A Man's Recovery from Traumatic Childhood Abuse: The Insiders [Paperback]

Robert Falconer (Author), Mark Falstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0789010658 | ISBN-13: 978-0789010650 | Edition: 1

Robert Blackburn Knight had everything a man could want: intelligence, physical strength, financial security, close friends, a loving girlfriend, and a beautiful home. But he also had mysterious physical pains, a bisexual father who had been beaten to death in an unsolved murder, a forever ailing mother, a brother who had been killed in a car accident on the way to his eighteenth birthday party, and a sense that all these facts were somehow connected...He also had the Insiders. These sub-personalities knew the story; they kept the secrets and held back the pain. But as he went through therapy, they emerged, told their stories, and helped him face the brutal, ongoing sexual abuse by his parents that made his childhood a nightmare of terror, shame and pain. Few male survivors of sexual abuse have spoken out to tell their stories, but now A MAN'S RECOVERY FROM TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD ABUSE breaks the silence. Because the author is a trained therapist as well as a survivor, he weaves psychological theory into his personal story. This unique dual view allows the emotional and intellectual comprehension to develop in parallel, and will make for a passionately honest and completely unique resource for therapists, abuse survivors and the people who love them.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Blackburn Knight holds an M.A. in psychology. Mark Falstein has ghost-written, coauthored and edited numerous books in the business, professional and self-help fields, including They Shoot Mangers, Don't They?, Psycho-Cybernetics 2000, and Children of Character.

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Psychology Press; 1 edition (February 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789010658
• ISBN-13: 978-0789010650
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,172,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Life affirming, November 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Man's Recovery from Traumatic Childhood Abuse: The Insiders (Hardcover)

Having just accepted my own history of abuse, I was desperate for any help in dealing with the waves of emotions I was feeling. Passages in the book proved especially helpful to me in coming to terms with the truth and beginning to build my own bridge to recovery. Specifically, "A child doesn't have the power to give informed consent." p. 237, and the warning against "compensatory grandiosity" in a therapeutic environment on p. 252. (Both references are to the paperback edition.) I would like to thank the author for his unflinching bravery in recounting his story. It offers hope for recovery and wholeness. While I will continue to seek other resources, including those mentioned by the author, this was so helpful in dealing with the shame and guilt that I have carried in silence for too long.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars healing from sexual abuse trauma, September 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Man's Recovery from Traumatic Childhood Abuse: The Insiders (Paperback)

In candid, intimate words, this author details his long and courageous fight to overcome the ravages of sadistic child abuse. He makes the reader hear, feel, and see its horrors, raw and unvarnished. Instructive to both therapists and victims, this book provides not only techniques, but also hope that healing is possible.

Accompanied by years of searching the professional literature on dissociation, the author tried many different treatment approaches. Ultimately, through hypnoanalytic procedures he uncovers "The Insiders", unconscious ego states who had repressed the memories of his childhood betrayal. They guide him as he journeys through the agony of mastering physical pain, fear, terror, anger, despair, and loneliness - severe enough that death or psychosis could have resulted.

This story of his journey to final freedom is essential reading for therapists and others who seek to understand and heal the horrors of child abuse.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, November 11, 2010

By 

mjustice91911 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Man's Recovery from Traumatic Childhood Abuse: The Insiders (Hardcover)

Not for the faint of heart. An absolutely incredible book. I cannot believe the horrors this man survived and I thought it was bad in "A Child Called It." Whats so incredible about this story in how graphic and vivid it is. Its hard to read sometimes, but its worth it. You really get a sense of how horrifying his experiences were for him and what it takes to just live with the memories of it day to day, let alone survive. Anyone who thinks a child should just say "no" should read this!