Changes That Heal by Henry Cloud
Week 2: Chapter 1 — The Importance of Bonding
Read Chapter 1 of Changes That Heal. Key Scriptures: John 15:1–12; 1 John 4:19; Genesis 2:18.
Previewing Week 2 of Changes That Heal
Read 3 of 8 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 14-week guide when you’re ready.
Cloud begins with the most foundational human need — the need to be deeply and genuinely connected to others — and argues that without bonding, every other area of growth is built on sand.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Cloud describes bonding as the ability to form lasting, trusting emotional attachments to others. In your own words, why does he argue that this is the *foundation* of all emotional and spiritual health, rather than just one component among many?
2.The author draws a distinction between knowing that God loves you intellectually and actually experiencing that love emotionally and relationally. Have you experienced that gap? What has helped (or hindered) you in moving from knowing to experiencing God's love?
3.Cloud uses the image of an infant bonding with a mother — and what happens developmentally when that bonding is disrupted — to explain adult relational patterns. What early relational messages do you think shaped your own capacity (or difficulty) for bonding?
a.Did you receive messages that vulnerability was safe or dangerous?
b.Were your emotional needs treated as legitimate or as a burden?