Let’s make one joint resolution for 2012.  We won’t let toxic people – persistently negative personalities – dictate our lives.

I chanced on a book that can’t be judged by the black border that swallows the cover…or the year it was first published (1999). The content is more current than the evening news. Stop suffering! Here’s the link to learn more + reviews.

How to Hug a Porcupine: Dealing With Toxic & Difficult to Love Personalities

How to deal with Toxic People

5.0 out of 5 stars Life-Changing Book, April 22, 2001

Dr. Lund’s book is one of the most influential books I have read. The subtitle to the book is “Dealing with Toxic and Difficult to Love Personalities.” His prior book “The Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism,” contained some of the information in this current book, but “How to Hug a Porcupine” is better organized and more concise.

The book spends a large amount of time in identifying the characteristics of “emotional porcupines.” These emotional porcupines are usually people that seek to control their lives and the lives of others. They constantly throw emotional quills and consequently are difficult to hug without impaling one’s self. The most interesting part of the book is on how to live with a “porcupine.” The strength of this self-help book is that it gives you concrete ways to protect and arm yourself from the damaging quills of emotional porcupines.

Soon after reading this book, I changed my cell phone to read “No Critics”, to remind me of the damage that any criticism (there is no such thing as constructive criticism according to Lund) can do to others and to remind me to not criticize.

Dr. Lund’s book is full of insight and, most importantly, methods on how to improve yourself if you are a porcupine and also on how to deal with porcupines without damaging your own ego. Dr. Lund also has a tape out that covers similar material, but I believe was recorded well before he wrote this book. This is a book that can help anyone in their relationships with children, siblings, parents or spouses.

How to Hug a Porcupine: Dealing With Toxic & Difficult to Love Personalities

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How To Hug a Porcupine should be read by every person who is in or has been in a toxic relationship. I found this book to be one of the most inspiring self-help books I have ever read. I found it difficult to read at times, because I felt I was reliving my past. Dr. Lund starts out with a very detailed Table of Contents, outlining every chapter. There are numerous case studies, I appreciated the fact that they didn’t always work out like the textbook said they should. There are quizzes to take. Specific step-by-step directions on how to help you become a more healthy person despite the porcupines in your life. Dr. Lund helps you learn how to use “armored gloves and other tools” in dealing with any toxic person – young, old, spouse, child. I have found many useful ideas in helping me become a more healthy person. This book is awesome, I highly recommend it!

How to Hug a Porcupine: Dealing With Toxic & Difficult to Love Personalities

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5.0 out of 5 stars Dr Lund helped me survive living with an abusive person for so long….

Dr. John Lund, in his book How to Hug a Porcupine outlines the steps to living with someone who is difficult to love, toxic to be around and or abusive to you and others. 

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! Potential life changer.

Great book for content. My wife and I are reading it and we are learning some good things to try in or marriage. Read more.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow…

I love this book. It discusses all types of people, & situations. I bought it primarily to gain some thoughts & insights about one of my daughters…

How to Hug a Porcupine: Dealing With Toxic & Difficult to Love Personalities

How to Hug a Porcupine: Dealing with Toxic People originally appeared on Rights Radio™ with Dr. Joyce Starr - An Independent Voice on January 12, 2012.

Let me understand the convoluted logic. In other words, it’s OK to attack Sarah Palin and her teenage daughter if it lifts ratings? Or because the intended target is 18 and not 14? Or because the comedian/low-life doesn’t care for Sarah Palin’s political views?

The rights of women took a giant step backward this week when JOKES about teenage girls being “knocked up” and about hard-working, wage-earning female flight attendants as sluts became acceptable.

We talk about empowering women, fighting toxic people, getting our lives back. And how does this vile gutter talk against women raise the bar? Republican, Democrat, Independent. We are ALL Sarah Palin.

If you don’t have the courage to stand up for Sarah Palin and her daughters – to fight the vilification of women – the least you can do is change the channel. Don’t give this gagster from the gutter a minute more of your time.

To dad’s who care about their daughters,

Women Abuse – Abusing Younger Women – Gagster from the Gutter: Dads with Guts; Please Stand Up! originally appeared on Rights Radio™ with Dr. Joyce Starr - An Independent Voice on June 12, 2009.

Listen to Dr. Joyce Starr’s interview with Karen Flyer on the Rights Radio Self-Help Hour. Date: June 11, 2009. The show will air on our Self Help Hour page at 5:30 pm. Bookmark this page for the streaming replay.

Mother-Daughter Wisdom Dr. Christiane Northrup Paperback

Surviving Childhood Trauma

Karen Flyer’s memoir, Loss and Found, explores the struggle to heal from childhood trauma. Karen is also the executive director of COPE – Connecting Our Paths Eternally – a non-profit grief and healing organization dedicated to helping parents and families living with the loss of a child. Karen did not lose a child, but she did lose her childhood.

Family abuse, however, is a backstory, not the entire or even the most important part of the play or film that becomes one’s life. The story begins in the second and third act – when one a victim is longer willing to recognize – and indeed overcomes – the limitations of her/his backstory.

We launched Rights Radio.com and RightsUniversity.com to help people overcome their “backstories” in wide-ranging areas – including addiction recovery. Soon to be released: The Rights University Pocket Sponsor iPhone App – Reflections for Addiction Recovery. Visit RightsUniversity.com for more information on the Apple store release date.

Karen Flyer offers answers to complex questions, including:

How do you bridge the gap between mother and daughter in the face of trauma?

How do you as a parent communicate with a potentially troubled teen who doesn’t want to open up and share their feelings?

And how can a daughter grow and find love in a world which may seem unforgiving and hostile?

Concerned about addiction recovery for loved ones or friends? Sign up below for notification about the release date for our NEW Pocket Sponsor App for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Learn how to protect your homeowner rights here.

To your emotional empowerment!

Surviving Childhood Trauma: Family Abuse is a Backstory – How Do You Move On? originally appeared on Rights Radio™ with Dr. Joyce Starr - An Independent Voice on June 9, 2009.

Stay tuned for our special reports on toxic clients and bosses, toxic homeowners association board members and toxic energy addicts (why toxic people want to make you sick).

Our Guest: Christmas Miller, author of Illuminations: The Road Less Traveled

The mother of five, Christmas has extraordinary abilities. From a very early age, she was able to “intuit” information about the positive and negative energy that people project and attract – directly or indirectly. She’s helped thousands of people heal various aspects of their lives using her remarkable abilities to perceive, see and hear their personal "energy," including mental images and sounds.

This show will enlighten, inspire and even make you smile, no matter how isolated you may feel. Don’t miss it!

Date: August 13, 2008 at 5:00 PM EST.

FREE! This show airs LIVE on our website . Enter your email address in the Program Alert box BELOW to receive the private link to the LIVE show.

Benefit from all life-changing shows. JOIN OUR INNER CIRCLE . Become a Rights Radio PREMIER Member. Listen to ALL 2008-2009 Streaming Replays of Live Shows any time you like .

Toxic People Toxic Stress Series originally appeared on Rights Radio™ with Dr. Joyce Starr - An Independent Voice on June 9, 2008.