Abuse Recovery Possible with Deep Self-Understanding, New Book Claims

In his book, "Am I Bad? Recovering from Abuse," Father Heyward Ewart, Ph.D., offers abuse victims a path to freedom, healing and a healthy sense of self.

Jacksonville, FL (PRWEB) May 12, 2008 -- Abuse victims will never be able to free themselves from the effects of their past abuse, until they understand exactly how that abuse affected their self image and world view, says Father Heyward Ewart, Ph.D., in his new book "Am I Bad? Recovering from Abuse" (ISBN 9781932690354, Loving Healing Press, 2007).

"Am I Bad?" focuses on recovery from five different types of abuse: physical, sexual, verbal, emotional and neglect. The book was written to function as both a therapy resource for professionals and as a self-help book for abuse victims, to be used in conjunction with therapy.

"Am I Bad?" is based on Ewart's theory that everyone grows into adulthood with a distorted sense of self, based on second-hand opinions and experimentation. Ewart argues that adult survivors have a grossly distorted self-image because of the life-long impact of abuse. This lifelong impact includes blaming oneself for the abuse suffered and continually, unconsciously attracting more abusers throughout one's life.

"I think all people should ask themselves how they got their ideas about who they are," Ewart says. "For example, when we look in the mirror and do not like what we see, we should question whose opinion that really is. Where did we derive the ideas we have about ourselves?"

In "Am I Bad?" readers will learn how asking these introspective questions opens the door to understanding the effects of abuse and freeing oneself from them. Preliminary reviews of "Am I Bad?" from both therapists and abuse victims have been overwhelmingly positive: "'Am I Bad?' is a tour de force of the tortured landscape of child abuse and its pernicious long-term outcomes. This book is an important contribution towards the edification of victims and institutions alike" says Dr. Sam Vaknin, author of "Malignant Self-Love: Narcissism Revisited."

About the Author
Father Heyward B. Ewart, III, Ph.D. resides in Jacksonville, Fla. He has devoted more than 24 years of his professional life to the protection and treatment of women, children and the family. During the Carter administration, he served on the White House Conference on Families, and such leadership continues to this day. He is an active chaplain, veteran clinician in the mental health field and a distinguished university professor.

"Am I Bad? Recovering from Abuse" (ISBN 9781932690354, Loving Healing Press, 2007) can be purchased through local and online bookstores. For more information, visit www.child-to-adult-victim.com. Publicity contact: www.ReaderViews.com. Review copies available upon request.

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