What's Different About the 20th Anniversary Edition of The Courage to Heal?


	If you are looking for information, online resources or referrals, click here. For a link to an excerpt from the new Courage to Heal Resource Guide, click here.

When we began work on The Courage to Heal in 1984, the climate for survivors of child sexual abuse was dramatically different than it is today. There was little understanding about the process of healing from child sexual abuse. There were few therapists knowledgeable about treating abuse and almost no support groups. Incest was considered to be extremely rare. When survivors did disclose their abuse, they were most frequently met with denial, minimization, or blame. Though an awareness of sexual abuse was dawning, little real help or hope was available for those who’d suffered from it. There was just a staggering need. We wrote The Courage to Heal to offer survivors practical, empowering firsthand information and to provide respectful, compassionate guidance through the healing process.

We chose to avoid academic language, psychological theories, and statistics. The Courage to Heal grew out of the women’s movement, with its focus on empowering women both personally and politically. Women had begun confronting the reality of sexual and domestic violence, and in the tradition of speak-outs for rape victims, we believed in the power of women breaking silence and telling their own stories. By reading about other woman’s experiences, survivors gained inspiration and strength. They learned they were not alone, they were not to blame, and that healing was possible.

In the decades since its publication, we’ve heard from thousands of survivors around the world describing what The Courage to Heal has meant to them:

“I’ve been in treatment since I was six. I’ve been in mental hospitals. I’ve been given shock treatments. I’ve been on meds. I’ve seen counselors up the wazoo, but [your book] is the first real help I’ve ever received.”

“At times, I’ve simply sat holding your book knowing that at last someone understands how I feel inside.”

“If you had written The Courage to Heal only for me, it would have been worth every hour, every tear, every frustration, every effort you have put forth.”

“The Courage to Heal has saved my life—literally.”

The Courage to Heal is, and has always been, in the process of evolution. Since its initial publication, we have regularly made changes—incorporating new material, adding additional information, and offering fresh perspectives. We have responded to feedback from our readers; changes in the social and political climate for survivors; and the latest research on abuse, trauma, and healing.

For this new twentieth-anniversary edition, we have revised The Courage to Heal extensively. Although the essentials of healing from child sexual abuse have remained the same, much has been discovered in the intervening time. This new knowledge has been integrated throughout The Courage to Heal to reflect both the complexities and the subtleties of the healing process as we understand it today.

Some of the major changes in this edition are:

An emphasis on self-care and pacing so that you don’t become overwhelmed or retraumatized during the healing process

An increased focus on the body’s role in healing

New research on trauma and the brain, traumatic amnesia, memory, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

The inclusion of additional healing tools, including imagery, meditation, spirituality, and body-centered practices

New stories that reflect an even greater diversity of survivors and their experiences

In-depth guidance to help you assess how you want to relate to your family now and over time

New prose writings and poetry (all of the prose pieces are from survivors of child sexual abuse; most of the poems are written by survivors, as well, though some are not)

The wisdom of survivors who have been healing for twenty years or more

The removal of “Honoring the Truth,” our 1994 response to the backlash against survivors of child sexual abuse, to make room for new stories and information about healing

A thoroughly updated Resource Guide, reflecting the abundant books, organizations, films, and online resources now available

If you are new to The Courage to Heal, we want to emphasize a truth that will hold fast despite changing times: If you were sexually abused as a child, you can not only heal but also thrive. In the years since The Courage to Heal was first published, millions of survivors have succeeded in creating lives rich with meaning, joy, and self-acceptance. The rewards of healing are available to you, too.

You can click on the image below to order your copy of the 20th anniversary edition of The Courage to Heal.