Mother Hunger - by Kelly McDaniel (Paperback)

About the Book

"An insatiable need for sex and love. Periods of overeating or starving. A pattern of unstable and painful relationships. Does this sound painfully familiar? Trauma counselor Kelly McDaniel has seen these traits over and over in clients who feel trapped in cycles of harmful behaviors-and are unable to stop. Many of us find ourselves stuck in unhealthy habits simply because we don't see a better way. With Mother Hunger, McDaniel helps women break the cycle of destructive behavior by taking a fresh look at childhood trauma and its lasting impact. In doing so, she destigmatizes the shame that comes with being under-mothered and misdiagnosed. McDaniel offers a healing path with powerful tools that include therapeutic interventions and lifestyle changes in service to healthy relationships. The constant search for mother love can be a lifelong emotional burden, but healing begins with knowing and naming what we are missing. McDaniel is the first clinician to identify Mother Hunger, which demystifies the search for love and provides the compass that each woman needs to end the struggle with achy, lonely emptiness, and come home to herself"--

Book Synopsis

An insatiable need for sex and love. Periods of overeating or starving. A pattern of unstable and painful relationships.

Does this sound painfully familiar?

Trauma counselor Kelly McDaniel has seen these traits over and over in clients who feel trapped in cycles of harmful behaviors-and are unable to stop.

Many of us find ourselves stuck in unhealthy habits simply because we don't see a better way. With Mother Hunger, McDaniel helps women break the cycle of destructive behavior by taking a fresh look at childhood trauma and its lasting impact. In doing so, she destigmatizes the shame that comes with being under-mothered and misdiagnosed. McDaniel offers a healing path with powerful tools that include therapeutic interventions and lifestyle changes in service to healthy relationships.

The constant search for mother love can be a lifelong emotional burden, but healing begins with knowing and naming what we are missing. McDaniel is the first clinician to identify Mother Hunger, which demystifies the search for love and provides the compass that each woman needs to end the struggle with achy, lonely emptiness, and come home to herself.

Review Quotes

"I read Mother Hunger as if it was a sacred text - each word revealing and illuminating the deepest inner essence of me I knew was there but couldn't name. Kelly McDaniel has translated the most palpable, potent and impactful imprint of mother to daughter that has the power to heal us in realtime, while also providing healing to those who've come before us and arrive after. I honestly cannot remember a time I have resonated with anything as much as I do Mother Hunger, if this book has presented itself to you - trust it!" - Nancy Levin, author of Setting Boundaries Will Set You Free

"A brave, sensitive, and clinically intuitive book filled with wisdom and healing." - Erica Komisar, LCSW, psychoanalyst, parent guidance expert and author of Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters

"Mother Hunger is a deeply compassionate, scholarly, and thoughtful journey of understanding into the tender wounds of our unmet needs. With graceful clarity, Kelly McDaniel guides the reader through awareness of the impact that nurturing, protection, and guidance play in our development and creates compassion for the substitutes we seek when those needs are not met. Kelly skillfully outlines steps to healing and invites the reader into growth and hope. This book is a powerful resource!" - Jenna Riemersma, LPC, bestselling author of Altogether You: Experiencing personal and spiritual transformation with Internal Family Systems therapy and founder and clinical director of The Atlanta Center for Relational Healing

"With over thirty years of feminist study under her belt, coupled with decades of treating women with attachment wounds, McDaniel is uniquely qualified to write this book. Comprehensive, clear, and deeply compassionate, Mother Hunger is a love letter to women looking to find their way home." - Alexandra Katehakis PhD, author of Sex Addiction as Affect Dysregulation: A Neurobiologically Informed Holistic Treatment

"Women often feel broken or irreparably wounded when they don't find the safety, bonding, or unconditional love they need from their mothers. Kelly McDaniel is an expert at explaining how these unmet needs result in women experiencing 'Mother Hunger.' She explains the typical trauma re-enactment that produces low self-esteem, addiction including love and sex, and the ongoing wounding that occurs because of this primary attachment issue. Mother Hunger is the road map that will help you repair your sense of self and learn how to heal the most basic need to feel love for oneself. Kelly takes you through the step-by-step process of what you need to do to give yourself the love you didn't know that you deserved." - Carol Juergensen Sheets, LCSW, CSAT, CCPS-C, co-author of Transformations: A Women's Journey of Self Discovery, Help Her Heal

"Kelly McDaniel's Mother Hunger is going to create a worldwide sigh of relief as daughters everywhere finally have words to describe the aching loss that haunts their lives and relationships. With compassionate understanding for the incredible challenges that all mothers face when trying to mother well, Mother Hunger provides a much-needed key to the hidden impacts that being under-mothered can create and points the way toward healing and wholeness." - Michelle Mays LPC, CSAT-S, founder of PartnerHope and the Center for Relational Recovery

"This book is a must-read. Kelly McDaniel skillfully guides the reader through the delicate and often precarious terrain of attachment trauma. Without any hint of parental blame or shame, McDaniel compassionately provides much-needed information for this often overlooked topic."
- Britt Frank, MSW, LSCSW, SEP, licensed psychotherapist and trauma specialist

"Mother Hunger is about recognising unmet needs and their impact, not blaming anyone for them. Mother Hunger is about giving the ache a name so it can be acknowledged, and actions can be taken to try and heal yourself." - Juno magazine

About the Author

Kelly McDaniel, LPC, NCC, CSAT is a licensed professional counselor and author who specializes in treating women who experience addictive relational patterns. A pioneer in her field, McDaniel is the first clinician to name Mother Hunger as an attachment injury and explore the repercussions of bonding to an emotionally compromised mother. Kelly teaches workshops and speaks to audiences nationwide about Mother Hunger. She is a frequent podcast guest and her groundbreaking work is being used at several treatment centers around the country.