Gregory L. Jantz

One of the most common secrets that are held within many households is the issue of emotional abuse. The mere mention of it is hushed away or laughed at nervously by family members in hopes that another subject will be brought up. Emotional abuse is a generational behavior that is learned and passed down from mother to daughter and from father to son. It is often unintended or sometimes viciously practiced. This book is a wonderful tool that describes the various types of characteristics of show more emotional abuse and how they originated. It discusses types of abuse through words, actions, neglect, and religion. It provides examples through stories of childhood traumas or relationships that would be considered abusive situations. The author goes into details on how to heal from an emotionally abusive relationship and how to prevent from getting into another one. He discusses what causes individuals to seek out people with certain characteristic that might be considered negative and ask them to reflect on their inner self.

This book is a wonderful tool for a person getting out of an abusive relationship, a person that is going into a career of counseling, social work, or any type of family counseling. I really found it both helpful in my personal life and also for my future educational goals as a clinical social worker. I highly recommend this book for those that have a passion toward helping others out there and would like to make a difference in the world. show less

Nobody wants to be depressed, but millions are, and the number is rising. By 2020 depression will be second only to heart disease, as the cause of life debillitating illness (1). Chances are if you do not suffer from depression, someone close to you has or does. Various treatments, therapies and medications abound, which help people (or promise help) who struggle under the weight of it. While healing will look different for different people. there is hope.

Gregory Jantz,PhD., is a show more psychologist and founder of the Center for Counseling and Health Resources. In his book, Turning Your Down into Up, he avers that theres is hope for those suffering from depression. though the journey out for each will be unique. Jantz examines the various influences which may be the root of our depression (or a contributing factor). These include emotional factors, environmental factors, relational influences, physical influences (like diet or exercise), and spiritual influences. By addressing these various spheres, Jantz presents a holistic approach to healing from depression and even gives a three month plan for healing.

I appreciate Jantz approach. I am not personally someone who struggles with long-term depression. I have had sorrows related to circumstance, but I remain fairly upbeat in my approach to life. I do have family members who struggle more directly than I do. I think Jantz offers some wise guidance through depression and helps strugglers pay attention to some of the latent causes of their depression.He doesn’t offer a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to recovery. In this book he challenges readers to overcome emotional issues through positive self talk and intentional gratitude. He helps readers overcome the detrimental effects of stress and advises they set limits on their use of technology. By discussing they physical causes of depression, Jantz makes the case for appropriate self care. He also addresses the underlying issues which affect us in family systems and relationships (including our relationship with God). These are all important aspects of conquering the effects of depression.

There was a lot of good information which I think will be helpful. Each chapter has a workbook section which helps readers work towards their own healing. Jantz does not discuss in-depth the role of psychotropic medication in healing depression. I think that most of what he says will be helpful to depressed people in general, but some may require a pharmaceutical boost in order to work through the issues. I wished that he discussed this more directly, though I appreciate that his section on physical causes allows for a more natural approach. I just think some people need something stronger.

I give this book four stars and recommend it to those who are wondering if they are depressed or who deal with mild depression. Even non-strugglers like myself will be challenged to handle their emotions, set healthy limits and avoid unhealthy environments and foods.

Thank you to WaterBrook Multnomah for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for this review. show less

This is a good book that outlines what emotional abuse is, how it affects you, and what you can do to overcome it.

Through my reading of this, I realized I’ve dealt with this for longer than I had originally thought. Thank the Lord, I am learning how to get past it. But, man… I’ve got a long way to go!

The past 50 years have seen great advancements in technology, medical understanding, and the advancement of girls' and women's interests in society. Yet in the midst of this progress boys seem to have been lost; sociological trends show that boys are falling behind in school and in life.

The authors of Raising Boys by Design attempt to show, through science and faith, how boys can be raised in ways that complement the way God made them. Throughout the book the authors do not attempt to put show more down women or suggest that the solution is to turn the clock back to a different time; instead, they highlight the differences between boys and girls and how both mothers and fathers can be more sensitive to those differences and how to give boys the space and direction needed to thrive.

The authors explain how boys develop differently than girls and how they need maternal care from their mother and encouragement to press on despite difficulty from their father. They have a HERO acrostic to explain how boys' character should be developed: Honor, Enterprise, Responsibility, and Originality, and how parents can encourage these characteristics in their sons. They lament the lack of a rite of passage for boys into adulthood in modern culture, especially modern Christian culture, and provide some ideas of how such a rite of passage could be done (I would hazard that baptism and full entrance into the faith community would be the Biblical rite of passage, but making a clear delineation between boyhood and adulthood remains important). They also speak about how to develop healthy senses of emotions and sexuality in boys and some good practical suggestions about how they can become more effective in school.

The book is not "preachy" and should not leave most parents with that sense of guilt and inadequacy that often comes from reading parenting books. If you have sons this is definitely worth the read!

**--book received as part of early review program show less