and live my life the way I WANT because this is MY LIFE. Life is a gift and I choose to honor it that way without the negativity and numbness i was raised in.

Exactly What I Was Looking For

What made the experience of listening to Will I Ever Be Good Enough? the most enjoyable?

The pure accuracy of this book. Dr. McBride's research is spot on. This book has not only helped me understand the relationship between me and my mother but also helped to improve it by providing a new perspective. It has helped me understand unexplained feelings and behavior. I am still in recovery, but I am well on my way to living a better and happier life! If you have a narcissistic mother (whether the damage was inflicted on you or a sibling), you MUST read this book. Thanks so much Dr. McBride!

Liberating, Calming, Soothing, and Healing

What did you love best about Will I Ever Be Good Enough??

This book focused primarily on healing, as opposed to diagnosing and blaming.

Any additional comments?

The narrators voice was soothing, caring, and genuine. The book was well written, and analyzed many different angles of these looming and life long maternal issues. Great read!

Glad I purchased this book!

Excellent clarification if you're wondering "Is this my mother?" She takes you on a clear mental bus ride of how you ended up with negative, self-defeating thought patterns and habits. She gently guides you in setting yourself free of these but without blaming or bashing your mom. Hers is a diplomatic, knowledge-is-power approach.

Actually offers real, step by step instructions

this book offers real step by step instructions for how to recover. it's not just a book of stories or a book that you can identify. it actually tells you what steps to take, when to take them and examples of how to do so successfully. Very good! I am in the recovery stage now and this book is helping. I really like that the speaker was calm. I also like how in the book she discusses that sometimes you may have to repeat some steps and it natural. also how she gives examples on how to deal with your mother's reactions as well as assessing your relationships with friends and significant others. very well thought out. glad I listened to it!

Finally a book that validates my struggles raised from a ignoring narcissitic mother

I found this book very helpful in understanding how your woundedness from childhood affects your adult relationships.

Great book

If you think your mother may have been narcissistic (or emotionally withholding), this is a great (and painful) read. She gives you new perspectives of how to heal from your childhood, and very effective ways of overcoming.

interesting

An excellent read... I was amazed how much us daughters take on board....there is hope

Exactly what i needed!

Absolutely outstanding. Suddenly everything made sense. All my struggles, all my worries, my depression, my emptiness, my failures. The questions I asked myself for nearly a decade were answered in this book. A true blessing. Thank you Dr. McBride!

A pathway to smiling inside.

McBride delivers a depth of understanding and insight into a child’s development at the hands of a narcissistic mother.

Then she provides a healing pathway to wholeness and reconciliation by looking into the brokenness of your inner child and repairing her with an insightful and empathetic parent who discovers her way to smiling and laughter.

As a surviving daughter of a narcissistic mother I’m able to find joy through journeying with McBride and her knowing.

Epiphany after Epiphany!

I only recently discovered the name for my Mum's behaviour. I felt like I've been walking around for the last 40 years feeling incomplete, depressed, incapable and unloveable but not really being able to see why. While there are many books out there on helping daughters understand and heal from their mother's narcissism, this book is well worth a listen/read if you're starting out on your journey. The author sounds like the mother you never had and it took me weeks to actually finish listening to the audiobook because every paragraph was a new epiphany describing those locked up feelings we all would have had growing up in the toxic environments we did. It made me feel like I wasn't alone for the first time in my life - I wasn't making it up, it actually happened and it caused deep deep trauma. I'd highly recommend reading this book and I hope you know you're not alone. There are many of us out there walking the same path to recovery and I send you so much love x

true and real

this book really spoke to me and resonated within me. I listened to it post recovery and it affirmed my sense of self.

It's a must read for DONM'S

This is a very thorough book, it's not only a self help experience, but a guide and support in recovery of many elements of a woman's life including friendships, relationships and motherhood.

amazing

If you had a narcissistic mother then this book feels like remedy for the soul

very helpful

When you realise that the author is talking about your mum, light bulb moment. very informative.

Excellent

This is a great book, I would highly recommend to anyone dealing with a self absorbed mother

highly recommended,

Really helpful in a loving a practical way. I'd highly recommend to anyone who is struggling with this.