They don't kill us -- but they may shorten our lives. They don't tear our families apart -- but they strain our relationships. They don't compel us to rob or kill -- but they definitely rob us of self-esteem and kill our self-control. They are our private obsessions -- those persistent habits and secret compulsions that make us "feel better" but also hold us back from living life as it was meant to be. Another name for them is hidden addictions. Ans while they may seem "minor" compared to drug and alcohol addictions, they can be every bit as self-defeating and just as hard to shake. In this book, the bestselling author of The Cinderella Syndrome and The Missing Piece tackles the problem of private obsessions with humor, empathy, spiritual sensitivity, and a load of common sense. She shows how we can take our problems seriously without taking ourselves too seriously. And she offers down-to-earth, spiritually centered advice to show why private obsessions are damaging and how they can be overcome. - Jacket flap.