CREATESPACE Healing from Hidden Abuse: A Journey Through the Stages of Recovery from Psychological Abuse

Just started reading my copy of this book and cannot recommend it enough for it's accuracy in detailing so many issues of this very important subject. All descriptions of the book's good points that I found printed on the cover are accurate and the resonance with personal experiences is uncannily accurate, and the complexity of this subject really is well documented and so incredibly well understood and written about by this author. This book has a very supportive and maturely compassionate listing of the affects of this kind of abuse and many different complicated ways this kind of abuse takes place that are not seen nor understood even by trained therapists unless they specifically have had this particular kind of training for psychological trauma/abuse. A very good book easy to read with important information for everyone whether or not they have experienced this form of abuse. We all could benefit from being educated about it to better understand and have compassion for the many who are affected by it and we can better advocate for those affected by recognizing the signs of it and helping stop this kind of abuse from proliferating and doing any more harm.I've now finished reading this book and listening to the audio version of it and can confirm what I saw from the beginning that it is a very accurate description of the phenomenon of psychological abuse right down to words I'd been using to describe my experiences with it so that was quite a reaffirming experience. The complexity of the subject is so well treated in this book that it left me wanting the author to continue and will be a source of reference and study for me going forward so I got the ebook version too because it will be easy to search for topics that are all throughout the writing even in addition to the headings of various sections, there's just so much information in the writing that highlighting will also be helpful. The comparison of the subject to dealing with deprogramming from a cult was something I'd thought of too and a very important aspect of the book is that it treats the subject as situational rather than looking for some particular biological or chemical reason for the disastrous affects of being the victim/target of psychological abuse and this factor of looking at the entire situation and all players in it is something that is sorely missing from modern psychological theories and practice from what I've seen. One can imagine too and probably do the research to find these kinds of patterns of psychological abuse all throughout history so it's nothing new and a very good idea to get educated to it which is recommended in the book as stage 2 of the process of healing. Apparently there are also study groups organized around this book and they can be found from a reference in the book to the author's website that is the title of the book. I hope to see many more such works by this author and others further delineating this important subject it is ground breaking and breathtaking in it's clarity and exposing this extremely important subject in my opinion.

This book is well written from the perspective of professional expertise as a licensed therapist and personal experience. In the first part Shannon Thomas answers many common but important questions. Some are:Who is a psychological abuser?What is the difference between Narcissist, Sociopath, and Psychopath?Do abusers know what they are doing?Where, when, how, and why do they harm others?Why can't they change?The aha-moments of this part finally lead to a sobering realisation. The relationship was all a lie and the abusive behaviour was intentional.The description of the six phases of recovery begins on page 65. It is the largest part of the book.1. Despair: Life of survivors has become unmanageable2. Education: Terms related to psychological abuse are explained like Gaslighting, Smear Campaign, Flying Monkeys, Narcissistic Offense, Intermittent Reinforcement, Idealize, Devalue, and Discard Phases3. Awakening: Become aware of the abuse dynamics; you are not crazy; you are not alone; toxic people are everywhere4. Boundaries: Healing can occur when boundaries are implemented and enforced. No Contact or Detached Contact are key elements5. Restoration: Regain an enjoyable life, restore financial stability, physical health, emotional well-being, replace material items6. Maintenance: Guard against future abuse, carefully select people who belong to the inner circle, shift away from old thought patterns and habitsThe final part begins on page 187 with the Personal Reflections Journal. Here the reader is encouraged to write down personal episodes, events, insights, and opinions to strengthen their comprehension.In addition to the profound educational content, this book was particularly helpful to me because it also contains the practical part. Writing things down allowed me to clarify my own experience with toxic people. Journaling is a powerful method of therapy.

Can't recommend this book enough! Even after having a good understand of psychological abuse this book has helped to clarify so much. The information in here is invaluable to anyone who has experienced this type of emotional harm. Its well written, easy to understand and uses examples that you can easily parallel to your own life. Two thumbs up! I've recommended it to all my friends.

Well written with no jargon. This insights are so helpful in recovery from psychological abuse.

Exceptional book for people who were ore are in a toxic relationship. It's not going too deep into details, allowing you to dig further into the subjects you need. It gives a complete overview and information about abusive relationships. Some self-help exercises at the end of the book as well. I recommend this book regularly and had only positive feedback on it. The author gives a lot of hope and her writing is very accessible. Brilliant!