Robert W. Firestone, Ph.D. – What keeps people from living in ways that satisfy their individual needs and priorities? In this book, clinical psychologist Robert W. Firestone sets forth his theory of the “critical inner voice,” a self-critical point of view that people have internalized based on hurtful life experiences. During a person’s most vulnerable state of childhood, the pressures of society and destructive interactions within the family can lead them to develop defenses, self-protective thought processes and behaviors that prevent them from achieving the fullest life possible. The goal of Combating Destructive Thought Processes is to help people identify their own defenses as well as their lurking “critical inner voice,” while helping them understand how these patterns limit their current life. In addition to laying theoretical foundations, this book emphasizes the use of voice therapy in direct practice with couples, parents, and individuals, as a means of learning about and dealing with often unconscious, self-sabotaging tendencies. Firestone’s technique, grounded in clinical research, helps the individual to uncover these voices quickly, recognize their source and begin the path to a meaningful life.
