Reddit reviews The Courage to Heal - Third Edition - Revised and Expanded: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
We found 3 Reddit comments about The Courage to Heal - Third Edition - Revised and Expanded: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
It means your therapist hates men. That was rape and it should not be minimized, especially by a professional. Great big, non-threatening internet hugs for you. I found The Courage to Heal helpful when I finally got help for my experiences. It is geared toward women, but most of the information would still apply if you switch the pronouns. I ended up with PTSD from my experiences. I encourage you to seek help. The people at RAINN can help you start.
This book The Courage to Heal is extremely comforting and great at making sense of your emotions from being molested or abused. In my experience people who have been molested tend to walk into situations where they're reabused - like the ass with the photographs. Knowing that kinda thing I think helps you to not beat yourself up about the after effects and just have empathy for yourself for having gone through shit early on.
Some doctors go nuts with the diagnosing. Especially bipolar - some doctors throw everything into that. And if you're on more than a couple pills I'd definitely get a second opinion. I've seen people get way more messed up from too many/the wrong drugs than from what they were originally facing.
Are you seeing a therapist as well as a psychiatrist? Because it sounds like you have allot to let out.
Do you know why you hurt yourself? Is it self hatred? Does it give you a way to control your feelings? Do you think they are building up to a suicide attempt?
You sound bright and like you've got some fight in you - I hope you can channel that into getting better and being the full person you've got in there.
Have you considered getting into therapy yourself to help you navigate the situation?
A few books that might be helpful for her are The Courage To Heal, The Sexual Healing Journey and The Body Keeps The Score. I wonder if reading them yourself might give you some helpful insight as well...
Also, obviously you know your wife/the situation and I don't, but it seems a bit defeatist when you say "but I know that it would take years for her to get to the point of being comfortable opening up about this".
It will surely take time to establish trust/rapport, but it might happen sooner than either of you expect. In any case, as that saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second-best time is now.
Take care.