Breaking the Cycle of Abuse

If you were emotionally, physically, or sexually abused as a child or adolescent, or if you experienced neglect or abandonment, it isn't a question of whether you will continue the cycle of abuse or neglect but rather a question of how-whether you will become an abuser or continue to be a victim. Until now, you may not have had the resources you needed to sort through the debris of your childhood before embarking on a new life as a husband, a wife, a partner, or a parent, and you risk passing on abuse or neglect to your partner and children. Now, in this breakthrough book, Beverly Engel, one of the world's leading experts on emotional and sexual abuse, explains how to stop the cycle of abuse once and for all. There isn't just one way to break the cycle; there are many. In this powerful book Engel offers you empowering tools focusing on support and compassion, education, abuse prevention strategies, and long-term recovery strategies. If you are just starting to see signs of abusive or neglectful behavior in yourself or in a partner, if you are a victim of abuse, or if you are continuing a pattern of abuse, Engel gives you the ability-in the privacy of your home and at your own pace-to complete an entire therapeutic program designed to help prevent you from crossing the line or from continuing to do so. Throughout the book, Engel shares many dramatic personal stories, including her own experiences with abuse and abusive behavior. She also addresses the sensitive topic of sexual abuse and how to avoid becoming an abuser if you were sexually abused yourself. Engel explains why abusive patterns are established and presents both short-term and long-term strategies for gaining control over emotions while offering alternative ways to react to stress, anger, fear, and shame-significant factors in continuing the cycle of abuse. Those who perpetuate the cycle of neglect and abuse do so because they are out of control and feel they have no other options. Breaking the Cycle of Abuse shows you those options, giving you the power to break abusive patterns for good and offering a legacy of hope and healing to you and your family.