Encouragements for the Emotionally Abused Woman: Wisdom and Hope for Women at Any Stage of Emotional Abuse Recovery

No woman wants to need to read this book. However, those of us who have lived the abuse know the pain. We carry our abuse with us like an unlit torch thinking it will light the path before us. Only to find out it is the abuse that keeps us in the dark. This book is the true light; it is the words we need to hear echo in our heads; it is the hope that our lives in the end will mean something to ourselves and others. Both Encouragements and "The Emotionally Abused Woman" are a must read. It can make life lighter.

Do you have one of those friends who is always able to tell you exactly what you need to hear when you go to her for help? This book is for those of us who don't. Full of common sense, encouragement, and beautiful truth, each one-page entry is a perfect bite-sized dose of the advice our mothers never gave us. Each page starts with a relevant quote from diverse sources such as Dickensen, Shakespeare, Sartre, and Oprah. Then a few paragraphs of reassurace and information on all aspects emotional abuse recovery from recognizing abuse, leaving (or staying), to recovering and making sure you break the cycle of abuse. The gentle "encouragements" style of this book is extremely helpful for those of us facing trauma so great that we are almost too frightened to face it. This book won't make you weed through seemingly endless, depressing, distressing chapters on disorders and case studies that don't seem to have anything to do with you. This book should be in the library of every woman recovering from any kind of abuse. I even think it should be given out by therapists and domestic violence shelters!

This book is fantastic for both the counselor and for the emotionally abused woman. It uses powerful quotes and encouragements that truly speak to the reader. Engel also includes a little push at the end of each page to encourage the reader to take care of herself. I highly, highly recommend it!

and loving. I come back to this one again and again as the years go by. It is organized to follow (or lead) the path along the journey of recovery and it's remarkably helpful. Yes, it is also comforting.

I went looking for a simple book to read as an introduction into the process of healing from emotional abuse. I found this book and it changed my life. Filled with quotes, brief yet poignant advice and bold-faced affirmations, this book made so many things clear and helped me to sort out a lot of my confusion. I learned as much from this book as I gained comfort from it.I have one recommendation to anyone who reads it: while you are making your way through the book make a note of the affirmations that really touch you. When you're done, go back and copy those affirmations on index cards and place them where you can read them each day. I copied at least twenty. My favorite one is "You deserve calmness and tranquility in your life. You've already been through enough storms."