John Bradshaw

Diagnoses

Personal

Vocation

Lifestyle

Notable

Traits

Family

American therapist, philosopher and author on methods of healing the inner child and dealing with addictions. He was ten when his alcoholic dad left; Bradshaw was raised by his mom and step-dad, both unresolved incest victims. By the time he graduated from high school, he was valedictorian and a raging alcoholic. Filled with anger, he had been drinking from the time he was 13. Bradshaw sought stability in the Catholic priesthood. He became a novitiate in 1955 and remained that way until he left in 1964. He joined AA, but turned from booze to drugs and was at a life low point when he surrendered in mid-December, 1965. He soon after began to work actively with AA, lecture, do management consulting and teach school. Bradshaw became the host of a talk show that led to fame with the PBS series, "Bradshaw on the Family." He was married from 1969-1989; he and his wife had one child, plus two of hers from a prior marriage. By 1995, he had five best-seller books and had been a lecturer for 30 years on the family. According to Bradshaw, 95% of all families are dysfunctional. Some therapists consider that he puts too much emphasis on childhood woes and too little on adult responsibility, adding to the victim-cult. Link to Wikipedia biography