Reclaiming Father: The Search for Wholeness in Men, Women and Children

What impact does a father have on the psychological development of his child? Does a man's father influence how he himself becomes a father? How can our experience of being fathered influence how we relate to an intimate partner? Reclaiming Father answers these questions and more. In an engaging and passionate book, Benig Mauger examines the role of the father in an age where he has been largely neglected. In her deep psychological and spiritual exploration of birth, early childhood and family relations as well as the inner and outer dynamics of adult love relationships, the author outlines the impact of the father on the psyche. Drawing on her life experience and her work as a Jungian psychotherapist, she reveals how absent fathering contributes to a frail masculine image in both men and women. Through riveting life/love stories, the author exposes the need to reclaim father in order to recover a sense of inner wholeness. Using her background as a birth teacher, she suggests ways in which fathers can support their partners in childbirth as well as fulfil their essential role in the early life of their children.