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Summary: Helped save my mind
Review: This is one book I would highly recommend to anyone dealing with this topic. I cannot even describe the insight this book has given to me. I do really suggest that anyone dealing with this topic have someone else that can help them along while reading this book. Somethings should no longer be dealt with alone any longer.
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Summary: Helpful, but not helpful
Review: This book has helped me realize little things I do, certain actions, etc. But my biggest complaint is they tend to focus on sexual abuse by a parent or grandparent, that is on a totally different plane than sibling. This book is based around the fact that parents and grandparents are the abusers. So if you are just seeking help, or just starting to come to terms with your abuse, I'd recommend this book. However, if your abuse was by a sibling be prepared for continuous "parent" "grandparent" abuse.
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Summary: Words can't describe how priceless this book is
Review: This book was reccomended by my therapist. It took great courage to open, and to continue reading. I found myself on almost every page. Most especially remembering my spirit when I was first violated at 5 years of age. It DOES take great courage to heal. I don't think 'recovering' from incest at any age can be done with a book alone. This book can trigger you so hard, I do highly reccomend it along with professional help. It doesn't have to be read in order right away. In fact, it can be very hard to just open it anywhere. However, please do. I bet that is the place that is 'suppose' to speak to you at that moment. What I took and continue to take from this book is the spirit of that 5 year old girl was so STRONG!! So innocent and so pure. That is ME!! Now!! I found her violation. Now I find her courage!! She is so BRAVE to have made it so far into adulthood. You are MORE than the beliefs that were created as a result of this violation. Even with these beliefs 'YOU' are in there somewhere. And that you is the beautiful person that survived!! This book will help you get to that core. Go Forward! You can!
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Summary: Courage to Heal
Review: I have worked for 15 years on a helpline befriending the suicidal and desperate. During that time I have read many books covering a wide range of topics affecting our callers. The Courage to Heal is one of the best books that I have read and more importantly, it has helped those callers who have been victims of abuse. One of the major anxieties that victims feel is that they alone have suffered abuse, they get tremendous support from books like this that tragically show how prevalent it is even amongst "civilsed" society. All the major issues are dealt with sensitively but clearly. I have no hesitation in recommending this book.
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Summary: Should be required reading
Review: I read the review of mr. cleef and was moved to respond. I'm an attorney and handle domestic cases. I have bought several copies of this book and given it to clients and friends of clients, as childhood sexual abuse is all around us and is difficult to find. The authors have helped thousands of people who have silently suffered from a hidden epidemic. To ignore these people is a crime, and I commend this text to anyone who is a survivor, or a partner or friend of a survivor.
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Summary: Helping survivors not mentioned in title...
Review: The Courage to Heal. It was designed to help women who have survived childhood sexual abuse. Well... oddly enough, I am a man... and, while I was sexually assaulted on one occasion when I was a child, the greatest abuse I took was the emotional abuse I received from my father. Technically I fit into neither of the categories listed in the title. However, I found this text (and the workbook which accompanies it) to be one of the greatest tools to work with as I attempted to overcome out a lot of the abuse I received in my childhood. I recommend this tool to men, women, survivors of sexual abuse received at any point in their life, survivors of emotional abuse, survivors of physical abuse, survivors of any combination of the three abuses... in the end I recommend it to anyone who has experienced any form of trauma in his/her life (or is involved with or working with an individual[s] who has survived a trauma) and wishes to attain an inner piece so that s/he can live a fuller, more positive life.
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Summary: Please read this book if you or someone you love was abused
Review: This book has helped me to do more healing than anything else I've tried. Before I read it, I was in constant emotional pain. With my therapist's support and encouragement, I've worked through about half of the chapters in it. I find that with each stage of healing I go through, whether denial, mourning, anger, or whatever, usually that is covered in the next chapter as soon as I get to it. It is so comforting to be able to understand your thought processes and realize that this is the way all humans react to traumatic events such as abuse, not just weird ones like you and me. The sections telling women's stories of how they were able to cope with the healing process are enormously powerful, too. Sometimes they are terrible and painful to read, other times they make you laugh. The Courage to Heal is written in such a caring way that you feel upbuilt by the authors, as if you know them and they are part of your support group. There is also much information to help those who love someone who is healing from childhood abuse to deal with the emotions and special stresses they face.
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Summary: GREAT SUPPORT THROUGH MY HEALING JOURNEY...
Review: I recommend this book to all survivors of sexual abuse! I bought this book 2 years ago and still look at it when I need more support or inspiration. It has helped me to realize that I'm not alone, that it was NOT my fault and that there is hope and I deserve to be loved for who I am. Whatever you do, do NOT try to read the whole book all at once. It can bring back some memories of the abuse which is painful to deal with at times. Take your time and do it at your convenience.
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Summary: The Mental Equivalent of a Soft Teddy Bear
Review: I don't think I have read a single book on childhood sexual abuse that deals with this issue and its readers as compassionately as "Courage to Heal". I thank the heavens for these two dedicated authors who brought the mental equivalent of a soft teddy bear to our bruise and damaged spirits. I read through various other books on childhood sexual trauma voraciously at first until I came across "Courage" with its workbook-like format. There are many books out there with many facts and figures to assuage the rational side of you seeking to understand the abuse, such as Judith Herman's excellent "Trauma and Recovery". But "Courage", I feel, was created in the semblance of a trusted, knowledgeable and deeply empathetic friend. I did not read the whole book because by the time I was halfway through it, I gained so much comfort and satisfaction from its comfortably paced explanations that I was able to function a little better in my day-to-day activities. It's been almost half a year since I bought it and I still refer to it now and then for guidance. The section on seeking legal resources to prosecute child sexual abuse crimes is excellent, as I recently found out. I would recommend this book heartily for women who are searching for empathy and sympathy in living with their tragedies. Ellen Bass and Laura Davis's book has easy-to-read print, laid out in a way that is easy on the eyes (no densely packed little words to search through). This book is a good, kind book that was worth every penny for me.
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Summary: It's not as great as everyone thinks.Read "Secret Survivor"
Review: I'm writing this for my older sister, who had some problems with abuse when she was little. She is now 24 years old and read the book thinking that it would help her because everyone said that it was the best book in the world for her. Her main complaint was that the book is aimed at older women, maybe in their late 20s and older. It constantly talks about reaching out to your husband, fiance, or anyone else that you are extremely close to, like a boyfriend. But she would get very angry because the abuse made her scared to have a boyfriend and that's her main problem with life right now. The book assumed that everyone could find a boyfriend easily and that it was so easy to find one. But she said that many people who have been abused, especially the younger ones, like people in their younger 20s, were completely ignored in this book. It says to reach out to those people, but she didn't have anyone to reach out to until months later. She had heard so many wonderful things about this book but was very disappointed because it neglected her and all women (and men) who have problems trusting men and staying with boyfriends, which is a common problem for so many abuse survivors. It actually made her feel worse than before. She read "Secret Survivors" (she didn't remember the author's name) which said helped her much more than any other book and said that every single abuse survivor must read "Secret Survivors." Thanks for letting me write for her. She was too shy.
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