John Bradshaw

Self-help guru John Bradshaw was born in Houston, TX; 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, Bradshaw 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 Bradshaw'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 Steven Halpern, Bradshaw also issued a number of meditative recordings. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi