Book Review for "The Emotionally Absent Mother" by Jasmine Lee Cori, MS, LPC

Mother as the Tree of Life was my first obstacle to wading through the psycho-babble of mother issues.  Though, as a Christian, I see Jesus/Yashua as the ONLY tree of LIfe, which began before the Garden, I continued to read.  

Weekly I deal with wounded women who have had mother issues, trauma in childhood which transfers to being a wounded wife or wounding mother with "fruit" that does not come from the "true" Tree of Life as God intended.  I want to know all that I can, to help bring hurting people to a place of peace and healing.  So, I read on.

As I waded in deeper and deeper I saw there was much wisdom to be gleaned.   Cori's objectives were to help individuals assess to what extent they were undermothered.  To help people see the connection between   the mothering they experienced as children and their present difficulties in life, and to provide for how the missing elements in mothering can be made up for through therapy, close relationships and by providing them for ourselves.

Though Ms. Cori is very knowledgeable, and offers much wisdom, what is missing is the spiritual implications of "healing ourselves"...Jesus is THE Healer.  Unfortunately, the church has brought us Jesus as Scholar which often does not meet the deep down wounded child inside many of us.  But it is available.  Perhaps, I need to write a book about the healing and progress I have seen in lives when they meet THE HEALER in a personal way.

I liked Ms. Cori's emphasis on journaling as a self help measure.  That is very biblical, we have the whole book of Psalms, where David modeled for us his journal and dialog with God--his hurts and his healings.  Ms. Cori speaks of reprogramming the brain.  Again, this is not the invention of psychology.  In Romans 12 we are told to renew our minds.--We must have the help of THE Teacher/Healer/Shepherd to do this.  Ms. Cori could not be more right on by the idea of a lack of mentoring.  Where are the mentors, church??  Jesus spent three years with 12 men, mentoring them in the skills of powered living.  

So, I guardedly can recommend this book to Christian counselors and healers--keeping in mind from where our strength comes from--our ONLY Source:  Yashua, Savior and Healer.