Beyond Survival

Beyond Survival: Reclaiming Self, the third and final segment of the trilogy series exemplifies the true meaning of individuals and community working together. You will experience through another’s eyes the pain and healing power in the form of imagery, poetry, short stories, and lyrics, all of which can be instrumental in the healing journey of incest and sexual assault. 'Beyond Survival the last of Cathy Brochu’s trilogy about struggle and rebirth, shows us that, for Ms. Brochu, life is about more than surviving. For her, it is about growing to become an advocate and activist for those suffering in a nightmarish world that society chooses to deny. This compilation of stories, poems and narratives-some in illustration rather than words-gives a voice to many who have endured violence and degradation by the very people who should have protected and loved them. Encouraging patients to tell their stories is an important tool in medical diagnosis and an important therapeutic tool in healing wounds of the psyche. Listening, truly listening to the storyteller is a skill that develops in the best health professionals. The author gives us the opportunity to hear something very profound about how people can heal. But, if we listen carefully, through these writings, we might learn to recognize those in need of advocacy and begin to break this societal cycle of distress. I feel that Ms. Brochu’s trilogy Lost Innocence, New Beginnings and now Beyond Survival, should be required reading for health care professionals. We cannot really begin to help until we are able to hear the voices of those struggling to break free. The author, once again, has made an important contribution by letting these stories speak for themselves. We just need to listen!' Wendy S. A. Edwards, MDChief, Section of Palliative Medicine Department of Medicine andFaculty John Conley Department of EthicsSt. Vincent’s Hospital Manhattan 'Like Homer’s ill-fated.absurd hero, Sisyphus, the author of Lost Innocence and New Beginnings mastered her fate by embracing it with courage and lucidity. Now in Beyond Survival, the final offering in her life-affirming trilogy, the author provides other victims laboring in the underworld of sexual experience an opportunity to give voice to their mastery of fate and fury in poems, stories and other public expressions of private pain and healing. Superbly conceived and executed, ’Beyond Survival: Reclaiming Self’ is a rich, rewarding read for anyone attuned critically to the irrepressible drama of human triumph over excruciating intrapsychic experience.'Carl P. Ellerman, Ph. D. PsychotherapistSyracuse, New York 'The combined voices of countless survivors of childhood abuse join together to offer hope and healing in Beyond Survival: Reclaiming Self. Through prose, poems, and drawings, the reader is provided with abundant examples of survival and recovery from childhood trauma. By sharing their experiences, the contributors grant the reader a look inside their anguish, but more importantly, into their recovery and victory over childhood abuse. Beyond Survival offers hope to those recovering from childhood abuse, affirming that they are not alone, and triumph over trauma is possible.'Jennifer Cornish Genovese, ACSW, LCSWPsychotherapist specializing in the treatment of traumatized childrenSyracuse, New York 'Cathy Brochu’s book, Beyond Survival: Reclaiming Self, the third in a trilogy, gives voice to many adults who have survived sexual assault and incest. The book offers a unique opportunity for the reader to examine the artistry displayed in poems, stories, photos and lyrics of survivors’ works. This candid documentation of the healing journey one takes from ’victim’ to ’survivor’ and eventually to ’advocate for social change’ inspires and encourages each of us to join collectively in doing our part to end violence. Cathy’s work exemplifies the power of hope, compassion