----------------------- Page 1----------------------- Adult Survivors of Child Abuse (ASCA) Global Newsletter Fall 2014 In This Issue -Special Q&A with Dr. Patrick Gannon -Meet Our New Outreach Director -TMC & ASCA Receive Accolades -Book Excerpt: Father Figure, My Mission to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse -Join the newsletter team! From the blog: -New Films Documentary about healing from abuse released by Emmy-winner Gayle Kirschenbaum -Film based on Award-Winning Novel by Donna Anastasi Needs Contributions Survivor Poetry -Kaleidoscope -I Awake -Incest News Items -Blog: Childhood Emotional Neglect: Raised By A Narcissist -Op Ed: Child abuse is everyone's business -Tx Talk: Explicit Memory Of Childhood Trauma Not Required For Development Of PTSD Editor's Note Dear fellow survivors, Autumn is beckoning with darkness arriving sooner every day accompanied by falling leaves. This time of year is my favorite because it has always represented a time to return to the job at hand after summer vacation. As a survivor, I felt more comfortable within the boundaries of a schedule rather than the ambiguous nature of extended time off. This fall heralds another return to school for me as I enter a doctoral program in the hope I may advance my training to help others on their healing journey . And there are reminders everywhere that we must continue to fight and give back to others. It was with a heavy heart that I learned about the death of Robin Williams, one of the great comic geniuses of our time. It was not only his outrageous humor, but the obviously warm spirit that came through his work that helped me through some of my darkest days in childhood and beyond. The world has lost another hero to the tragedy of depression. The debates that raged after the news broke only serve to highlight how difficult it can be for those who do not experience the darkness of the soul to understand it. In this issue, we are proud to present three original poems from survivors who explore different areas of their trauma recovery. We meet our new outreach director, Echosaisis, who tells a part of his journey to encourage others to volunteer. Also this issue, we present a special Q&A with Dr. Patrick Gannon, whose book Soul Survivors formed the basis of the ASCA Program and has just been released in a second ----------------------- Page 2----------------------- edition in a new e-book format. He was also a guest on a radio show that focuses on survivor issues. TMC and the ASCA Program continue to grow with over 39 meetings, including a new one underway in Norway and a second one now in Michigan. But we need you to help us reach more survivors. Please consider joining the newsletter team or giving back in any way that feels right for you. We also encourage everyone to comment on any article posted on the newsletter's web site, http://ascasupport.wordpress.com. In closing, I offer a poem of inspiration from my favorite poet John O'Donohue: For Suffering. Best wishes, Renu MORE ABOUT ASCA Special Q&A with Patrick Gannon, PhD ~By Jessy Keiser, Board of Directors, The Morris Center~ Q&A with J. Patrick Gannon (PG), the clinical psychologist whose book Soul Survivors formed the basis of the ASCA Program, by the president of TMC's Board of Directors Jessy Keiser. (JK) JK: Patrick, it's been 21 years since we developed the program based on your book, Soul Survivors. Now that you've recently published the second edition, looking back, what if anything do you think we could have done differently with the steps or the program's development? For example, do you think it would have been helpful to word the steps in "we" language instead of "I" similar to the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous? AA and other 12 Step groups seem to have a strong sense of fellowship and unity. PG: Looking back, there are always things that could have been done differently especially in the organization and writing of a book. That's what makes it so hard. Even though the recovery field for adult survivors was still in its infancy back in 1988 when I was writing the book, it was still an enormous undertaking because I was trying to integrate emerging psychological treatment approaches for post- traumatic stress with popular recovery concepts espoused by self-help groups such as AA. Even back then, there were so many choices! But decisions have to be made, which means some options are not taken. All you can do is determine what you think is the BEST choice to be made AT THAT TIME. So, let me give two examples of choices that I made, one that I think was right and the other one I might have done differently. Read more ----------------------- Page 3----------------------- *** Dr. Patrick Gannon was also the guest on an online radio show on July 25, 2014 produced by the National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse. Host Bill Murray, a survivor of sexual abuse and a child abuse survivor activist and advocate, talks to Patrick for about one hour. To listen to Patrick address concerns of adult survivors today, with guest appearances by members of TMC and ASCA, access the archived show by clicking here. Meet Our New Outreach Director ~By Echosaisis~ The latest model sports car. Smart phone ringing off the hook. Pressed business suit always ready go. Confidence to the nines. That person is definitely not me. Like most of us, the person I am today is much different from the person who began my healing journey years ago. This journey so far has led me to become Director of Outreach for the Norma J. Morris Center for healing from child abuse (TMC), an international not for profit organization which operates the ASCA support group program. In this article, I invite you to learn more about my childhood, how I became involved with TMC and what you can do to help us continue our work with the adult survivor community. Read more TMC and ASCA Receive Accolades ASCA Site Ranked in Top 10 The ASCA Program's web site has been ranked as one of the top 10 web sites on healing from child abuse by GoodTherapy.org, an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries worldwide. The organization based its decision on factors of usefulness, depth of content, functionality, aesthetics, alignment with its mission and values, availability of resources, and a community presence. Read more TMC Charity Recognized by Guide Star The Norma J. Morris Center for healing from child abuse (TMC), the charitable organization that offers the Adult Survivor of Child Abuse support group program, has been recognized by Guide Star, a non-profit directory of charities. Inclusion in this directory may help make TMC more attractive to donors particularly if ASCA members write personal reviews of their experiences in the program. For more on how you can contribute and share your story, click here. Book Excerpt: Father Figure, My Mission to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse ----------------------- Page 4----------------------- ~By Sumi Mukherjee~ The following is an excerpt from the recently published book, " Father Figure: My Mission to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse " Being raised by the two best parents I could have possibly asked for, family times growing up were by far the happiest times of my life. Blessed as I was at home, this is also a sad statement, as my teen years and adulthood would soon be plagued with hardship and pain. The child of immigrant parents from India, I was raised in the Midwestern part of the United States in the 1980s and '90s. Though I was born in Canada in May of 1976, I've lived in the U.S. for my entire life, since about nine months of age. Though my home life was overall wonderful, I had an extremely difficult time throughout school. From kindergarten onwards, I quickly became aware of the fact that I was viewed as being different from nearly all of my peers due to my race and ethnicity. As I got older, I was bullied on a regular basis for being brown skinned, for being the child of Indian immigrants, and for having such a markedly unusual name. Over time, many years of bullying led to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and set the stage for the development of severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, at the tender age of sixteen. Read more Join the Newsletter Team Gain valuable experience in newsgathering and support a worthwhile charity! The Morris Center is looking for a news editor and regular contributors for its global online newsletter in support of the Adult Survivors of Child Abuse program, http://ascasupport.wordpress.com. See http://www.ascasupport.org for more information on the program. Anyone interested please contact the editor-in-chief at ascanewseditor@gmail.com. Send in Submissions The newsletter blog site is updated regularly with news and information on healing and recovery. Please submit: your own stories; artwork, poetry and other self- expression; book reviews, and upcoming events to ascanewseditor@gmail.com. The Morris Center for Healing from Child Abuse, PO Box 281535, San Francisco, CA 94128 SafeUnsubscribe™ {recipient's email} Forward this email | Update Profile | Customer Contact Data Notice Sent by ascanewseditor@gmail.com powered by