Go beyond the pain and fear of sexual abuse to heal the traumaChildhood sexual abuse (CSA) can be a physically and emotionally painful soul-shattering experience that can traumatize a person for a lifetime. The Wall of Fear: Crossing the Wall from Trauma to Recovery from Childhood Sexual Abuse is a unique exploration of the subjective experiences of both client and therapist as they together travel the path to recovery. Therapists get a clear illustration of the therapy process while CSA survivors are offered a gauge with which to judge their own progress toward recovery. New therapeutic concepts are clearly presented and extensively discussed while sensitively charting the experiences of clients on the journey toward healing.As Winston Churchill once said, If you’re going through hell, keep going. The Wall of Fear charts the arduous progress of a survivor from the initial understanding that they need help and guidance, to choosing the correct therapist, to the emotional roadblocks most clients face on their own personal recovery from the hell of CSA. The authors team up to courageously provide readers with a comprehensive and candid portrait of their experiences of CSA therapy while demonstrating the approaches which effectively enhance healing. Features include schematic drawings of the stages of therapy, the client’s own diary from her youth through her therapy in adulthood, client drawings illustrating progress in therapy, and effective art exercises that can be used at the beginning of therapy. The text includes extensive references, useful appendixes, and a helpful glossary of terms for the layperson.Topics in The Wall of Fear include:the nature of sexual trauma (the new concept of the World of Trauma) growing up traumatizedand its effect on friendships, sexual development, dating, and mate selection couples’ relationships and sexuality selecting a therapist the new concept of The Wall of Fear closure coping with the therapy process parenting by CSA survivors and the impact on the next generation the subjective experiences of both therapist and CSA survivor The Wall of Fear stands as a testament that no matter what sexual trauma a person may endure, there is hope for recovery. This is insightful, crucial reading for survivors of CSA and therapists at all levels of expertise.
Foreword (Christine A. Courtois) Preface Acknowledgments PART I: LIVING WITH THE TRAUMA Chapter 1. Why Is Childhood Sexual Abuse So Traumatic? (Sheri Oz) Defining CSA Power and Exploitation The Child’s Experience of the Abuse Event Chapter 2. Trapped in the World of Trauma (Sheri Oz and Sarah-Jane Ogiers) Control Growing Up a Survivor Into Adulthood Chapter 3. Intimate Relationships and the World of Trauma (Sheri Oz) The CSA Survivor in an Intimate Relationship Couples Relationships Changes in the Relationship During the CSA Survivor’s Therapy Sexuality Modifying the Couples Contract PART II: THE JOURNEY Chapter 4. Choosing a Therapist: A Client’s Perspective (Sarah-Jane Ogiers) The Basics Knowing a Poor Fit The Ideal Therapist Coda Chapter 5. Stages of Therapy: Breaking Through the Wall of Fear (Sheri Oz and Sarah-Jane Ogiers) The Map of the Therapeutic Process Starting the Journey The Wall of Fear Continuing the Journey Chapter 6. Closure: Coming to Peace with the Past (Sheri Oz and Sarah-Jane Ogiers) Confrontations Revenge Fantasies Forgiveness Justice Reconciliation Forgiveness Again Closure Chapter 7. How I Get Through Therapy in One Piece (Sarah-Jane Ogiers) Support Network Coping Alone Epilogue PART III: COMPANIONS ON THE JOURNEY Chapter 8. Children of Survivors: Growing up in the Shadow of Trauma (Sheri Oz) What the Research Says Should I Tell My Children I Was Abused? The Voices of the Children A Final Word to Survivor Parents Chapter 9. Being a Therapist: Notes on Working with CSA Survivors (Sheri Oz) Starting Out What the Literature Says About Being a CSA Therapist My Own Experiences as a CSA Therapist Boundary Issues in the Literature Personal experience with Boundary Dilemmas Special Challenges in Clinical Work Concluding Words A Final Thought Appendix A: Beginning Therapy (Sheri Oz) Before-and-After Drawing Two-Photo Collage Timing of the Exercises Appendix B: Interview Questions The Questionnaire Glossary References Index
