Rebuilding the Garden: Healing the Spiritual Wounds of Childhood Sexual Assault

by Karla McLaren

Book Overview

This book is out of print following author Karla McLaren's transition away from metaphysical and paranormal beliefs. Her work is now focused on emotions and empathy. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0965658309
• ISBN13: 9780965658300
• Release Date: April 1997
• Publisher: Laughing Tree Press
• Length: 6 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Extra - Ordinary and Unique Approach to Healing

As a Bay Area psychological counselor who speaks Spanish, I found this book offered unique approaches for clients who have suffered the wounds of childhood trauma. Although it is titled for sexual assault, it offers healing and safety for most anyone who requires it. Some of the approaches are almost working from a point of practiced dissociation. Ie. Building the space of a living room behind your eyes - and then seeing from the safety of that newly created living space. Having worked with many clients who commit self harm, are suicidal, delusional, or actively cutting - this book has had even a handful pages that were appropriate for my client's struggles. Ie- meditations and guided tours through a felt world, the creation of a sanctuary, rebuilding the sacredness and sanctity of a particular aspect of the self and on and on. The book is a bundle of goodness, weather you practice what it offers or not. For the survivors (sometimes victims) of childhood sexual assault that I have worked with - they have often been too young to benefit from this work. My reading this book though, helps me understand and believe that the spiritual wounds within the garden can be re-built.

Well worth the read

If you're trying to heal from an deep wound of the spirit, this is a wonderful book. It is not a literal read, you have to take the concepts and ideas and make them yours, but in doing so you'll achieve the same goal as the author. I particularly appreciated the authors's treatment of anger. I applaud Karla Mclaren for sharing her experience. THere's a lot of life truth in these pages.

FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR THIS VALUABLE BOOK--TEN STARS!!!

Rebuilding the Garden dealt concretely with my issues of alienation and isolation from spirit, and my feelings of abandonment by God while the assaults took place.I look back on the many years of psychotherapy I've had and now realize why it felt incomplete. Without addressing the spiritual component of the molest, I hadn't looked at the WHOLE experience.The exercises were easy to follow and the process got easier with each try. Rather than run from the memories that came up, I was able to use McLaren's example of working with the underlying emotions to heal my energetic and spiritual boundaries. I felt energized and more powerful afterward...less like a mere "survivor" and more of a determined, focused guardian of my own spirit. McLaren's use of humor and wit throughout the book made the work much easier. It was like I had a close friend and companion there with me, someone who eased my discomfort. Her compassion and understanding is evident throughout the book. She took obvious care not to use graphic or triggering information, unlike many of the other books I've read. Maybe other authors don't understand how traumatizing those sorts of things can be. Without all the stories about other people's pain I was more able to look at and heal my own. I am forever grateful for McLaren's encouraging example. I now feel able to heal my molest experience on the spiritual level and move forward with my life. I strongly recommend the book for anyone who has felt like their healing was incomplete.