Download Author: Holman, Beverly

15 eBooks available.

Anxieties about Relationships

Anxieties about future and current relationships can be reduced when survivors learn better how to distinguish abusers from nonabusers. (21 pp.)

How Incest Affects Sexuality

This chapter focuses on three major areas in which sexual repercussions following incest are evident. These areas are (1) sexual emergence in early adulthood, (2) sexual orientation and preference, and (3) sexual arousal, response, and satisfaction.(27 pp.)

How Survivors Can Help Themselves

Sexual problems that resulted from incest do not go away by themselves. Treating them successfully requires an effective, well-focused effort that addresses the ingrained results of the abuse. This chapter gives guidelines for survivors to begin repairing their attitudes and behaviors regarding sex. (22 pp.)

Survivors and Partners Working Together

Relationships can be weakened by the problems incest brings. When couples work as a team to meet this relationship crisis, they are able to feel closer and more secure with each other. This chapter will focus on what the partner experiences, what each partner needs from the other, and how the couple can work together.(35 pp.)

Getting Professional Help

The intent of this chapter is to empower survivors and partners of survivors by offering practical information on different aspects of therapy for incest and sexuality concerns. Counselors and therapists treating incest survivors may also find this chapter helpful for further developing their approaches and skills. The topics covered are (1) understanding therapy, (2) finding a therapist, (3) beginning therapy, (4) incest resolution therapy, and (5) sex therapy. (55 pp.)

The Survivor’s Choice

When a survivor makes the choice to face the incest directly, her burden of pain and hurt can be lifted. The incest will always be part of her past, but she can choose to remove its hold on her life. A survivor can claim her identity as a healthy, sexual person. (15 pp.)

Appendices: Incest and Sexuality

  • Sexuality Concerns of Male Incest Survivors
  • Review of Research
  • Worksheet on a Sequence of Dating and Sexual Behaviors
    (36 pp.)

Effects of Incest on Self-Concept

The immediate effects of the trauma of incest are often fear and immobilization. The impact is even more significant because the incest often lasts a long time and may not be addressed for years. It can lead to chronic depression, guilt, a sense of powerlessness, and poor self-esteem. These feelings may be manifested in many self-destructive activities, such as alcohol and drug abuse, suicide attempts, and sexual relationships in which the survivor continues to be victimized.(21 pp.)

Messages about Sexuality and Sex Roles

Incest profoundly influences what survivors learn about sex and what they come to believe is expected sex role behavior. While no one can erase the past, it is possible with knowledge to break away from the crippling beliefs of the past and to learn to appreciate healthy sexuality.(22 pp.)

Incest and Sexuality

This book has been written for survivors of incest who want to explore both how the sexual abuse may have affected their sexuality and what they can do about it. Intimate partners of survivors and therapists who have clients who are survivors may also find this book useful in developing a supportive and understanding approach to sexual concerns. Special sections have been written with partners and therapists in mind. (235 pp.)

Wendy Maltz LCSW, DST, is an internationally recognized sex therapist, author, and speaker, with more than thirty-five years of experience treating sex and intimacy concerns. Her popular educational website, www.HealthySex.com, provides free articles, podcast interviews, posters, couples sexual healing videos, and more to help people recover from sexual abuse, overcome sexual problems, and develop skills for love-based sexual intimacy.

Reviews

“Incest and Sexuality helps us honor skills we developed to endure abuse so that we can transcend the fear of experiencing our sexual selves. It is gentle in guiding us through the vulnerable terrain of feeling the warmth and intensity of sexual energy, free from abuse. This book validates our experiences, addresses our concerns, and respects our process of recovery. It is a valuable tool which enhances our strengths as we struggle to heal ourselves and improve our relationships.”

-Valeri Heller, National President
VOICES in Action

“This book is a splendid resource for both lay persons and professionals, it provides practical self-help information for adult survivors of child sexual abuse and valuable insights for their clinicians. It is an excellent addition to the sparse literature in this field.”

-Suzanne Sgroi MD
author Vulnerable Populations

“This book provides survivors of child sexual abuse with concrete help regarding their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors about their own sexuality. Survivors are encouraged to view their abuse and their reactions as adaptive, rather than maladaptive.
The book is clear, well-organized, and well-written. It fills the gap for in-depth information about the impact of childhood sexual trauma on the adult survivor’s sexuality. It will serve as a valuable resource to both clinician and survivor.”

-Dr. Eliana Gil
author, Outgrowing the Pain