Both genetics and our childhood home environments have a powerful effect on our lives; at their most pernicious, they cause a predisposition to dangerous or even life-threatening conditions. In this book the author explains how anyone can avoid a life sentence of negative behaviour, no matter what his or her family background is. Encouraging readers to look into the past to rediscover the emotional, physical and spiritual atmosphere of their formative environment, he shows that only through understanding and confronting likely predispositions can one overcome them. He cites recent research, his own experiences, and many telling case histories to provide specific prescriptions for dealing with tendencies toward depression, alcoholism, obesity and suicide.