One of the central themes of this book is the value of being in genuine relationships with others, and for one simple reason:

Experiencing empathy in relationships with others is the means by which we grow and get to know ourselves. Empathy is an ability that is absolutely essential in being able to understand others and maneuver through the minefield of relationships. When received, it allows us to form a truthful picture of ourselves, thus being the key component in developing a resilient sense of self.

If empathy was or is still not present in our lives and we are not in authentic relationships with others (and ourselves, for that matter), the likelihood of a fragile sense of self is high.

This brings with it emotional challenges, because emotional fitness (which develops in relationships with others) never developed with enough strength to cope effectively. To compensate for this, we build a cover-up stories to relate and appear stronger than we really are which leads to the cultural addiction discussed in the book, The Curse of the Capable, and Dr Ciaramicoli's last book, Performance Addiction.

Each chapter created in a cover up, is a fictional story about ourselves that leads to more inaccuracy and becomes the seeds for low self-esteem, poor self image, errant thinking and perceiving and, inevitably, what you'll come to know as "the downward trend." The downward trend happens when dynamics like these, lead to negative consequences that accumulate to the point where it becomes progressively more difficult to change course—like a plane going into a downward spiral.

Living overwhelmed with stories that are driving us a little bit crazy leads to exhaustion and fatigue which often result in the overweight condition and health complications.

This typically happens emotionally and manifests physically, depending on the circumstances. The central point is this, your story, how you are thinking, is the driving force behind how you live your life. A false or unsupportive story (s) does not serve you, because what is in doubt haunts you and drives you—particularly the unresolved emotional experiences that you cope with by creating more chapters in your novel which reinforce your lifestyle.

Learn more about The Downward Trend.