Self Unbroken - by Robert Falconer (Paperback)

About the Book

Bob's candid memoir of recovery from severe childhood sexual abuse, blending lived experience with psychological insight. This powerful account of early healing offers hope and understanding for survivors, therapists, and loved ones.

Book Synopsis

This candid and deeply personal book chronicles the author's journey of recovery from severe sadistic childhood sexual abuse, tracing the tumultuous first steps on his path toward healing and a deeper understanding of trauma.

Blending psychological insight with lived experience, the author integrates theory into his personal narrative. Since the book's initial publication in 2002, many more men have come forward to share their own stories of abuse. However, this volume offers a comprehensive and detailed account of the beginning of the recovery process, making it a valuable resource for therapists, survivors of abuse, and those who support and love them. Though it details horrendous abuse, betrayal and violation, it is fundamentally a story about the resiliency of the human psyche.

Warning: This book includes in-depth descriptions and discussions of sadistic child abuse. The content is presented to encourage others in their healing by providing educational and critical insights into the process of healing from childhood sexual abuse.

Review Quotes

"Bob Falconer's life story contains inspiring lessons in how to courageously face and transform severe trauma. In addition, he is an engaging writer who captures the ups and downs of his healing journey with wit and wisdom. A powerful read for anyone on that journey."

- Richard Schwartz. Developer of Internal Family Systems

"Pulling no punches in depicting the horrors, this book is a brutally honest account of the revulsive reality of childhood sexual abuse and the sometimes harrowing but always courageous journey toward recovery. Dantean in its graphic depiction of hell, Falconer proves to be a reliable Virgil in companioning himself and others through the sordidness to a life of sanity and contentment on the other side. May this daring and perceptive account give hope to anyone who knows these same cesspools and longs for their soul's liberation."

- Frank Rogers Jr., Author of Cradled in the Arms of Compassion: A Spiritual Journey from Trauma to Recovery, Professor of Religion at Claremont College

"Bob Falconer's, A Man's Recovery is a heart-wrenching yet uplifting story of unfathomable trauma and the writer's subsequent journey toward recovery. Bob provides comprehensive analyses of his experiences with hypnotherapy, group therapy, twelve step recovery, couples' therapy, and -- most importantly -- Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS). This book offers vivid and captivating descriptions of IFS and how it can provide a route to recovery from even the most severe trauma. That Bob lives, thrives, and teaches us is a tribute to the fortitude of the human spirit and the power of therapeutic rehabilitation. Bob is an indefatigable healer of himself and our community."

- Charles H. Silberstein, MD Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with Added Qualifications in Addiction and Geriatric Psychiatry. Medical Director, Island Counseling Center / Martha's Vineyard Community Services

Like all spiritual explorers, Bob shows the way Down is the way up. Both deeply personal and archetypal, the path of the wounded healer is mapped out in excruciating and glorious detail. Wherever you are on your healing journey, Bob's voice is a clarion call summoning you into the frontier of your life. Ultimately a story of hope and redemption, may we all discern our own souls calling into the deeper healing and living. Thank you Bob, for your courage, compassion, and clarity.

- Barney Jordan.

Read this book twice! The shock horror, courage, and healing journey of the author simply cannot be encompassed with one reading. The author describes a midlife reckoning with the gradual disclosure in therapy of unimaginable childhood abuse and incest by both parents. Here, we have an honest account of the difficult work of recovery, insights into the dissociative response to trauma, and the redemptive possibilities that exist within the soul. This book is a must-read for clinicians and laypersons interested in trauma, dissociation, and recovery from severe childhood abuse.

- Don Davies, MD. Psychiatrist in private practice, Santa Cruz

"Bob Falconer has written yet another deeply, moving and inspiring book. This one is more personal and is based on an autobiographical journey of Bob's own trauma journey through his childhood. Deeply touching and challenging, we get a great look into why Bob has become the marvelous healer and educator, for others who have suffered similar journeys, and how he can be so deeply empathic and understanding of the darker journeys folks encounter."

- Kay Gardner MS., Senior lead trainer of IFS