Dr. Gail Saltz, M.D., author of Becoming Real, is a psychotherapist who helps mothers and daughters overcome conflict. "First," she says, "can I say overall that there is a tremendous amount of anger going on which is masking sadness. I think Jennifer is extremely self-destructive. You're trying to get attention from your mom. Negative attention often feels better than no attention at all, sadly. And Ramona, you've really defined your daughter by her mistakes."
Oprah points out that a key word Jennifer used was "extreme"—she wants to have extreme fun. "Yes, definitely," Dr. Saltz agrees. "I think that fun is [Jennifer's] defense against sad, against anxious."
Ramona and Jennifer believe that they've been through too much and will never be able to reconcile. Dr. Saltz tells them "there's never too much water under the bridge. There really is always time if both of you want it and are willing to work for it."
