Laura Davis

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0060968834, Paperback) "But what about me?" "Is it possible to go one day without dealing with the survivor's issues?" "Will we ever make love again?" "Will the survivor love me in the end?" "How do I know if I should throw in the towel?" Based on in-depth interviews and her workshops for partners across the country, Laura Davis offers practical advice and encouragement to all partners -- girlfriends, boyfriends, spouses, and lovers -- trying to support the survivors in their lives while tending to their own needs along the way. She shows couples how to deepen compassion, improve communication, and develop an understanding of healing as a shared activity. Addressing partners' most important questions, Allies in Healing covers: The Basics -- answers common questions about sexual abuse. Allies in Healing -- introduces key concepts of working and growing together. My Needs and Feelings -- teaches partners to recognize, value, and express their own needs. Dealing with Crisis -- includes strategies for handling suicidal feelings, regression, and hopelessness. Intimacy and Communication -- offers practical advice on dealing with distancing, control, trust, and fighting. Sex -- provides guidelines for coping with flashbacks, lack of desire, differences in sexual needs, and frustration. Family lssues -- suggests a range of ideas for interacting with the survivor's family. Partners' Stories -- explores the struggles, triumphs, and courage of eight partners.

First published in 1988, the groundbreaking The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse has been completely revised, updated, and expanded for its 20th Anniversary edition. Considered "a classic" and "the bible of healing from child sexual abuse," this inspiring, comprehensive and compassionate guide provides a map of support of the healing journey and a lifeline for millions. Weaving together personal experience with professional knowledge, the authors provide clear explanations, practical suggestions, strategies, and support throughout the survival healing process -- as well as help, hope and reassurance for families, friends, and caregivers. Readers will feel recognized and encouraged by hundreds of moving first-person accounts drawn from interviews and the author's extensive work with survivors, both nationally and internationally. Available in translations, as well as in an enhanced audio format, its life-saving messages resonate across cultural, leaf