ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deborah Hall was born July, 1962 and spent her first two years in Florida. When Debbie was a year and a half, Lisa, her baby sister was born. In 1964 the family moved to California and lived there for the next ten years. It was during those years that Debbie's parents divorced.
She was repeatedly sexually abused when she was about nine years old by a family friend. Debbie was warned not to tell anyone about what happened and she didn't.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the last time she was to be sexually abused. A couple of years later another family friend molested her.
As a little girl, she was ill prepared to handle the feelings and confusion that these things brought about. She kept her secrets locked away deep within herself where they turned into a well of shame and self-hatred.
Their small family moved back to Florida when Debbie was twelve. At only thirteen she began to experiment with drugs.
Mistakingly thinking that by leaving behind everything she knew, she would leave her past behind, Debbie ran away from home. She left with a young man who turned out to be mentally, physically and emotionally abusive, at one point keeping her locked in a room for weeks.
Having such a low self-esteem, she didn't realize that she didn't deserve the things that happened to her. After a year and a half, she found the courage and strength to leave by asking a stranger for help, only to find herself following a pattern of abusive situations for years.
Anyone looking in from the outside would have thought that Debbie had a good life. She bought and made a home for herself, had a small business with her family and put on a mask of happiness.
It wasn't until she was in her thirties that she finally told someone about the sexual abuse. Telling her "secret" was the beginning of a long path to healing and happiness.
Now in her forties, she is engaged to the love of her life, enjoys a close relationship with her family, who have supported her throughout her journey and pursues her heart's desires of writing, creating art and spreading the word about the healing power of "telling your secret".
"My hope is that if you have never been through something like this, that you have understanding for those who have, and for those of you who know personally what it is like, to know that there is a place in you that is pure, that remains untouched by any damage done. It is who you really are, your essence. You are a survivor, not a victim. Now is the time to speak out and stop keeping the secrets of our abusers. I wish for you the wings to fly when you need to and the self-love you deserve." Deborah Hall
For an excellent source of information on recovery from trauma and specifically PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) check out the website www.giftfromwithin.org. |     |
