The Deepest Wound : How a Journey to El Salvador Led to Healing from Mother-Daughter Incest [Paperback]

Linda Crockett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 2001

"Accompaniment means to walk with those who suffer. I learned how to accompany refugees in war zones in El Salvador, offering protection against military attack with my physical presence. I learned how to be accompanied when my work in Central America became the catalyst for my own healing from years of emotional, sexual and physical abuse, primarily at the hands of my mother." Linda Crockett Combining the personal narrative of a survivor of incest with stories from El Salvadors bloody civil war in the 1980s, The Deepest Wound demonstrates that victims of sadistic childhood abuse share common ground with survivors of political torture. It explores the social conditions that foster private and public war zones, and the cultural dynamics that impede healing from individual and collective trauma. Offering the concept of "accompaniment" as a new paradigm for healing, Crockett challenges readers to consider complex issues such as touch within the therapeutic alliance, the delicate and dangerous dance of relationship between survivors and supporters, and the difficulty inherent in accepting even basic medical treatment. Teaching those who accompany her lessons absorbed from Salvadoran peasants about healing from trauma, Crockett offers new hope for survivors and for those who walk with them.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Linda Crockett is a poet, social justice activist and community educator dedicated to the healing of the wounds of abuse. A founding member of a church social action group in Pennsylvania, she frequently traveled to El Salvador during the 1980s to lead church delegations and accompany refugees struggling to survive in war zones. She lives, works, and writes in Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Paperback: 380 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (October 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595199224
• ISBN-13: 978-0595199228
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #344,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wisdom of a Survivor of Childhood Abuse, February 4, 2002

By 

Arlene Barnhart (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Deepest Wound : How a Journey to El Salvador Led to Healing from Mother-Daughter Incest (Paperback)

This incredible journey of what happens when "Mother" is the abuser and father disconnects setting a tiny soul adrift is the most powerful I've ever read. This book is a must read for: Anyone who doubts the depth of destruction that can be caused by those entrusted with the gift of a child; survivors who need to recognize emerging symptoms and understand that they can confront their pain and follow Linda's new paradigm to healing; friends and family who contemplate approaching or accompanying a survivor on their journey to healing; therapists and doctors that seek to enter the dangerouis minefield surrounding survivors; and, watchers, for whom this book may instill the courage to intercede on behalf of a child.
It takes courage to read this book. Those that do will never take a shallow view of childhood abuse again.
At the close of this book, readers will recognize the author as a remarkably courageous woman who shattered myths and created new pathways as she fought her way from Hell to healing.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profoundly candid, deeply moving, October 5, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Deepest Wound : How a Journey to El Salvador Led to Healing from Mother-Daughter Incest (Paperback)

The Deepest Wound: How A Journey To El Salvador Led To Healing From Mother-Daughter Incest by Linda Crockett, is a powerful and personal testimony of her own life journey that draws parallels between healing from sadistic parental abuse and recovering from political torture. An insightful journey to how the scars of terrible, repeated trauma can be accepted, and adapted, without sacrificing one's ability to pursue hopes and dreams. The Deepest Wound is profoundly candid, deeply moving and highly recommended reading.

5.0 out of 5 stars The destructiveness of a mother is far reaching, February 17, 2010

By 

Angellica "purplicious01" (South Florida) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Deepest Wound : How a Journey to El Salvador Led to Healing from Mother-Daughter Incest (Paperback)

Linda's story of survival teaches many lessons that can prove helpful for any victim of mother-daughter incest. One lesson is that men can be gentle healers as well as abusers. Another lesson is that mothers are not always gentle, nurturing or loving. Something of utmost significance is that when a mother is a sadistic sexual abuser, a daughtert that has been victimized in this manner will have severe difficulties having meaningful relationships with other women. I, like Linda also ask...Why do religious teachings command to only honor the parents? What about the children? Don't children's emotional, physical and sexual well-being and safety matter?