The Sexual Healing Journey: A Guide for Survivors of Sexual Abuse

I bought this book, which is titled The Sexual Healing Journey, when I started healing from being abused in my childhood. When I first read this thorough book I felt able to relate to many of the topics. The topics included discussion on different types of sexual abuse, problems actual survivors developed as a result of abuse, positive assertion of the topic sexuality.While reading the book, The Sexual Healing Journey, the author occasionally talked about her experiences of being sexually abused. I respected her ability to recover and turn her trauma into a positive experience, by helping other survivors of abuse in her councelling practice.The author, Wendy Maltz, talked about these topics gently, I felt safe reading The sexual Healing Journey because of the books gentle tone. When I read a book, The Courage To Heal, I noticed the tone was rough. This rough tone was one reason I returned the book the next day.I have referred to the book The Sexual Healing Journey many times after the first time I read this book.I really found the book helpful in my recovery

What I particularly appreciate about this book is its inclusive approach to the subject. While many books speak to heterosexual women who were victims of incest over a long period, this book speaks directly to people of all genders, sexual orientations, and the entire spectrum of sexual abuse experiences.

This is the first place I recognized my bizarre behavior as not being unique. In reading the first few chapters, I was massively relieved to find that other people had experienced the same strange feelings and behavior I had all of my life. Although difficult to read and I found resistance to doing to the exercises, this book is helpful and honest, I highly recommend it for anyone who has had frustration with overcoming sexual fright.

I picked up this book and from the first random page i opened and flipped to, i almost immediately felt a connection with this book. It goes through every imaginable situation, types of abuse, and how each one (even if not first-hand abuse, but seeing it or hearing it ..... she takes into account ALL the different abuses) affects us all in different ways. How to tell that there's a sexual problem, how to define it, how to accept it, how to talk about it to partners/friends/family if at all possible, how to identify the sexual IMPACT and how it's affected us. Then it works into reclaiming that self-worth, gaining control over automatic responses, healing wth an intimate partner, and techniques for relearning touch and to BE touched. It talks about the impact that abuse has on our views of the word Sex and what it means to Survivors. It helps you change your image of the word, and to re-learn (or learn for the first time) what it really means. You learn how to accept the past, and that you were once robbed of the real meaning of touch and love. I almost want to underline each line in the book because it defines us (my husband and I, and what we're facing) sooooo well. And it goes step by step on how to accept it all the way to learning how to touch. It's very gently written, but with a strong emphasis on learning what abuse has done to your view of sex, and what impact is has on your intimate life. It has really helped my husband understand what is going on with me, and it has brought us closer together.