The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

Rating:
Summary: The Black Book of CSA
Review: These ladies get to the facts in a gentle, move "foward" manner. Most in AA speak of the "Black Book" or Bible of AA. Well, this is the Black Book for CSA Survivors. Best of all, they do NOT exclude lesbian survivors with all the myths surrounding those issues. Nor, do the exclude male survivors.

Tuff issues, tuff topics, tuff healing... Hence the word "survivor not victim". Excellent book for a gift or to get someone on the road to recovery.

Rating:
Summary: A good resource for those in need
Review: This book captures the true pain of what so many folks go through when addicted to another. I highly recommend.

John D. Moore
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Author of Confusing Love with Obsession
When You Can't Stop Controlling Your Partner & the Relationship

Rating:
Summary: A wonderfully supportive and helpful book!
Review: This book has gone a long way in helping me to begin the long journey to coming to terms with the sexual abuse I suffered as a pre-teen. For most of my adult life, I've been reluctant to attribute any of my problems (such as depression, self hatred, unhealthy sexual relationships with men, a general disgust about myself, etc.) to being molested by my stepfather. Within the past couple of years, however, I've begun to examine my feelings about it more and more. I bought this book rather hesitantly, but ended up reading the first few chapters in tears as I read so many of my own feelings and experiences echoed by the other abuse survivors. I had thought that I was all alone and that there was something intrinsically wrong with me for feeling the way I did about myself, and it was an overwhelming relief to find others who feel the same after having similar childhood experiences. The reviews offered here referring to the "memory" issue misrepresent the focus and intent of the book. These readers seem to want to keep abuse survivors quiet to save the "sanctity" of the family. So many of us have done this for years; sacrificing of our emotional well being. They belittle the profound hurt and damage caused not only by the abuse, but by the silence as well. At the very least, this book has helped me to feel human and has given me hope that I may one day feel whole. I highly recommend this book as an invaluable resource.

Rating:
Summary: PLEASE DON'T READ THIS BOOK!!!
Review: This book is manipulative, ignorant, full of lies, and even dangerous. It starts out to be a compassionate piece of work that is focused on helping the victims of sexual abuse recover and come to terms with what has happened by helping them to uncover "repressed memories"

I read this book out of curiosity, and was appalled by it. It teaches women to blame all their problems on repressed memories of abuse, even if there's no evidence that abuse happened. It asserts that "if your life shows the symptoms of abuse, then you were abused." That is not true, and is not to be believed.

This book has the ability to trigger a multitude of false memories in people, which can shatter lives and families. Please do not waste your time reading this book!

Rating:
Summary: The Courage To Heal - An Awesome Book!
Review: This book was recommended to me by my therapist. Reading this book did more for me than 20 years of therapy! The fact that it was written by real people (and not a doctor) who had experienced sexual abuse, made it all the more helpful to me. For me, this book was RIGHT ON about everything and helped me to reprogram my thinking.

I really do not understand those who didn't get anything out of this book. I have to assume that these people aren't ready to let go of their denial about what happened to them.