A Psychoanalytic Reflection on Narcissistic Parenthood and its Ramifications

“A Psychoanalytic Reflection on Narcissistic Parenthood and its Ramifications: The Forgotten Echo by Hila Yahalom is a rich exploration of narcissistic abuse filled with many gradations and nuances. The book’s primary focus is clinical work and parental patterns but its depictions easily apply to vicissitudes of societal problems and traumatic leadership. We get a vivid sense of human difficulties and need for creative respectful responses. The book is a catalyst for sensitive observation, discovery and growth.” Michael Eigen PhD., author, The Sensitive Self, Contact With the Depths, The Challenge of Being Human “In this elegant and tightly organized book, Hila Yahalom delineates the impact of parents' pathological narcissism upon their children's psychosocial development. Skillfully interweaving fables, poetry, descriptive psychiatry, film studies, and classical and contemporary psychoanalysis, she offers penetrating insights into how parental narcissistic control forecloses the offsprings' psychic space for autonomy, individuation, and authenticity. Her work adds greatly not only to our understanding of narcissistic family dynamics but to our capacity to empathize, deconstruct, and help ameliorate the suffering of those who are burdened by this tragic legacy.” Salman Akhtar, MD, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, Jefferson Medical College; Training & Supervising Analyst, Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia