Healing from the Trauma of Childhood Sexual Abuse


Book Description

The traumatic affects of childhood sexual abuse can remain and recur throughout life for women who have not healed emotionally. This book by a family therapist shares stories from 18 women abused as children, explaining that healing can occur at any stage of life, and that healing, itself, occurs in stages. The author offers guidance to recognize the long-lingering potential affects of childhood sexual abuse including depression, anxiety, dissociation, and chronic shock, and she explains steps to take for recovery. Also presented are letters from women who have healed or are in recovery. Sexual abuse by men, juveniles, and female perpetrators is discussed, as is how children may act out the abusive behavior taught by perpetrators. The incidence of abuse by family members is also addressed. Duncan explains the dual dilemma—moral and legal—that women face in exposing a sexual perpetrator within the family when not protected by the legal system due to statutes of limitations. She also discusses controversial topics including false memory and disclosure of memory to the perpetrator.




Surviving Sexual Violence


Book Description

Victims of sexual assault experience their trauma in different ways, and often one path to recovery and healing is right for one person, but not right for another. While there are some general mental health effects of sexual violence, this book outlines and describes the impact of particular types of sexual violation. Whether the survivor has experienced childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault during adulthood, marital rape, sexual harassment, sex trafficking, or sexual violence within the military, they will find aspects of her experience in these pages. Once survivors understand the ways in which they have been affected, they are introduced to various pathways to surviving sexual violence and moving forward. The chapters provide case examples and specific activities which give a fuller description of the ways survivors can make use of the particular approaches, which include mind-body practices, counseling, group therapies, self-defense training, and others. Anyone who has been a victim of sexual violence, or knows and cares about someone who has, will find relief in these pages, which offer practical approaches to finding balance and healing.




Rid of My Disgrace


Book Description

Helps adult victims of sexual assault move from brokenness to healing. This book outlines a theology or redemption and includes an application of how the disgrace of the cross can lead victims toward grace.




The Courage to Heal


Book Description

Based on the experiences of hundreds of child abuse survivors, The Courage to Heal profiles victims who share the challenges and triumphs of their personal healing processes. Inspiring and comprehensive, it offers mental, emotional and physical support to all people who are in the process of rebuilding their lives. The Courage to Heal offers hope, encouragement and practical advice to every woman who was sexually abused as a child and answers some vital questions, including: -How do I know if I was sexually abused? -Where does the decision to heal start? -How can I break the silence and who will listen? -How can I re-build my self-esteem, intimacy and capacity to love? -What therapy, support groups, self-help programmes or organisations are available?




Reclaiming Pleasure


Book Description

Go beyond surviving to reclaim your sexual self. If you have experienced sexual abuse, assault, harassment, or rape, you may feel disconnected from your sexual self—even if you’ve overcome the initial trauma of your experience. You are a survivor; but surviving is just the beginning. This book explores what comes next. Written by a psychotherapist and grounded in cutting-edge research, Reclaiming Pleasure picks up where other sexual trauma recovery books leave off. It offers practical tools to help you cultivate a sense of safety, security and trust in order to reclaim the vitality, pleasure and great sex you deserve. The book will also serve as your compass on a journey toward the rediscovery of desire, letting you explore what you want from others and for yourself. This groundbreaking book will help you: Understand the lasting mental, physical, sexual, and relational impacts of sexual trauma Move beyond feelings of shame Reclaim pleasure and reignite passion in your life Surviving is merely the first step in the process of recovery from sexual trauma. With this sex-positive and empowering guide, you are invited to take your recovery to the next level. You’ll feel emboldened by the desire for better sex, healthier relationships, and a more connected, pleasurable life.




Recovering from Child Abuse


Book Description

The damage you suffered may have been done in one terrible moment or over time. But the healing and the restoration will unfold at your pace, at a human pace. It unfolds as part of your story, and it unfolds over time. As a vulnerable child, instead of being protected, helped, and comforted, you were physically, emotionally, and/or ...




Want


Book Description

“Peters takes readers on her own personal journey from trauma to reconnecting with her body, emotions, and eventually her own desire and sexuality.” —Xanet Pailet, bestselling author of Living an Orgasmic Life We know, increasingly, how common and devastating sexual violence is for women, but we don’t always talk about how survivors can recover from the trauma and return to desire, sexuality, trust, and pleasure. Want is the story of how Julie Peters did just that—and how you can, too. In the years after the assault, Julie was in what she calls the fog of trauma: the colorless, tasteless experience of barely getting through the day. No one—not counsellors, support groups, or other survivors—could give her any advice about how to find the desire that could bring her back to joy, intimacy, and connection. She had to make it up on her own. In Want, Julie tells the story of getting from the devastation of trauma to living a full life in eight sometimes challenging, often bumbling, and occasionally delightful steps. Your loved ones may not know how to support you, but they can learn more about your experiences and how to walk alongside you through this book, just as you can learn how to recover from the trauma you’ve experienced. Want offers a window into one person’s experience of recovery—plus the happy ending we all need to know is possible after trauma. “With unwavering honesty, penetrating insight, warmth, humor, and aplomb, she lays out strategies for a tangible, nourishing, and vitally ferocious self-love.” —Jeremy Radin, poet, author of Dear Sal




Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse


Book Description

Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse is a detailed discussion of the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings involved in conducting group psychotherapy with women who have experienced childhood sexual abuse. Offering the practical “how to’s” of conducting a thirteen-session group, this unique book emphasizes the discovery of solutions, strengths, and internal/external resources and highlights the temporal nature of “being a victim” and “being a survivor” at theoretical and clinical levels. The book’s integration of theory and clinical intervention provides a thorough basis for addressing some of the key themes in the resolving of sexual abuse. In Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse, you’ll uncover topics related to healing such as: the theoretical rationales for group treatment, which include the Ericksonian approach, the feminist perspective, narrative therapy, and the solution-oriented approach resiliency- and resource-based approaches the importance of language in recovery from sexual abuse how to deal with issues such as relationships, telling one’s story of abuse, building safety/boundaries, spirituality, cultivating a future, dealing with flashbacksA practical guide for students in counseling practicums, Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse provides you with a systematic method with which to conceptualize and conduct group work. Experienced counseling practitioners in psychology, social work, psychiatry, and nursing will also benefit as you gain a session-by-session account of how to conduct group work. In today’s institutional setting, private practice, and professional climate in general, there is growing interest in how to do more with less, how to maximize financial and professional resources, and how to take care of our therapist selves. This book will help you achieve these goals through leading clients to personal empowerment, self-compassion, and resourcefulness.




The Sexual Healing Journey


Book Description

Considered a classic in its field, this comprehensive guide will help survivors of sexual abuse improve their relationships and discover the joys of sexual intimacy. Wendy Maltz takes survivors step-by-step through the recovery process using groundbreaking exercises and techniques. Based on the author's clinical work, interviews, and workshops, this guide is filled with first-person accounts of women and men at every stage of sexual healing. This compassionate resource helps survivors to: Identify the sexual effects of sexual abuse Eliminate negative sexual behavior and resolve specific problems Gain control over upsetting automatic reactions to touch and sex Develop a healthy sexual self-concept




Healing Sexual Trauma Workbook


Book Description

Overcome shame and stigma; and bring a newly felt sense of safety, awareness, and life to your body. If you’ve experienced rape, sexual abuse, molestation, or sexual trauma, you may feel as if you’ve lost your sense of self. You may have difficulty setting boundaries or building satisfying sexual relationships. Sometimes, you may even feel like your body isn’t your own. You aren’t alone. The scars of sexual trauma exist not only in the mind, but also in the body. And in order to heal, build resilience, and discover a sense of hope, you must address both. Drawing on the powerful mind-body techniques of somatic therapy, The Healing Sexual Trauma Workbook is a step-by-step guide to overcoming the psychological effects of sexual trauma, and increasing positive body awareness and vitality. You’ll find tools to help you create an internal sense of safety and become more embodied and present. You’ll also discover ways to establish boundaries; move beyond intense feelings like shame, fear, and guilt; and deal effectively with triggers. Finally, you’ll learn how to cultivate self-compassion and the confidence needed to live your best life. What happened to you isn’t your fault, and it doesn’t define you. With the right tools, you can live a full and satisfying life beyond sexual trauma. This workbook will help guide you, every step of the way.