The Courage to Heal

The Courage to Heal
Cover of the first edition
AuthorsEllen Bass
Laura Davis
LanguageEnglish
SubjectSexual abuse
Published1988 (Collins Living)
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback)
Pages640
ISBN0-06-128433-5
OCLC213480084
616.85/8369 22
LC ClassHQ72.U53 B37 2008

The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (first published in 1988, with three subsequent editions, the last being a 20th anniversary edition in 2008) is a self-help book by poet Ellen Bass and Laura Davis that focuses on recovery from child sexual abuse and has been called "controversial and polarizing".[1]

The intent of the book is to provide a healing experience by means of explanations, practical suggestions, descriptions and first hand accounts from women who have experienced sexual abuse.[2] The authors say that individuals (mainly women) with a general set of symptoms may have been abused, but the memories of which have been repressed. They propose a variety of techniques to overcome their symptoms, including confronting their alleged abusers, adopting an identity as a "survivor", overcoming the associated trauma and in cases where there is no memory of any abuse, recovering the memories. The book was a bestseller in North America and Europe. The 20th Anniversary Edition came out in 2008 and included an updated resource guide, additional stories and research.

The book has been criticized for being used primarily by incompetent therapists,[3] for creating in children false memories of abuse,[4] as well as for its authors' lack of qualifications,[4][5] for creating an industry which has isolated and separated family members despite having no positive proof the abuse occurred,[6] and for destructively replacing individual identities with that of a "survivor".[7] Bass and Davis have also been criticized for leaping to unwarranted, implausible conclusions with significant consequences and for scientific errors found in the first edition that were not corrected in subsequent reprintings.[4] Bass and Davis responded to the controversy surrounding the book by writing "Honoring the Truth: A Response to the Backlash", a new chapter included in the 1994 edition to respond to and rebut criticisms of the book, though this was removed from the 20th anniversary edition.[8] Since its second edition, the book has contained a case study of an individual who was allegedly a victim of satanic ritual abuse, now considered a moral panic.[8]

  1. ^ Norcross, John C.; Campbell, Linda F.; Grohol, John M.; John W. Santrock; Florin Selagea; Robert Sommer (2013-03-01). Self-Help That Works: Resources to Improve Emotional Health and Strengthen Relationships. Oxford University Press. pp. 16–. ISBN 9780199333646. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  2. ^ Alpert, J. L. (1991). "Review of the courage to heal: A guide for women survivors of child sexual abuse and the courage to heal workbook: For women and men survivors of child sexual abuse". Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training. 28: 188. doi:10.1037/h0092236.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference McHugh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Aronson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gibbs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference victoria was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Crews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference FMSF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).