If you have the time – a couple of questions
Tuesday September 18, 2007
Hello, Alice Miller!
My name is I. D., and I come from Norway. Before I say anything else, I apologize my English skills.
In my final year as a high school student, I take a psychology course. One of our projects is to write about one of the big psychologists. I noticed your name fast, and therefore I’m doing my assignment on you and your work. I really like your homepage, and to find your mail-address with the possibility to talk to you directly is a big opportunity for me.
If I could ask you a couple of questions, I would really appreciate it. You don’t need to answer them all, given that it’s more then a few
One of my big wonderings is if you are working on a book at this moment?
How do you self see your oldest work today?
Are some of the things you wrote years back changed for you since then?
What of all the books you have written is your personal favorite?
What psychologist is your favorite?
Why is it the theme child abuse you write so much about, given that there are so many other things to write about in the psychology-topic?
My final question is this: If you would attend in my class the day I would talk about my assignment, what would you say? Is there a special message you want to scream out to the whole world?
I hope I’m not too personal in my questions, and if they are, there’s no need to answer.’
Thank you for your time, and hopefully your respond.
Your curios friend in Norway, I. D.
AM: Here my answers:
1- My next book will be published this September in Germany under the title: “Dein gerettetes Leben”
2- I still like The Drama of the Gifted Child, it is still on sale.
3- Some small things but not the main issues.
4- Every one of my books has its own prospective and I value them all.
5- I don’t have a favorite psychologist. To explain to you why, I am quoting here my answer to readers who ask me for a list of therapists:
AM: Certainly, if I knew of some therapists who would be respectful enough to answer your questions; free enough to show indignation about what your parents have done to you; empathic enough when you need to release your rage pent up for decades in your body; wise enough to not preach to you forgetting, forgiveness, meditation, positive thinking; honest enough to not offer you empty words like spirituality, when they feel scared by your history, and that are not increasing your life-long feelings of guilt – I would be happy to give you their names, addresses and phone-numbers.
Unfortunately, I don’t know them, but I still like to hope that they exist. However, when I am looking for them on the Internet I find plenty of esoteric and religious offers, plenty of denial, commercial interests, traditional traps, but not at all what I am looking for. For that reason I gave you with my FAQ list tools for your own research. If a therapist refuses to answer your questions right from the start, you can be sure that by leaving him you can save yourself your time and your money. If you don’t dare to ask your questions out of your fear of your parents, your fear may be highly understandable. However, trying to do it anyway may be useful because your questions are important and by daring to ask them you can only win.
6- I talk so much about the “topic” of child abuse because it is essential and nobody else teaches about this topic in universities. It is still taboo although childhood is the base of the whole life, and the ignorance on this issue is very dangerous for all societies on our planet.