Guest Author - Sarah Elise Stauffer
In Beyond the Tears: A True Survivor's Story, a memoir by Lynn C. Tolson , we are taken on a poignant and powerful journey.
“You will remember nothing” , this phrase haunted her for years. Her schizophrenic father whispered it to her each time he molested her beginning at age three. When she was 13, her brother began violating her sexually as well. He used the same phrase when he molested her that her father had used.
With the help of a special therapist, she breaks the silence of her experience, in flashbacks, and displays enormous courage in the face of incredible darkness. The incest and mental anguish she endured oppressed her voice and her innate birthrights for safety, health, and innocence. It sought to destroy any sense of entitlement to a future of promise and hope in her own body. But she fought back.
Ignited by therapy and writing down the horror of what her father and brother inflicted on her, metamorphosis began. This verbalization of the truth was profoundly emancipating. Lynn not only enabled herself to reclaim her power and worth, but also wrote a book that will enable others to do the same. Her book has a certain realism that pierces straight through to the heart and soul of the matter.
Lynn has triumphed over incest, the patriarchal attitudes that permeated her familial legacy, an unhappy marriage to an abusive man, depression, anxiety, mental illness, suicide attempts, and drug addiction. She reclaimed her light. She won her victory.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to battle the taboo of incest and do his or her part in facing down the darkness. Through this painful birth, she is able to midwife redemption, healing, and empowerment for herself. By sharing this book with us, she creates the requisite awareness that germinates bountiful healing. This Woman has turned it around, even surviving breast cancer
Lynn uses different channels for her healing, including painting. She especially loves watercolors. Lynn spends her days doing presentations to break the silence that surrounds abuse and incest.
"Bringing awareness of abuse to the community and bringing a message of hope to victims is my work."~Lynn C. Tolson
http://www.beyondthetears.com
Beyond the Tears: A True Survivor's Story may be purchased at amazon.com, bn.com or authorhouse.com. Book stores can order via ISBN: 1-4107-2417-4.
