Profound in its insights into repressed emotions from childhood and how they metastasize into the dysfunction of adulthood. It's a short book-- just ~120 pages-- but the examples feel highly relevant to today's narcissistic bent toward nationalism, cruelty, and anti-human agendas, explaining all as a function of self-hatred and denial of childhood hurts in an effort to protect abusive (in every possible iteration) parents.

I was particularly interested in the connections Miller draws between physical reactions and repressed emotion (related: [b:The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma|18693771|The Body Keeps the Score Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma|Bessel van der Kolk|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594559067l/18693771._SY75_.jpg|26542319],), the liberty of understanding and owning what *really* happened to you and how it can result in physical healing in addition to psychic. One of the most profound passages notes that contempt for others dissolves once you face your repressed emotions and identify where they came from. Miller identifies contempt as a method used to avoid engaging with the self and to protect your abusers by shifting your legitimate hatred to illegitimate scapegoats and notes that this compulsion falls away utterly once you have a true sense of your feelings and where they belong.