The HEALING CHOICE

Front Cover
Simon and Schuster, Jun 11, 2013 - Psychology - 240 pages
Two psychotherapists present a supportive guide to coping with the emotional and psychological aftermath of abortion, offering a step-by-step program that combines information, reassurance, and guidance to help women begin the process of recovery.

“This is a book for any women who feels psychological pain from her abortion…this is not a book about judgment, politics, or religion.” –from the authors’ introduction

Few women can walk away from the experience of abortion without some lingering emotional discomfort. Unresolved feelings of guilt, shame, and sadness may not surface until months, often years, after an abortion. We may lead outwardly normal lives, but these emotions can continue to cast a shadow, having a negative impact on personal relationships, coloring our moral or religious beliefs, even causing anxiety when we deal with a planned pregnancy. These feelings, if ignored, can possibly manifest themselves in more troubling ways, resulting in unstable relationships, self-destructive and addictive behaviors, depression, and low self-esteem.

Now, two experienced psychotherapists share their approach to dealing with sensitive and long-overlooked issue of post-abortion pain or trauma. The Healing Choice breaks the silence surrounding a topic often clouded by debate and focuses exclusively on helping women chart a path toward emotional recovery. Through a step-by-step process, complete with self-tests, exercises, and interviews with women who share their own post-abortion experiences, Dr. Candace De Puy and Dr. Dana Dovitch will help you come to terms with your post-abortion emotions and offer support as you begin the process of healing.
 

Contents

Introduction
13
77e Pregnancy
23
The Abortion
43
Separation Solitude and Isolation
63
Guilt
87
Anger
111
Spirituality and Religion
134
Facing Loss
159
The Process of Healing
183
Acceptance
206
Selected Bibliography
217
Index
231
Copyright

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About the author (2013)

Dana Dovitch, Ph.D., MFCC, is a licensed psychotherapist with a private practice in Lost Angeles. She has worked extensively with women experiencing post-abortion conflicts. Since 1993, she has been working to educate the public about post-abortion healing, eating disorders, and other women’s issues.

Candace De Puy, Ph.D., LCSW, is a licensed psychotherapist with a private practice in Los Angeles. She has worked extensively with women experiencing post-abortion conflicts. Since 1993, she has been working to educate the public about post-abortion healing, eating disorders, and other women’s issues.

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