The Sexual Healing Journey: A Guide for Survivors of Sexual Abuse (Revised Edition) [Paperback]

Wendy Maltz (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 20, 2001

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

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Maltz, author of Incest and Sexuality (Lexington: Macmillan, 1986) offers this how-to, personal therapy book written in the form of an informative if somewhat repetitive case study. She gives concrete details on what constitutes abuse and shatters the myths surrounding double standards (e.g., actor Don Johnson being seduced by a female babysitter when he was 12 constitutes abuse, yet this "older woman on younger boy" style of abuse is sometimes written off). In addition to identifying the many types of abuse, Maltz demonstrates how abuse may get buried in a victim's unconscious mind and subsequently cause sexual dysfunction. She carefully deconstructs the common negative sexuality that often acts as a defense mechanism, and attempts to replace it with a healthy, positive approach to sex. Although her book is not a substitute for therapy, it can help victims of sexual abuse along the road to healing. Recommended for most libraries.
- Michael Tierno, "Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality"
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"...Survivors of sexual abuse, their partners, and their therapists will bebfit enormously from this reassuring guide." -- Lonnie Barbach, PhD, author of For Yourself

"...Wendy Maltz stands out for her remarkable combination of wisdom, creativity, and heart. What a rare, useful, and encouraging contribution!" -- Harriet Lerner, PhD, author of The Dance of Anger

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Revised edition (February 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060959649
• ISBN-13: 978-0060959647
• Product Dimensions: 0.9 x 5.4 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #382,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

114 of 115 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It has definitely taught my husband and i how to be closer July 10, 1998

By Heaven ([e-mail])

Format:Paperback

I picked up this book and from the first random page i opened and flipped to, i almost immediately felt a connection with this book. It goes through every imaginable situation, types of abuse, and how each one (even if not first-hand abuse, but seeing it or hearing it ..... she takes into account ALL the different abuses) affects us all in different ways. How to tell that there's a sexual problem, how to define it, how to accept it, how to talk about it to partners/friends/family if at all possible, how to identify the sexual IMPACT and how it's affected us. Then it works into reclaiming that self-worth, gaining control over automatic responses, healing wth an intimate partner, and techniques for relearning touch and to BE touched. It talks about the impact that abuse has on our views of the word Sex and what it means to Survivors. It helps you change your image of the word, and to re-learn (or learn for the first time) what it really means. You learn how to accept the past, and that you were once robbed of the real meaning of touch and love. I almost want to underline each line in the book because it defines us (my husband and I, and what we're facing) sooooo well. And it goes step by step on how to accept it all the way to learning how to touch. It's very gently written, but with a strong emphasis on learning what abuse has done to your view of sex, and what impact is has on your intimate life. It has really helped my husband understand what is going on with me, and it has brought us closer together.

135 of 140 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable ingredient in my recovery March 22, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

What I particularly appreciate about this book is its inclusive approach to the subject. While many books speak to heterosexual women who were victims of incest over a long period, this book speaks directly to people of all genders, sexual orientations, and the entire spectrum of sexual abuse experiences.

63 of 64 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST sexual healing book I've read August 8, 2001

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I've been on a healing journey from childhood sexual abuse for many years. I've read all the "standard" books and worked with a number of therapists. NONE of the books and NONE of the therapists has helped me heal in the area of sexual intimacy to the extent that this book has helped me. It's the first book I've read that REALLY addresses this problem, and it offers step by step suggestions to finding a healing path. I also found it very comforting to read words of encouragement from others AND THEIR PARTNERS with similar histories and problems who have made amazing progress. Until I read their stories, I never REALLY understood that my feelings and dysfunction were "normal", under the circumstances. My partner and I are so grateful Wendy Maltz for having written this book.