Can't Touch My Soul: A Guide for Lesbian Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (Paperback)

by Donna Rafanello (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
""Can't Touch My Soul" presents a multitude of survivors' voices sharing their experiences about every aspect of healing from child sexual abuse. This supportive book offers a wealth of information."--Ellen Bass, author of "The Courage to Heal"

Product Description

This groundbreaking study of lesbian survivors of childhood sexual abuse addresses the endemic feelings of horrible isolation and shame experienced by survivors through the words of 60 women who shared with Rafanello their inspiring stories of recovery. In addition, Rafanello includes up-to-date research and information on post--traumatic stress disorder and healing therapies; hard-to-find specific resources for lesbian survivors and those who help them; and detailed appendixes and resource guides. A systematic guide to recovery, from the earliest stages of remembering to overcoming the coping and defense mechanisms children adapt to survive.

Donna Rafanello has worked extensively in social services. She been a contributing editor for the American Academy of Pediatrics and a consulting editor for the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155583776X
• ISBN-13: 978-1555837761
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,331,544 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Important subject, good book, but wouldn't advise as a guide, August 9, 2004

By	Bea (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

I really appreciate that someone finally wrote a book specifically about lesbian survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The author clearly interviewed a lot of different women and made efforts to be sure that many different voices were heard. She also includes pieces of her own story and struggle which are honest and help give context to the book and whole project.
However, I think the word "guide" in the title may be slightly misleading. The book is more a presentation of research and reads a little bit like a dissertation. This had the effect for me of being a little overwhelming at times and I ended up scanning the last half of the book for useful advice. The book is written in a way that presents a paragraph or two of statistics or interpretive information/advice followed by anywhere from several paragraphs to several pages of quotes by the women she interviewed. At times, the segments are poorly organized and there is even some sloppy editing. I don't think any of this is a big deal, except that there is not enough clear or helpful information to be used as a guide. Also, so much of the information is unprocessed and uninterpreted that it left me feeling like I was holding tons of stories of horrible sexual abuse with no clue as to what to do with them. Also, the author only presents various quotes by each person she interviewed. She never presents a cohesive vignette or a narrative longer than a couple of sentences at a time. This left me trying to remember who was who and feeling like I only ever got to know pieces of people or ghosts of the whole person.
Again, this book is important because it addresses and reports on a subject yet to be written about. It should be used as a research source and a reference rather than a guide for survival for lesbian survivors of sexual abuse.