John Bradshaw

Self-help guru John Bradshaw was born in Houston, TX, on June 29, 1933; the product of a troubled family, as a teen he was abandoned by his alcoholic father but still excelled as a student, graduating from the University of Toronto in 1963 with degrees in sacred theology and philosophy, while later pursuing graduate studies in psychology and religion. Between 1969 and 1988, <a href="spotify:artist:70sHURBVOq2rwWkmBpDxYa">Bradshaw</a> operated his own consulting practice, concurrently serving a three-year term as Chairman of the Religion Department at Rice University. From 1981 to 1988 he additionally was a member of the board of directors of the Palmer Drug Abuse Program in Los Angeles, and in 1982, even hosted an eight-part PBS television series, The Eight Stages of Man. He published his first book, Bradshaw On: The Family, in 1986 and appeared on the New York Times best-seller list. Widely credited for pioneering the concept of the "inner child," he also pushed the phrase "dysfunctional family" into the everyday lexicon. All four of <a href="spotify:artist:70sHURBVOq2rwWkmBpDxYa">Bradshaw</a>'s follow-up books -- 1988's Healing the Shame that Binds You, 1990's Homecoming: Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child, 1992's Creating Love, and 1995's Family Secrets -- achieved best-seller status as well, moving over four million copies in North America alone. A series of PBS broadcasts followed, and in 1996, he also hosted The Bradshaw Difference, a nationally syndicated daily talk show. With composer <a href="spotify:artist:2J3qGaj5UzHvu0fjlLgb8k">Steven Halpern</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:70sHURBVOq2rwWkmBpDxYa">Bradshaw</a> also issued a number of meditative recordings. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi