Most self-help or personal growth books help their readers learn to ''cope'' better with one specific problem that troubles them. In contrast, ''Fear of the Abyss'' offers healing for a wounded core by providing guidance to those with a certain constellation of issues, which the author calls the ''PCS'' personality. While perfectionism, control, and shame may be the issues that readers most easily relate to, they form part of a pattern that also includes such issues as rigidity, black-and-white thinking, indecisiveness, and relationship difficulties caused by a need to be needed. The author sees this entire constellation as rooted in a central fear that varies from person to person. It is the object of this fear that she calls the ''abyss.'' Through a series of clinical vignettes drawn from her own experience as well as exercises accompanying most chapters, the author helps the reader develop self-awareness and compassion for him- or herself, as well as a greater sense of authenticity.