ABSTRACT
The survivor embarking on the journey of healing is in a curious predicament. On the one hand, to acquire the capacity to face and work through abuse and live well in the present, he must enter into his embodied life. On the other hand, to enter into his bodily life is to connect with the part of himself that carries the wounds of the abuse and so feels violated, sullied, hurt, dead, fearful, and overwhelmed. Bodily life, a potential source of strength, is experienced as a clear source of danger. For therapy to be able to address this delicate balance, this essential point of healing, the therapy must have a way of understanding and appreciating body process and body experience in the context of what it means to be human, and particularly in the human life of the survivor.
