Scared Selfless: My Journey from Abuse and Madness to Surviving and Thriving

Now in paperback a powerful and inspirational memoir of a shocking and improbable journey from torture to recovery.Michelle Stevens has a photo of the exact moment her childhood was stolen from her: She's only eight years old posing for her mother's boyfriend Gary Lundquist--an elementary school teacher neighborhood stalwart and brutal pedophile. Later that night Gary locks Michelle in a cage tortures her repeatedly and uses her to quench his voracious and deviant sexual whims. Little does she know that this will become her new reality for the next six years. Stevens can also pinpoint the moment she reconstituted the splintered pieces of her life: She's in cap and gown receiving her Ph.D. in psychology--and the university's award for best dissertation.The distance between these two points is the improbable journey from torture loss and mental illness to healing recovery and triumph that is Stevens's powerful memoir Scared Selfless. In this harrowing tale Stevens who was inspired to help others heal by becoming a psychotherapist sheds light on the all-too-real threat of child sexual abuse its subsequent psychological effects and the best methods for victims to overcome their ordeals and ultimately thrive. Scared Selfless is both an examination of the extraordinary feats of the mind that are possible in the face of horrific trauma and Stevens's courageous testament to their power.

Paperback: 304 pages

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons; Reprint edition (March 27 2018)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0735215359

ISBN-13: 978-0735215351

Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.6 x 8.2 inches

Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces