A science-based self-help book, the result of more than a decade of research. Offering vital information, guidance, and actionable strategies for healing from childhood trauma and building authentic self-esteem, Peg Streep outlines several distinct yet interconnected steps to rebuilding your life from the effects of a toxic childhood: OPEN, SPREAD, BREAK, DISCONNECT, RESTORE, GUIDE. Each step is clearly explained and detailed with stories of other women, approaches drawn from psychology and other disciplines, and unique exercises. This book will help readers overcome their own self-doubt and gain an understanding of how their mother's treatment continues to shape their behavior even today. The message: What you experienced as a child does not have to continue to hold you back in life. What has been learned can be unlearned with effort.