The Healing of My Soul: The Psychotherapy of an Incest Survivor (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798893303407)

Leia Hughey courageously peels through layers of vulnerabilities and fears to bare herself to her readers. A victim of rape as a child, the author suffered from its psychological effects-low self-esteem and self-hatred-throughout her life, even though all recollection of the trauma was repressed from her conscious memory. It wasn't until she was in college that the memories began to slowly and heartbreakingly work their way to the surface through dreams and flashbacks. When the truth finally surfaced, healing for her meant finding out who could have done such a hideous thing to a young child.

Weaving in powerful excerpts from her journal entries and including insightful contributions from the two therapists who were the most helpful to her, Hughey skillfully chronicles her journey from hopelessness to happiness. She shows that the psychological pain of childhood sexual abuse, though very real and entrenched within one's psyche, can be overcome and that psychotherapy can be a successful tool in that process, even for a patient as resistant as this author was at times.

In reading her story, you'll hurt for the little girl whose innocence and childhood were forever lost, but you'll rejoice in the restored, whole adult who persevered against seemingly insurmountable obstacles and found healing, inner peace, and forgiveness. Above all, this is a story of courage and personal triumph.