Your amazing work

Your amazing work
Sunday October 05, 2008

I have to say to you, dear Alice Miller, that you have enabled me to transform my life. I regard you as a genius for your ground-breaking seminal books. I admire you also for your letters to powerful people. I am male, 72, born in London in 1936 of a German Jewish family that abused me extensively and made my life a living hell. I intend to write you in more detail if you will allow me to, but this is my first communication to you and I will restrict my words. I owe you a huge debt of gratitude. At last, my constant, intuitive refusal to forgive my family (parents and 2 elder brothers) for their cruelty has been vindicated. I was the black sheep who refused to kow-tow to the huge pressure that this powerfully aggressive family directed at me to agree with their views of what I should be. I now realise that I was hated. Some 3 years ago, I found a therapist whom I asked not to be anything other than an “enlightened witness” as you have outlined. As a result of working with her for 18 months, and she is clear that I did the work, I have found a modicum of peace that I had almost despaired of finding. Let me hasten to explain that this therapy was just the last step in a life of searching for and undertaking many therapies, (many not too helpful) and seeking answers to my desperate unhappiness, loneliness and misery. I am considering donating to your cause in my will, because I regard the work you do as the most important there is. It is abundantly clear to me, that the world needs to learn how to parent, as well as the crucial importance of getting it right. (I did not start out to say this, but there it is) How can I do so? Is there an Alice Miller Foundation for the dissemination of your words. I see your new videos on your web-site and flyers etc. I am quite healthy and have many years to go, but I would like to leave a legacy to a Foundation, if this makes sense to you. Incidentally when will your most recent book “Saving your Life” be available, as it is not yet listed in English retail stores or on the world-wide net? Can I buy it in German? Incidentally, I speak German and can translate from German into English which facility you may be interested in. (My written German is not so good.) Forgive me, but some of your recent contributions could be in more correct English, though the meaning is generally clear. So it is not really necessary to correct the English. (is it that someone left, who was able to translate for you?) The English in all your books is very good, in my opinion, with few exceptions. I have been writing a psychological book “Why we’re in the mess we’re in” for 30 years and want to complete it soon. My sources include Erich Fromm, Anthony Storr, Rollo May, Alice Miller, Harry Guntripp, Isaac Rubin and many more. My very best to you and all power to your crucial work
R.A.

AM: Thank you for your compliments and the offer to correct the English translations of my books. I am glad that they are understandable, they don’t need to be perfect. The German, original version of Dein gerettetes Leben is available at Amazon. The English translation, with the title Free From Lies will be published in June 2009