The Glendon Store offers a convenient online method for purchasing video documentaries and assessment instruments developed and published by The Glendon Association. Please also see our list of books by Glendon authors, and purchase your choice from Amazon.com.

We also invite you to make an online contribution. Gifts from our donors make it possible for us to provide education, training, and research to mental health professionals and to the public. Every contribution helps and all contributions are tax deductible.

Thank You!

Available Categories

Contribute to The Glendon Association
DVD & VHS Documentaries
Sexuality & Relationships Series
Suicide and Self-Destructive Thoughts Series
Voice Therapy Series
Parent/Child Relations Series
Friendship Series
Existential Series

Contribute to The Glendon Association

The Glendon Association is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that depends on contributions from the community to ensure that we can continue to provide the helping professions with high-quality and timely materials such as those offered in this Glendon Store.

This charitable solicitation is recommended for California residents only.

Every contribution helps and all contributions are tax deductible.

DVD & VHS Documentaries

The Glendon Association has produced more than 30 documentaries that offer in-depth information on our major areas of focus and on Voice Therapy methodology. Our filmmaker, Geoffrey Parr, trained and worked with the BBC and the Australian Broadcasting Commission before joining The Glendon Association in 1979. Many of these documentaries have appeared on PBS, and several have won awards and been featured at film festivals throughout the United States.

Please note that some of these titles are available to licensed mental health professionals only.

Sexuality & Relationships Series

ABOUT THE SERIES: Although sexuality is one of the greatest pleasures I life and a special opportunity for gratification and fulfillment, it represents an aspect of life that is complex and difficult, and sometimes even traumatic. Both men and women are confused about themselves as sexual beings and are vulnerable to destructive internal voices and self-attaches that have been incor9orated during their development years. This documentary series explores the reasons why so many men and women find it difficult to sustain closeness, sexuality, and love in their intimate relationships, and presents a methodology for overcoming these barriers.

Exploring Relationships- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart What are people looking for in a mate? Why are many people deceptive in their closest relationships? Why do they find it so difficult to sustain love and closeness? In this film, the participants, with refreshing candor, discuss topics of mate selection, honesty and deception, and the process of learning how to love. This filmed seminar is led by Dr. Robert W. Firestone, who together with the participants provides some new and powerful insights as to why good relationships are so difficult to maintain. 52 minutes, DVD
The Fear of Intimacy: An Examination of Withholding Behavior Patterns- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart A deeply moving program that explores the barriers to intimacy and closeness. In this compelling film, Dr. Robert W. Firestone and participants in a seminar on relationships expose the basis of the fear of intimacy and describe ways of challenging behavior patterns that cause distress in relationships. 52 minutes, DVD
Sex and Marriage- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart This film explores sexual relating in marriage and focuses on a general trend of deterioration that occurs in many intimate relationships. Couples reveal important underlying disorders of inhibited sexual desire, sexual guilt, fear of intimacy, need for control, and sexual withholding, which contribute to marital unhappiness. The participants describe how they benefited from the experience of sharing personal stories concerning their sexual history n the accepting atmosphere of a couples group. 43 minutes, DVD, 1990
Sex & Society: Everyday Abuses to Children's Emerging Sexuality- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart Distorted attitudes towards sex and prejudicial views of men and women are often learned in family interactions, explicitly through imitation. These disturbances about sexuality are retained throughout life and cause serious problems in intimate relationships. In this film, men and women describe incidents from their childhood and adolescent years where they were shamed, misunderstood, and made to feel guilty about their bodies and their sexuality by parents, peers, and conventional attitudes about sex. 55 minutes, DVD, 1990
Closeness Without Bonds- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart A moving story of men and women struggling to recapture the essence of their closest, most intimate relationships, set against the background of skillful psychotherapeutic intervention. Dr. Robert W. Firestone explains and illustrates his concept of the “Fantasy Bond,” an illusion of connection utilized as a defense mechanism against emotional closeness. This film offers fresh insights into the core issues in disturbed marital relations. It suggests that by understanding their tendency to form these damaging ties, men and women can regain the feelings of love and tenderness that were once the lifeblood of their marriage. Valuable information for clinicians, marriage and family therapists, educators, and general audiences. 28 minutes, DVD The documentaries below are available to licensed mental health professionals only:
Fantasy Bond: Film Supplement- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart In this dynamic interview, Dr. Robert W. Firestone discusses his concept of the “Fantasy Bond” and its relationship to the neurotic process with Dr. Richard Sieden, suicidologist, and Barry Langberg, attorney. The topics discussed include the dynamics of the “Fantasy Bond,” the “voice” and a defended lifestyle; emotional hunger; marital and family bonds; defense against separation and death anxiety; the bi-polar causality of regression; and sources and functions of the critical inner voice. This film was produced as a supplement to the book The Fantasy Bond. 58 minutes, DVD
Sex, Love, and Intimate Relationships- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart This compelling film explores two fundamental questions: “What is healthy sexuality?” and “What is love?” The documentary describes early childhood experiences and societal influences that impact an individual’s emerging sexuality. It features footage of couples identifying and challenging destructive thoughts or critical voices that often occur before, during, or after a sexual experience and that interfere with healthy sexual relating. The film introduces viewers to the methodology of Voice Therapy, an innovative therapeutic approach developed by Robert W. Firestone, PhD that can help couples create and sustain a relationship that combines true intimacy and sexuality. An excellent companion piece to the book Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships. 56 minutes, DVD only, 2005
Coping with the Fear of Intimacy- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart This film demonstrates a powerful therapeutic methodology, integrating cognitive, affective, and behavioral components that can help couples challenge their resistance to closeness. Four couples participating in an ongoing discussion group use Voice Therapy techniques to identify negative thoughts that interfere with their ability to relate closely. They then share their insights and plan behavioral changes. Prior to their involvement in the group meetings, these individuals had been unable to sustain long-term relationships; follow-up showed substantial improvement in relating. 58 minutes, DVD
Bobby and Rosie: Anatomy of a Marriage- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart Bobby and Rosie met in high school, fell in love, and were married three years later. After seven years, they decided to separate, but have remained friends. This unusually candid interview traces the development of their relationship and uncovers the dynamics responsible for the breakdown of a relationship that started out very close and loving. (Discussion film also available.) 47 minutes, DVD
Voices About Relationships- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart A revealing exposure of the key issues within couples that interfere with each partner’s ability to relate closely. Participants in filmed seminars identify negative thoughts or “voices” toward themselves and others, assimilated in childhood, which seriously impair their capacity for intimate relating. They discover that they have considerable animosity toward themselves and others based on prior feelings of unlovability. By identifying and understanding this negative thought process, they are able to challenge these self-defeating behavior patterns. 46 minutes, DVD
Voices in Sex- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart Self-critical thoughts and cynical, hostile attitudes toward one’s sexual partner can occur at all stages of the sex act. These negative cognitions can disrupt the flow of affectionate and sexual feelings and may even bring love-making to a halt. This film illustrates the steps in the therapeutic process that can interrupt this destructive thought process and bring couples back to real feeling. Participants in this documentary verbalize their self-critical attitudes and reveal negative views that they have about their body, their genitals, and their sexual performance, and they give away hostile views that they have toward their partners. 55 minutes, DVD or VHS, 1990
Voices in Sex- VHS (Only while supplies last) Price: $10.00  Add to Cart

Suicide and Self-Destructive Thoughts Series

According to the World Health Organization, worldwide there are more deaths by suicide than by homicide and war combined. What internal factors cause a person to end his or her life? The key to understanding suicide and self-destructive behavior comes from knowledge of the destructive thought processes that control such behaviors. Being aware of how self-critical thoughts can lead to a self-destructive downward spiral enables clinicians and others to better assess risk and design interventions for depressed and suicidal individuals.

INSTITUTIONAL: Understanding and Preventing Suicide- DVD Price: $99.00  Add to Cart How can you know if your family member or friend may be suicidal? How do you recognize the warning signs? How can you help? The Glendon Association has produced a program to inform the public about suicide prevention. This powerful new film highlights the lives of three individuals, Kevin, Susan and Trish, who made serious suicide attempts and lived. Listen to their remarkable stories and journeys to recovery. Learn from experts in suicide prevention and treatment. The film includes a directory of resources on suicide prevention and information regarding publications by the experts featured in the program, including Dr. Lisa Firestone , Dr. Robert Firestone & Dr. David Jobes. 28 min, DVD only, 2008
Understanding and Preventing Suicide- DVD Price: $29.00  Add to Cart How can you know if your family member or friend may be suicidal? How do you recognize the warning signs? How can you help? The Glendon Association has produced a program to inform the public about suicide prevention. This powerful new film highlights the lives of three individuals, Kevin, Susan and Trish, who made serious suicide attempts and lived. Listen to their remarkable stories and journeys to recovery. Learn from experts in suicide prevention and treatment. The film includes a directory of resources on suicide prevention and information regarding publications by the experts featured in the program, including Dr. Lisa Firestone , Dr. Robert Firestone & Dr. David Jobes. 28 min, DVD only, 2008
Faces of Suicide- DVD Price: $15.00  Add to Cart Faces of Suicide is an award-winning documentary short, which follows the journey of several suicide survivors (family members who have lost loved ones to suicide) as they go though the process of creating the Central Coast of California Suicide Survivors Quilt. The Quilt, similar to the original AIDS Quilt, was created to honor the lives of loved ones lost to suicide. The film records the stories and emotions of these brave men and women as they openly share their experiences and reveal how making the Quilt has helped them in their healing process. The words and actions of these individuals poignantly demonstrate the devastating emotional effects of suicide on the survivors, while at the same time underscoring the importance of reducing the stigma of suicide. In making this documentary, the film’s creators and producers hope to raise awareness about suicide as the widespread community health issue it is and to give a name, a voice, and a “face” to both those lost to suicide and to the survivors left behind. Faces of Suicide makes a powerful statement about the need to bring this issue into the open. Official Choice of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and American Association of Suicidology Conference. Winner at Western Psychological Association Film Festival. This moving documentary is being offered as a community service by the producers. The cost of $15.00 is to cover shipping, handling and duplication. 19 minutes, DVD only, 2006 The documentaries below are available to licensed mental health professionals only:
Anatomy of a Suicide Attempt- DVD Price: $39.99  Add to Cart This film features an interview with Trish, a forty-year-old woman who attempted to take her own life by shooting herself when she was a student, at the age of twenty. In this film, she talks about the life events that contributed to her suicidal state as well as the thoughts that precipitated her attempt. She reveals the contents of an insidious thought process – “the inner voice" – and how these thoughts drove the suicidal process. Because of the shame surrounding the topic of suicide, there is little information from those who survive this frequently irreversible action, especially about their thoughts prior to the actual attempt. For this reason, the filmed interview, which examines the pattern of thoughts underlying Trish's suicidal behavior, provides a valuable window into the suicidal process. This interview furthers our understanding of suicide and the role of negative thoughts or "voices" in suicide. This knowledge allows clinicians to better understand their clients, evaluate their risk of suicide, and intervene effectively. Lisa Firestone, a clinical psychologist and Director of Research and Education for The Glendon Association, conducted this insightful interview. 52 minutes, DVD only, 2006
The Inner Voice in Suicide- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart In this interview, Susan recalls events leading up to her serious attempt at suicide. Her unusually articulate account reveals the contents of an insidious thought process – the “inner voice.” Because of the shame surrounding the topic of suicide, there is little information from those who survive this frequently irreversible action, especially about their thoughts prior to the actual attempt. For this reason, the filmed interview, which examines the pattern of thoughts underlying Susan’s suicidal behavior, provides valuable insights into the motives and perhaps some of the causative factors in this ultimate act of self-destruction. Clinicians and sociologists’ will find this film beneficial in further understanding the complex ideology underlying suicidal behavior. Winner, American Film Festival. Discussion film also available. 32 minutes, DVD or VHS, 1985
The Inner Voice in Suicide- VHS (Only while supplies last) Price: $10.00  Add to Cart
Teenagers Talk About Suicide- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart A suicide pact between four teenagers in New Jersey provided the stimulus for this filmed conversation between several teenagers and Dr. Robert Firestone on the subject of adolescent suicide. The young people begin by giving their views about the dangers signs of suicidal intention that they observe in friends. The discussion quickly moves to an exploration of deep-seated feelings and attitudes the teenagers have about themselves: self-critical thoughts related to their negative self-image and low self-esteem. Anyone working with adolescent and pre-adolescent patients or with teenagers in school settings should see this excellent film. Discussion film also available. 34 minutes, DVD or VHS, 1987
Teenagers Talk About Suicide- VHS (Only while supplies last) Price: $10.00  Add to Cart
Inwardness: A Retreat From Feeling- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart This film features an interview with a woman whose self-protective, inward habit patterns and the thoughts that influenced them gradually assumed ascendancy in her personality. Aversive contact with family members was a predisposing factor in her retreat into cynical, suspicious thinking about significant others, isolation, and the use of substances such as painkillers. The program illustrates dimensions of an inward, self-parenting lifestyle and methods for challenging destructive modes of thinking that regulate this essentially self-destructive process. 50 minutes, DVD or VHS, 1995
Inwardness: A Retreat From Feeling- VHS (Only while supplies last) Price: $10.00  Add to Cart
INSTITUTIONAL: Voices of Suicide: Learning from Those who Lived- DVD Price: $129.00  Add to Cart This compelling documentary explores what was going on in the minds of three people who narrowly survived highly lethal suicide attempts. Their unusually articulate personal accounts reveal the contents of an insidious thought process or ‘inner voice,’ which urged them toward the ultimate act of self-destruction. Kevin, Trish and Susan bravely share their personal stories of self destruction, survival and recovery. They reveal intimate details of their earlier life histories that contributed to their self destructive behavior. Their accounts, in conjunction with interviews from world renowned experts in the field, including Drs. Alan Schore, Israel Orbach, David Jobes, David Rudd, Robert Firestone and Lisa Firestone , provide clinicians with valuable insight into the relationship between early developmental experiences and later suicidal behavior. Particular attention is paid to the significant role of ‘disassociation,’ which may have originally served as a survival mechanism, but in later life, facilitates the ‘acquired ability’ for an individual to attempt suicide. Clinicians and counselors will find this film invaluable for understanding what goes on in the mind of suicidal individuals, as well as the elements necessary for effective treatment. 62 minutes, DVD only, 2008
Voices of Suicide: Learning from Those who Lived- DVD Price: $49.00  Add to Cart This compelling documentary explores what was going on in the minds of three people who narrowly survived highly lethal suicide attempts. Their unusually articulate personal accounts reveal the contents of an insidious thought process or ‘inner voice,’ which urged them toward the ultimate act of self-destruction. Kevin, Trish and Susan bravely share their personal stories of self destruction, survival and recovery. They reveal intimate details of their earlier life histories that contributed to their self destructive behavior. Their accounts, in conjunction with interviews from world renowned experts in the field, including Drs. Alan Schore, Israel Orbach, David Jobes, David Rudd, Robert Firestone and Lisa Firestone , provide clinicians with valuable insight into the relationship between early developmental experiences and later suicidal behavior. Particular attention is paid to the significant role of ‘disassociation,’ which may have originally served as a survival mechanism, but in later life, facilitates the ‘acquired ability’ for an individual to attempt suicide. Clinicians and counselors will find this film invaluable for understanding what goes on in the mind of suicidal individuals, as well as the elements necessary for effective treatment. 62 minutes, DVD only, 2008

Voice Therapy Series

Voice Therapy techniques bring internalized negative thought processes to the surface with accompanying affect in a dialogue format such that a person can confront alien components of the personality. It is so named because it is a process of giving language or spoken words to negative thought patterns that are at the core of an individual's maladaptive or self-destructive behavior.

These documentaries demonstrate the practice of Voice Therapy in group and individual sessions. They were produced primarily for practitioners already familiar with the concepts and methods of Voice Therapy methodology.

The documentaries in this series are available only to licensed mental health professionals:

Parent/Child Relations Series

ABOUT THE SERIES: Parents’ attitudes toward their children are an extension of their fundamental conflicts and ambivalence toward themselves. Only through compassion and insight into themselves can parents provide the necessary ingredients for the child’s emotional development.

Parents’ interactions with their children, while capable of bringing great pleasure, can also arouse more emotional pain in both parties than any other interpersonal relationship. Recognizing the prevalence of troubled or distressed families in our society, The Glendon Association introduces this seven-part documentary series addressing the core issues in parent-child relations. The material in the series has been taken from specialized parents’ groups where participants talk openly about concerns and problems in their relationships with their children. They also recall painful experiences from their own childhood and, in the process, regain a feeling of compassion for themselves, which they are then able to extend to their children. These programs are available in closed caption.

Friendship Series

"One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives."
-- Euripides, Orestes

Friendship, in contrast to a fantasy bond, has therapeutic value. Friendship is based on genuine choice and provides companionship that is nonintrusive and nonobligatory. Meaningful interaction with a close friend or friends diminishes voice attacks and interferes with the tendency to be self-denying and self-depreciating.

Friendship cannot exist in a vacuum. The sharing of activities, projects and life experience contributes significantly to maintaining a long-standing friendship. The Glendon Association produced this series of video documentaries to illustrate several dimensions of friendship.

Children of the Summer- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart Continuing the tradition of adventure and personal development, the teenagers who originally sailed around the world aboard the VLTVA wanted their children to have a similar experience. They worked for many years toward this goal, and 15 years after the circumnavigation were able to purchase the cutter, TAM. Children of the Summer is the story of 22 young children and an unusual voyage from California to Alaska. The trip combined an exiting sailing adventure with the experience of witnessing the natural wonders of British Columbia and Alaska. The atmosphere aboard the TAM allowed the children to develop their individuality and discover their emerging independence. This documentary is recommended for parent education groups, elementary and junior-high school audiences, and educators. It offers a refreshing alternative in a world where drug abuse, alcoholism, and other destructive lifestyles are commonplace in the lives of many young people. Broadcast nationally on PBS Network. 51 minutes, DVD or VHS, 1993
Children of the Summer- VHS (Only while supplies last) Price: $10.00  Add to Cart
Friendship: A Life of Meaning and Compassion- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart Winner - Communicator Award of Distinction, 2002 Finalist - New York International Film & Video Competition, 2002 In the midst of urban America, there is a group of over 100 friends and acquaintances who seem to have transcended the too frequent monotony and emptiness of modern day life. This documentary tells the story of how, over the past three decades, these people have deepened their friendships and shared business ventures, child-rearing, and adventure on the high seas. They have achieved remarkable success in each of these areas by pooling their resources and maintaining an open forum for honest communication where expressions of opinions and feelings are accepted and valued. With no preconceived plan, they have found a new way of living based upon an implicit set of humanitarian values. These values center around avoiding behaviors that hurt other people and that are toxic to human development -- especially to that of children. Viewers will identify with the moving, personal and strikingly forthright stories of people who talk about their struggles to find personal meaning in life, to achieve success in their careers, and to enrich their family life. 56 minutes, DVD or VHS, 2002
Friendship: A Life of Meaning and Compassion- VHS (Only while supplies last) Price: $10.00  Add to Cart
Voyage to Understanding- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart A remarkable adventure film of 11 teenagers' successful circumnavigation of the world on the 85-foot schooner VLTAVA. Filled with beautiful and exciting footage, Voyage to Understanding is not only a stirring sea drama, it is also the touching and uplifting story of the people and circumstances that made this journey possible. Winner, Chris Statuette, Columbus Film Festival, Winner, Cine Golden Eagle NCFR, Winner, National Council on Family Relations Film Festival. Broadcast nationally on PBS Network. 59 minutes, DVD or VHS, 1983
Voyage to Understanding- VHS (Only while supplies last) Price: $10.00  Add to Cart
Friendship Under Sail- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart Shown nationally on PBS. In an in-depth interview, filmmaker Geoff Parr asks Dr. Firestone to describe the element that went into the unique experience aboard the VLTVA. What made the circumnavigation an adventure that people would remember for the rest of their lives? The discussion that follows covers the most interesting aspect of the voyage -- how several families, their children, and other friends got together to plan and execute this journey. The interview is wide-ranging, including topics such as the quality of communication necessary for working and traveling together, couple relationships, and the incidental destructiveness of people's defenses. Friendship Under Sail is ideal for classes at the high school and college level, community groups, and conferences. 29 minutes, DVD or VHS, 1982
Friendship Under Sail- VHS (Only while supplies last) Price: $10.00  Add to Cart
Of Business and Friendship- DVD Price: $39.95  Add to Cart This video received a Certificate of Creative Excellence at the 1990 U.S. Industrial Film and Video Festival. The story of a group of people who combined friendship, a unique understanding of psychology, and ingenious business skills to create several highly sucessful business ventures. This unusual combination entails an open and direct style of communication which is used to explore creative ideas, solve problems, and deal with personal issues. Areas covered by the program include: dealing effectively and productively with highly competitive situations among employees; understanding negative reactions to sucess, the potential value of the role of a clinical psychologist in a corporate structure; and the presentation of a business case history illustrating the effective application of psychological principles to the core problem in a failing company, a company that subsequently became highly profitable. 44 minutes, DVD or VHS, 1989
Of Business and Friendship- VHS (Only while supplies last) Price: $10.00  Add to Cart

Existential Series

“We have this curse of consciousness, an awareness of life and death issues, that other animals don’t have. It helps us to become more spiritual, more sensitive, more creative, more finely turned to things in life, but it can also lead us to turn against ourselves.”

-- Robert W. Firestone