Reclaiming our Lives: Hope for Adult survivors of Incest [Paperback]

Carol Poston (Author), Karen Lison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1990

It is estimated that at least one in four or five women and one out of ten men was sexually abused as a child by a family member. Most of those people continue to suffer in adulthood because of undeserved guilt, anxiety, and shame. Reclaiming Our Lives, written by a survivor of abuse and a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of adult survivors of abuse, uses interviews with survivors and a healing approach to track the adult problems and what to do about them. Issues of trust, power, control, sexuality, and intimacy are examined in detail. The book concludes with an alphabet of survival tactics and a fourteen-step guide for growth for the survivor.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sharing one's experience with others is essential to overcoming the legacy of fear, guilt and loss of self-esteem bequeathed to the typical incest victim, according to journalist Poston, once a victim herself, and psychotherapist Lison, who leads incest support groups. Each chapter of this constructive guide begins with an account of some aspect of Poston's abusive experience, followed by a sensitive account of how Lison's patients cope with theirs (denial, as the authors demonstrate, is a common but futile tactic). Discussing symptoms that indicate a need for therapy, Poston and Lison outline 14 healing phases and offer practical hints to foster recovery. Above all, they warn against escape into alcohol, drugs or overwork, and emphasize that healing depends on rebuilding trust in oneself and others. First serial to New Woman; Psychotherapy Book Club selection.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Writing to help adult women whose childhood was marred by incest, each co-author approaches this once-taboo topic from a different perspective. Poston writes poignantly of her shatteringly abusive childhood, while therapist Lison adds painful case studies and analyzes the shared characteristics of each victim's experiences. Whether the abuse was perpetrated over many years or in a single incident, the victims' lives were indelibly marked. Now adults, they find childhood coping mechanisms inappropriate, and Lison responds to their need for a new way to cope by outlining specific steps for recovery. The book, although focusing exclusively on female victims, illuminates this societal problem for everyone and offers ways victims can achieve wholesomeness and a positive self-image.
- Carol R. Glatt, Northeastern Hosp . of Philadelphia
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 279 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Books (September 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553347780
• ISBN-13: 978-0553347784
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,001,468 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Regarding Incest:, March 22, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Reclaiming Our Lives: Hope for Adult Survivors of Incest (Paperback)

I have read memoirs for many years, finding the truth much better than the fantasy. The fiirst book I had come across was "NIGHTMARES ECHO"...also about child abuse/molestation/incest and the effects and after effects of this form of abuse...since that book I have delved in to reading other books on the same subject matter. I have to say "RECLAIMING OUR LIVES" rates right up there with the likes of "Nightmares Echo", "Running With Scissors" and "Because I remember Terror Father: I remember you".
Reclaiming our lives is one of the best-showing what it is like to be a victim and what it takes to heal and become a survivor. I recommend this book be read by everyone to get the full affect of what is happening around us.