Does your mother's desire to complain about how thoughtless your father was last night override your need to get to work on time? Do you really have nothing better to do on Saturday night than to ferry your little brother home from the movies, or help your father with his books? In this guide to curbing excessive empathy, Nina Brown helps you evaluate your own family ties and decide if you are too caught up in other's needs. She provides a variety of techniques to help you shield yourself from other's needs, build strong boundaries, strengthen your personality against excessive empathy tendiencies, and learn to stay free of dominating or manipulative relationships.