I Thought We'd Never Speak Again: The Road from Estrangement to Reconciliation

Laura Davis

Harper Collins, Apr 29, 2003 - Psychology - 368 pages

In her bestselling classic The Courage to Heal, Laura Davis helped millions heal from the pain of child sexual abuse. Now, in I Thought We'd Never Speak Again, she tackles another critical, emerging issue: reconciling relationships that have been damaged by betrayal, anger, and misunderstanding.

With clarity and compassion, Davis maps the reconciliation process through gripping first-person stories of people who have mended relationships in a wide variety of circumstances. In these pages, parents reconcile with children, embittered siblings reconnect, angry friends reunite, and war veterans and crime victims meet with their enemies. Davis weaves these powerful accounts with her own experiences reconciling with her mother after a long, painful estrangement.

Making a crucial distinction between reconciliation and forgiveness, Davis explains how people can make peace in relationships without necessarily forgiving past hurts. In addition to a special section called "Ideas for Reflection and Discussion," she includes a self-assessment quiz, "Are You Ready for Reconciliation?"

Whether you want to reconcile a relationship that has ended, improve a relationship that is difficult or distant, or learn the skills you need for dealing with the inevitable conflicts we all face in life, this book will teach you to mend troubled relationships and find peace.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - morag_eyrie - LibraryThing

I found this book really mind expanding- most self-help books rely on a sense of grievance and re-building individual self-esteem. This takes it a step forward- it offers stories as inspiration for those who may want to seek reconciliation after terrible trauma.

I thought we'd never speak again: the road from enstrangement to reconciliation

User Review  - Not Available - Book Verdict

Davis is coauthor of The Courage To Heal, a best-selling memoir about surviving childhood sexual abuse. Inspired by her reunion with her estranged family, this exploration of reconciliation features ...

Contents

• CHAPTER I: 11
• The Pain of Estrangement The Roots of Estrangement: 28
• CHAPTER 3: 49
• CHAPTER 4: 93
• Facing the Man Who Shot Me The Courage to Face: 121
• CHAPTER 6: 165
• CHAPTER 8: 243
• The Price of Pride Acknowledging Your Own Weaknesses Taking: 264
• Free Reconciliation Newsletter: 318
• Index: 333

About the author

Laura Davis is the author of The Courage to Heal Workbook, Allies in Healing, Becoming the Parent You Want to Be, and I Thought We'd Never Speak Again. She teaches writing and lives with her family in Santa Cruz, California.

Bibliographic information

• Title: I Thought We'd Never Speak Again: The Road from Estrangement to Reconciliation
• Author: Laura Davis
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Harper Collins, 2003
• ISBN: 0060957026, 9780060957025
• Length: 368 pages
• Subjects: Family & Relationships / Conflict Resolution; Psychology / Interpersonal Relations