Being a mother is a hard, tiresome role that, although not regularly discussed, can often bring up feelings of sadness, anxiety, anger, disgust, and embarrassment, or as clinical psychologist and mother Claire Nicogossian Psy. D. calls them, shadow emotions. This compilation of clinical advice and practical strategies guides struggling mothers through understanding these shadow emotions, working on overcoming them and ultimately moving to a place of self-care, where they can enjoy mothering their children once again.
Dr. Nicogossian offers readers treatment from a variety of angles, with professional advice drawn from her 20 years as a psychologist, and personal insight from both her own experiences as a mother of four and the stories of her patients who’ve experienced similar hardships in parenting. The clinical focus explores different shadow emotions, helping mothers analyze the core of these feelings and identify triggers within themselves, suggesting strategies for cooling down, staying in control and working through the negative emotion. Unlike other parenting self-help books that focus on telling women to remain happy and positive, Dr. Nicogossian teaches practical solutions, skills and strategies to help mothers move away from being controlled by their negative emotions and anxieties surrounding parenting, and into a place of well-being and balance.