The Courage to Heal - Third Edition - Revised and Expanded : A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

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Summary: A complete book on Healing from childhood sexual abuse.
Review: Courage to Heal is my handbook for healing. It is supportive and very thorough. It's easy to read, and great for beginners. Yet after five years of recovery I still find myself referring back to it. It is also full of resources and encouragement. It is a must have for anyone recovering from abuse!

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Summary: The book validated my feelings and made me feel less alone.
Review: I have recently had trouble with my parents after breaking my 25 years of silence about my older brother's incest of me. My parents denied it, said it wasn't his fault, said he's changed, that I should forgive him and that it wasn't that bad. Having read your book gave me confidence in my own feelings, made me doubt myself less and also helped me feel as if I was part of the world again instead of an outcast. Certain parts of the book I read over and over again. I also read the book out loud to my husband. I sometimes have a hard time putting my feelings into words. When reading many parts of the book I have thought, ah ha, yes this is exactly how I feel and then was able to explain my feelings to my husband. Portions of the book are like lights shining in on my feelings which allow me to recognize and acknowledge my feelings. This is an excellent book for survivors. Thank you so much.

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Summary: Good for people who want to heal on their own
Review: Gave good examples and guideline for people who maybe don't want to talk about healing with others.

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Summary: This book brought me into the light!
Review: This book helped me where nothing and no one else could. It took courage to buy it, but once I did I read it from cover to cover, did every recommended activity (journaling, checklists, etc.), I even took notes in the margins. I also photocopied the chapter for partners and gave it to my then new boyfriend. This book is invaluable. It gives the reader strength and support. Notice only non-survivors give this book less than a 4-star rating... hmmmmm... maybe they have a personal interest in seeing that survivors don't feel strong and/or supported...

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Summary: this book was and is an integral part of my healing journey.
Review: without work like this to guide survivors in the early stages of healing, i imagine survivor suicide rates would be even higher. i still find this book an incredible resource 9 years into my healing journey for not only me but my loved ones as well.

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Summary: It is the book that I cherish for giving me my life!
Review: I would like to share with you what an incredable book this is. It was the most valuable tool in my recovery. It dose not make you remember things that you didn't experance as the critics would like you to believe. I hope you will keep an open mind when you read other reviews concider the authors of the reviews. My experances with childhood abuse are in my body and memory not in an exercise given by a book or a theripist. This book and its two wonderful authors and many couragious women who share thier stories of reality(not "false memories") and there healing process have been the most cherished reading experiance I have ever had change my life! I recommend The Courage to Heal to all woman who are dealing with abuse recovery, take it at your own pace and let yourself be the judge of what is healing for you. Please don't deny yourself this incredable oportunity for a happier, healthier life becase of a few negative reviews. Ther will always be people who don't want to accept this issue, and all the inpact of how many of us surviors there really are and how much truth many familys and perpatrators will do any thing to keep quiet and covered up. Don't le this put a negative light on this wonderful book. "The Corage to Heal" saved my life, It showed me I had one, and I am in charge of it and my own Healing.

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Summary: The premier work on the subject
Review: This book was quite literally thrown at me by a couples therapist who said, "I think you need to read this." I alrady had memories and this book helped me understand that there were others like me and the writing assignments helped give form to what I needed to express.

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Summary: Excellent resource for survivors, friends and therapists.
Review: One of the greatest contributions to the empowerment of woman - practical, easy to read, helpful regardless of where you are in the process. Don't worry if you don't have concrete memories - if you feel like something is not right, and you wonder if something happened to you -- pick it up. If it is right for you to read - you'll know. Although focus is on survivors of childhood trauma, also helpful for victims of adult rape. Hopeful and positive, Bass and Davis have given us a resource that the false memory folks can never take away - It is ours!

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Summary: The only way to heal is to go through the pain
Review: This book was recommended to me by my psychologist. After I bought it, I spent the first month staring at the cover. Then I got enough nerve to open it (I had stopped seeing my shrink by this time because I was too afraid to see her). When I started reading it, I knew I had been abused by my brother, that he had been abused by 'someone' and my sister had been abused by neighbor kids a few years ago, and my mother knew all about it and kept her mouth shut. While reading the book I began to have memories of my father. I was so afraid they were false, that I didn't tell anyone. Then one day my brother confided that it was my father who had abused him. I talked to my sister and was finally able to realize that he was still molesting her. Without reading this book and facing my fears, my sister would still be at home in danger instead of living with me and healing.

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Summary: I AM NOT ALONE, AND I NEVER DID FORGET WHAT HAPPENED TO ME
Review: This book has been a wonderful resource. I started therapy before I got the book, but I want to say to all of those people out there who think sexual abuse survivors need to "recover" their memories and that some are false is NOT always the case. I have never forgotten what happened to me, and I know others who haven't either. I wish I could have blocked out the painful memories, this book has helped me learn how to deal with them.This book is a valuable resource and the The Courage to Heal Workbook has been even more helpful. It is so wonderful not to feel alone and overcome feeling like damaged goods because of what someone else did to me as a child. To the people who say this book is more harm than good, just think about all of the people it's helping that have never forgotten!!