The Mosaic Mind: Empowering the Tormented Selves of Child Abuse Survivors
Also known as The Mosaic Mind, Mosaic Mind
Goulding and Schwartz's 1995 book applying IFS to adult survivors of child abuse
At a glance
What it argues
Symptoms as protection, An undamaged Self
See all 2Key ideas
Self in the lead
Examples from the book
One survivor's journals
Criticism and limits
Evidence still thin, Called pseudoscientific
See all 2Read next
No Bad Parts, Psychological trauma
See all 2Connections
Regina A. Goulding, Richard Schwartz and 3 others
See all 5
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- The book follows one abuse survivor through her own journal entries, where her inner dialogues show up plainly.
- From an IFS view, mistrust, compulsive self-soothing or self-punishment, shame and hidden rage are not psychopathology.
- They are heroic efforts by sub-personalities to protect the core Self from the abuse.
- The authors show how to reach that undamaged Self, so parts can leave their extreme roles.
Why it matters
- For therapists working with survivors of childhood abuse, and for anyone wanting to see IFS work across one long case.
Key facts
- Authors
- Regina A. Goulding and Richard C. Schwartz1
- Published
- 1995 (Norton)1
- Later edition
- Trailheads paperback, 20032
- Publisher
- W. W. Norton (1st ed.)1
- Pages
- 3681
- ISBN
- 0393701786 (Norton); 9780972148016 (paperback)3
- Audience
- Therapists and students of the psyche; survivors of child abuse1
What it argues
Key ideas
-
Self in the lead1
With the Self leading, survivors can release parts from extreme roles and restore balance.
Examples from the book
-
One survivor's journals1
A legal client of Goulding and therapy client of Schwartz, whose journal entries show her inner dialogues.
Criticism and limits
Read next
-
Schwartz's later, general-reader account of the model.
-
Background on trauma and its effects.
Connections
Links
Sources
Last checked against its sources today
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