Book excerpt: Certified biblical counselor and long-term missionary Dr. Anne Dryburgh describes in biblical terms what secularists refer to as 'emotional abuse'. From her long experience she explains how an abusive parent relates to a child, and the impact on the child. Her book will assist you in discovering how you can live out the profound truth that in Christ you have everything, including everything for dealing with your childhood experiences. From the Foreword 'Emotional abuse is a term that can be easily misunderstood and as a result, misused....Anne Dryburgh is an excellent person to address this issue and help us see with the clarity of Scripture what emotional abuse is, how to perceive it, and how to respond to it in a healthy and God glorifying way. Combined with her command of Scripture, Scottish wit, and abundant experience helping people navigate these troubling circumstances, Anne provides us with a sympathetic, compassionate, and hope-giving resource to help people rightly understand and respond to their experiences of emotional abuse' - Dr Andrew Rogers. Anne has written a thoughtful, practical, and biblical book on a difficult topic. Her compassion for the sufferer is evident, and her use of the Scriptures brings comfort to the troubled heart. This book will be helpful to those who have suffered at the hands of an abusive parent and those who desire to help them - Julie Ganschow, PhD. Commendations Anne tackles a very difficult issue with compassion and skill. She helps us understand, through the lenses of Scripture, the lingering effects and current impact of parental mistreatment on adults. She offers biblical help and hope for those who believe that their past will keep them from living a fruitful life in the present - Lou Priolo, PhD. With years of counseling experience, Dr. Dryburgh is able to compassionately lay out potential sequelae of parental oppression in a concise and organized manner. Consistently she refers to Scripture and even more, to the true and living God of Scripture, for hope and healing - Jenn Chen, PsyD, MABC, MA (MFT) Anne Dryburgh has provided us with yet another helpful tool when dealing with abuse. In her book, The Emotionally Abusive Parent, she gives hope with clear steps for change and healing when children are verbally abused by one or both parents. As with all of Anne's books, she points to Christ as the sufficient one to heal and to give hope! She is quickly becoming the Christian voice for abuse victims. I wholeheartedly recommend all of her books - Johnny Touchet, Pastor and Biblical Counselor How this book can help you The aim of this book is to help you realize that if you have suffered parental emotional abuse, you can live in the truth that in Christ you have everything you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3; Ephesians 1:3). In Christ you have everything, including everything for dealing with your childhood experiences. That sounds crazy when you think of the suffering you may have endured as you were growing up. It also sounds crazy when the lasting effects clearly impacted who you are, but this book will help you discover how you can live out this profound truth. We will learn what secularists refer to as emotional abuse, how to understand it biblically, what it looks like in how a parent relates to a child, and at the impact on the child. As we look at these effects, we will also look at what is true about being in Christ and how you can live on the basis of who you are in him. We will also meet Laura in several of the chapters, hear about what she suffered, and how she learned to see who she is in Christ and deal graciously with her parent. What this book is not Since this is a short book not every question concerning parental emotional abuse could possibly be addressed. It cannot cover every practical issue you may be facing, nor does it present all the Bible teaches on the subject since that would take a much longer book.