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Embracing Empowerment

Following the Path of Recovery Through


the Stages of Personal Empowerment

Lynn Martin Roundy, M.Ed.


Embracing Empowerment
Following the Path of Recovery Through
the Stages of Personal Empowerment

Lynn Martin Roundy, M.Ed.

Introduction

Adults who experienced childhood trauma usually approach the possibility of


engaging in therapy with doubts, apprehensions, and many questions. How will I
know if the abuse affected my life? What happens in therapy sessions? How long
will the process take? Will it be uncomfortable? How will my life be affected?
Can I ever expect to be "normal"? What is the nature of the healing process? Are
there steps or stages that I will need to follow? How can I know where I am in the
healing process? How will the healing process effect my life and relationships?
In this paper I will describe a model of the healing and personal
empowerment process for survivors of childhood abuse. The model evolved as an
outcome of observations made while providing individual and group therapy
sessions for hundreds of adult female and male survivors of childhood emotional,
physical and sexual abuse.
Stages of development. Since Sigmund Freudi first offered his stages of
psychosexual development as a way of describing the maturation of personality,
many have applied the notion of stages to their theories of human growth,
development, and change. Erik Eriksonii, Jane Loevingeriii and Carl Rogersiv are
just a few of those who have employed stages to describe human development and
healing.
The use of stages of change in describing the process of healing for adult
survivors of child abuse is also well established. While these lists vary in their
content and order, most involve the following sequential processes: 1) denial; 2)
an emerging recognition that a problem exists; 3) a decision to do the work of
healing; 4) recognition and acceptance the feelings caused by the abuse; 5)
expression of grief over the losses of childhood; 6) disclosure and confrontation;
7) decisions regarding forgiveness of the self, the perpetrator and others; and 8)
resolution and empowerment. (Bass & Davisv, Blumevi, and Huntervii).
The five-stage model of healing and personal empowerment described here
incorporates five assumptions. Our first assumption: Implicit in the concept of a
"healing and empowerment" model is an assumption that, in addition to the other
effects of childhood abuse, survivors will experience a sense of being wounded and
disempowered. Children who are reared in healthy, functional family systems are
more likely to experience feeling valued, or reverenced. They are usually treated
with honor, respect and love. Children who live in such settings often follow

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healthy developmental patterns, which include a strong sense of self-esteem and a
naturally developing sense of autonomous power over their lives.
By contrast, children who experience childhood in abusive, dysfunctional
family settings are often discouraged or prevented from developing positive self-
esteem and autonomy. Because the abuse is often committed by trusted
caregivers, these children are likely to believe their wellbeing and safety are in the
hands of their significant others.
In his study of learned helplessness, Martin Seligmanviii, and his associates,
found that both animal and human subjects learned to be passive and depressed in
the face of noxious stimuli if their attempts to escape or avoid the stimuli were
ineffective. They also found a distinction between what they referred to as
personal and universal helplessness. A feeling of personal helplessness may result
when individuals feel unable to help themselves, but assume that others will be able
to assist in attaining their desired outcomes. Universal helplessness is more likely
when an individual feels that no one can or will assist with the desired outcome.
Victimization of a child frequently occurs in a context of coercion, fear,
physical restraint, emotional abuse, manipulation, or intimidation. Children
subjected to such behaviors often learn to feel helpless. They may feel a lack of
confidence that they have control over what happens to them. For many child
survivors, their unheeded calls for help create an additional, and even more deeply
disempowering, universal hopelessness. Eventually they despair of any hope of
protection or rescue. John Bradshawix has observed that children, whose parents
are unable or unwilling to protect care and value them, will likely experience a loss
of identity he refers to as "I AMness".
This sense of disempowerment usually has a negative impact in the four
following areas of the children’s lives: 1) Their sense of the source of power in
their lives; 2) Their sense of control of themselves and their circumstances; 3)
Their capacity for deployment and maintenance of appropriate boundaries to
protect themselves; and, 4) Their explanation, or "story," about why the abuse
occurred and how it impacted their lives.
The second assumption of this model is that the human psyche is divided into
multiple ego states. Paul Federnx is credited with theorizing the division of the ego
into states. Eric Bernexi, founder of Transactional Analysis, postulated three
shifting states of the normal ego--the "parent", the "adult", and the "child". These
ego states are considered to represent aspects of the self that are manifest in
response to social interactions, which Berne, refers to as transactions.
Helen and John Watkinsxii theorized that all humans have developed ego
states, which represent elements of the psyche and which they refer to as the
"family of the self" (p. 184). These ego states act a bit like separate people, and
may be activated through hypnotic request, which brings the activated ego state
into the executive role of being voice during the ensuing interaction. The
executive ego state takes temporary control of the self or, as one adult survivor
described it, "steps forward to speak, leaving the rest of us behind."

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According to this model, children who are abused will likely be impaired in
their developmental progress. Jane Loevinger3 describes this role of childhood
trauma, as an arresting factor in the development of the ego:
If the problems of some state of ego development are insurmountable for a
child, by reason of trauma, deprivation, indulgence, environmental
restriction, or whatever, he will cease to develop at that point or develop
very slowly thereafter. Future problems will be met and construed in terms
of the ego structure appropriate to the earlier age (p. 174).
As awareness of child abuse has increased, so has our recognition and
understanding of the process of dissociation. Frank Putnamxiii considers
dissociation to be a relatively common response to childhood trauma. Children
seem to utilize this ability to split off parts of themselves as a way of defending
against memories of abusive atrocities and the overwhelming emotions that often
accompany such acts. Children who are unable to handle the emotion (e.g., fear)
resulting from an abusive act may try to "get rid of it" by dissociating the
unwanted emotion into the unconscious. The fear associated with this act of abuse
may be stored in the unconscious with previously "disowned" feelings, eventually
forming an ego state in charge of storing or expressing the fear. John Bradshawxiv
(1990) has suggested that what has been variously called the "child within" or the
"wounded inner child" may actually be several "children": the "infant self", the
"toddler self", the "preschool self", and the "school-age self".
An acceptance of the assumption of ego states logically calls for the need to
be aware of the presence of more than one aspect of the self in most any social
interaction. In my experience, survivors with ego states bring the "whole family"
to therapy sessions. When any single ego state is executive, it is important to
remember that others are "listening in" on the proceedings. This raises two
cautions: 1) Comments made to the executive ego state should be respectful and
honoring of all elements of the self; and 2) Interventions that are appropriate for
one ego state operating in a more advanced stage of empowerment (e.g., Stage
Four) should be considered only if they are not too frightening for an ego state in
an earlier stage of empowerment (e.g., Stage Two).
Assumption number three of the model flows from the second: The separate
ego states comprising the adult survivor's "family of the self" may become
executive within a relatively short time frame, based upon internal and external
stressors and events. As Somerset Maugham (cited in Harrisxv) stated:
There are times when I look over the various parts of my character
with perplexity. I recognize that I am made up of several persons
and that the person that at the moment has the upper hand will
inevitably give place to another. But which is the real one? All of
them, or none?
Survivors may shift or “switch” between the inner selves as a result of
experiencing a variety of emotionally activating stimuli. A frightening encounter
might evoke the ego state responsible for responding fearfully, or it might activate
a switch to the ego state responsible for agressively reacting to fear. In contrast,

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switching to a "happy" ego state might be the survivor's response to a compliment
for a job well done.
The fourth assumption of the model suggests that each individual ego state
tends to reside within one of the five stages of the healing and empowerment
process. The stage in which an ego state “hangs out” is often based upon the
developmental stage or age when the events of childhood let to the ego state being
split off. The function of the ego state (e.g., holding fear, expressing anger), may
also determine its stage placement. For example, if an ego state has the role of
aggressively defending the self, it would be in Stage Three. Progressive movement
through the stages of healing and empowerment occurs when survivors invite and
allow ego states to process and give up their dissociated contents. Feelings and
memories, which were “disowned” into the unconscious, are returned by the ego
state that “took care” of them. The ego state chooses to give them up, and the
conscious self agrees to “re-own” them. When an ego state gives up it’s
dissociated content, it can begin moving toward the next stage of healing.

The current operating stage for survivors is the stage in which they tend to be
strongest (i.e., a majority of their ego states are operating at this stage). Although
life events may temporarily trigger shifting to earlier, or later stages, there is a
tendency to return to the current operating stage. In order for survivors to shift
toward a later stage, it is necessary for individual ego states within them to
advance from one stage of healing to the next. A primary purpose of
psychotherapy may be to assist survivors to reduce the amount of time they spend
in Stages One, Two and Three, as well as to increase the portion of time they
spend in Stages Four and Five.
The fifth assumption proposes three conditions, which are a part of
movement through the stages of healing and empowerment. The first of these
three conditions exists at birth. This model assumes the relative perfection,
innocence and helplessness of all newborn infants. According to this model,
children are born with physical or psychological strengths, weaknesses and
personality traits. Otherwise they are perfect, and fully dependent on caretakers
for their safety, care and wellbeing.
The second experiential condition, for survivors of child abuse, is the
presence of dysfunctional family patterns, which eventually lead to abusive
behaviors. The disturbed family dynamics and abuse prevent children from
developing healthy self-esteem, or self-control and empowerment. In essence, the
child is victim -"ized".
In an attempt to manage the intense emotions that often result from abuse,
many children “survive” by creating the third condition, which I call "naive
happiness". In an apparent attempt to survive and normalize unthinkable
childhood experiences, children may repress or dissociate (i.e., “disown”) the
memories of their abuse and create instead false realities of “blissful normalcy.”
Survivors of abuse, operating from this illusory state of mind, might respond to
questions regarding how they are with something like, "Everything is fine. Why do

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you ask?" This response may suggest an unconscious concern that some “visible”
sign of the buried abuse might be “showing.” An alternative response, when the
abuse history has not been “hidden”, might go something like, "Sure, there was a
problem; but it happened long ago and has no effect on my life today." Either
response may function as a kind of "quick fix". It is as though survivors, unable or
unwilling to face the painful truths of the past, attempt to "leap frog" to a pseudo
healing state that looks a lot like Stage Four or Five. While such a pseudo state
has the appearance and verbal expression of healing and empowerment, it lacks
the depth of genuine healing, and these survivors are usually unable to maintain
stability in the claimed wellness stage.

The Five Stages of Healing and Empowerment

Each of the Five Stages of Healing and Empowerment will be explored in the
following manner. First, we will list the constellation of emotions that tend to
characterize the key issues of the stage. Second, the defining characteristics of
each stage will be described with respect to the following: 1) The survivors’ sense
of the source of their personal power; 2) Their sense of control over themselves
and others; 3) The nature and manner of deployment of the boundaries survivors
use to defend themselves; 4) The survivors’ relationship to their life "story" (e.g.,
what stories do they tell about the abuse and its effect on them?). The discussion
of Stage One, because of its basic nature and function, does not follow this
pattern.

Stage One: Becoming Aware of the Problem: "I have this nagging sense that
something is wrong."
Prior to initiating the process of healing, survivors are often well established
in a state of naive happiness, described previously, which seems to assist them to
live through the suffering and trauma of their childhoods. Survivors may begin to
emerge from this state of denial as they experience a gradually increasing
awareness of an unresolved problem. This stage typically involves two phases: A)
A growing sense of the magnitude of the problem and pain, often accompanied by
a sense of confused disorientation; and B) An increasingly insistent motivation for
change. The memories and emotions, that were suppressed, now seem to make
their presence felt. Much like a toothache, the symptoms are, at first, ßeasily
ignored or alleviated. Over time the ache intensifies until, as the saying goes,
"When the tooth huts bad enough you go to the dentist." Survivors who enter
Stage One of the healing process gradually come to the realization that something
is very wrong and that something needs to be done.

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Stage Two: Discovering, Embracing and Releasing the Victimization: "I am
wounded! I hurt!"
This is the victim stage. Survivors in Stage Two take on the victim role and
tend to remain mired in victim-like behaviors. Individuals in Stage Two are likely
to feel fearful, shameful, helpless and unable to speak up for themselves or others.
Typically they are also incapable of establishing or defending their boundaries with
others.
Survivors with ego states in Stage Two are faced with the task of uncovering
the reality of their childhood victimization. They must discover, examine, lance,
cleanse and suture the psychic wounds that have “festered” since childhood.
Considering the intensely painful and lengthy nature of the process required in
moving through the healing process of Stage Two, it is not at all surprising that
survivors have voted Stage Two as "most likely to be leapfrogged."
Key emotional issues. The fundamental issue of Stage Two is fear, which
was created by the abusers of these children. Out of that core fear, our model
proposes the likely formation of one or more of the following feelings: shame,
pain, helplessness, hopelessness and despair.
Sense of power. The emotions that are part of this Stage lead survivors to
feel powerless in the face of seemly overwhelming circumstances. Individuals in
Stage Two often present with passivity or vulnerability. "There is nothing I can
do to change my situation."
Sense of control. Survivors who operate in Stage Two typically experience
control over their circumstances as being outside of themselves. They are
convinced other people external life circumstances control their wellbeing. There
is a sense of dependence on circumstances or someone else to take care of
problems and set things right.
Deployment of boundaries to defend the self. Survivors in Stage Two
frequently have little capacity for establishing protective boundaries, or they create
pseudo boundaries of distance as safety zones. When approached, they have
limited ability to protect themselves, or they may retreat. When cornered, Stage
Two survivors often believe they have no place to go but down, where they may
“play possum,” depending on the mercy of the intruder for their safety and
wellbeing. Robert Bly16 vividly describes this inability to defend the self. "A
grown man six feet tall will allow another person to cross his boundaries, enter his
psychic house, verbally abuse him, carry away his treasures, and slam the door
behind; the invaded man will stand there with an ingratiating, confused smile on
his face".
The survivors’ relationship to their life "story". Survivors in Stage Two are
"story" tellers. Their victim roles and powerless self-perceptions are supported
and reinforced by repeated telling of the details of their childhood victimization. It
would seem that, in part, their goal may be to legitimize the manner in which their
lives have been impacted or justify their dependent demeanor.

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Stage Three: Discovering and Embracing Survivorship: "Never again!"
This is the survivor stage. Survivors of child abuse with ego states in Stage
Three have found a way to stand up for themselves, and defend their boundaries.
The emergence of Stage Three ego states in survivors may be unsettling to
themselves and to their significant others. At times the aggression and anger are
difficult to understand and accept. Shifting from Stage Two dependent and
compliant behaviors to Stage Three anger and aggression may be perceived by
survivors and others to be movement in the wrong direction. It is important for
survivors, counselor and others to recognize that movement into this stage is a
step toward healing. This is the self-protective nature finally being able to stand
up to potential harm or danger. Acknowledging, honoring and making allies of
these angry and aggressive ego states is key in these survivors’ healing processes.
This is a necessary stage, and serves as a bridge of aggressiveness between Stage
Two passivity and Stage Four assertiveness. Survivors cannot move from passive
to assertive without spending a bit of time crossing the bridge of aggression.
Key emotional issues. The basic issue of Stage Three is anger. Intolerance
of anything believed to be unacceptable is also very common. As explained above,
behaviors and expressions from Stage Three tend be overlaid by an aggressive
tone as contrasted with the assertive tone of Stage Four. A sense of fear or pain
may also be evident. However, when fear is present, survivors typically escalate
into anger. The more intense the fear, the more intense the anger will be.
As suggested earlier, survivors facing the prospect of addressing and
resolving the difficult issues of Stage Two may decide to leap frog to Stage Three.
In reality when they leap frog Stage Two they move to a “pseudo State Three.”
They are employing anger as a barrier against the unaccepted and unresolved fear,
pain, shame and despair of Stage Two.
Sense of power. Survivors in Stage Three present as individuals who are
aggressively "In" Power, and derive their strength from external sources. They
may seek positions of power (e.g., supervisor, parent, teacher) or accumulate
power "weapons" with which they can intimidate or defend against any real or
perceived opponent. These survivors often project a feeling of independence: "I
don't need you or anybody." They are inclined to express a sense of invincibility
and, at times, may even invite confrontation. A common Stage Three attitude
might be, "Take your best shot. You can’t hurt me. Just give me a reason, and I'll
make you regret it for the rest of your life!"
Sense of control. Stage Three survivors have taken back control over their
lives. In relationships they are likely to exert pressure on others to meet their
wishes, expectations or demands, insisting that events and interactions occur
where they want, when they want and in the manner they prescribe. "I'm in
charge. You don't tell me what to do -- I will tell you."
Deployment of boundaries to defend the self. Boundaries for Stage Three
survivors are clearly established and aggressively defended: "Don't even think
about crossing the line. You will regret it if you do." The security of Stage Three
is external – dependent on well-formed boundaries that are designed to be

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impenetrable and, on possession of sufficient strength or “weapons” to defend
against any threat.
The survivor's relationship to her or his life "story". Survivors in this Stage
are likely to discount or deny the elements of their story that suggest vulnerability,
dependency, helplessness, fear or neediness. And they are likely to be intolerant of
other survivors’ “victim” stories.

Stage Four: Resolving the Past and Embracing Empowerment: "I am secure in
my world."
Stage Four is divided into two phases. First comes an awareness that "living
in" the fear, pain, shame, and anger of Stages Two and Three no longer serves
these survivors in their lives – from that awareness emerges a gradually increasing
determination to transcend the past and move forward into empowerment.
Survivors with ego states moving into Stage Four have begun coming to
terms with the necessity of going back into the unresolved emotional issues of
Stages Two and Three. This return does not constitute a repetition of the abuse-
related pain, fear and anger, but rather a resolution of them by discovering,
acknowledging, overcoming and releasing their painful realities. As someone has
stated, for healing and empowerment to eventually replace victimization and
resentment, "the only way out is through."
This decision to “dig up” old memories, with their pain, fear, denial, and
anger that are connected to abuse is one of the most difficult choices that survivors
will ever have to make. It is also crucial to healing and to becoming empowered.
It will take considerable courage, determination, and willpower to return to the
issues that were so successfully tucked away inside, “never to be spoken of again.”
Internal beliefs and convictions will loudly express their sincere and eloquent
arguments against these thoughts of re-opening “Pandora’s box.” Given the
potentially life-threatening nature of abuse, avoidance and hostility were valid life-
preserving activities. It will likely be argued that any changes to these once-
essential defenses will lead to disaster.
By considering the options – survival VS healing and empowerment – many
survivors find the needed incentive to assist ego states mired in Stages Two and
Three to move forward. It is imperative, however, to keep very clearly in mind
that Stage Four survivors must honor, respect and reverence the purposes served
by the ego states that stayed behind. They took upon themselves the fear, the pain,
the abusive memories, and the sense of helplessness and despair. They did this
because, from their perspective, the self could not survive those overwhelming
memories and emotions. Survivors and those who would assist them need to keep
in mind and acknowledge the amazing courage and love that these early stage ego
states possessed. The are worthy of being honored for their essential role in
keeping the “bad stuff” until these survivors have moved along the healing path
sufficiently to be able to take it back.
Survivors will do well to seek out therapists, caregivers and other supportive
individuals who can offer needed encouragement to “go back,” and support during

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the long and painful ordeal of re-owning and resolving the past. These outside
helpers will best assist the empowerment process if they do not rescue survivors
from the inevitable pain that comes with “cleansing festering wounds.”
As survivors are encouraged to release their Stages Two and Three defense
mechanisms, they should also be honored for their skill in staying alive until they
developed sufficient strength to cope without these defenses.
Phase two of Stage Four begins as survivors complete sufficient healing
work in Stages Two and Three that their deep seated fears and their external
walls, begin to be replaced by an inner strength we call empowerment. There is a
growing confidence within Stage Four survivors that, whatever the circumstances,
they can manage and emerge victorious. One of the defining characteristics of
Stage Four is a capacity for mutually beneficial give and take.
Key emotional issues. Inner security is the central issue of Stage Four. Fear
and anger have been replaced by feelings of empowerment and forgiveness.
Forgiveness eventually includes both the self and others. As with all other
movement through the healing and empowerment process, forgiving is done
gradually, and only when the survivor is ready, willing and able to release the pain
and anger that underlie the early stages of healing. The egocentric victim of Stage
Two, and survivor of Stage Three are gradually relinquished, and in their place an
emerging awareness of and receptiveness to other people slowly forms.

Sense of power. The power of Stage Four survivors is centered within


themselves. Individuals in Stage Four are increasingly power-full and decreasingly
reliant on position or weapon power for their safety.
Sense of control. The aggressively expressed need for control in Stage
Three gives way, in Stage Four, to an assertive posture, which allows for
achieving the survivor's needs along with an awareness and consideration for the
needs of others. In this stage individuals clearly and firmly maintain control, when
necessary, but are more comfortable relinquishing control when it serves their best
interests to do so.
Deployment of boundaries to defend the self. Because survivors in Stage
Four have developed a strong sense of internal security and power, there is less
need for solid boundaries as a means of preserving their safety and well being.
Having more permeable boundaries allows for increased openness, vulnerability
and connection. Stage Four individuals maintain flexible boundaries, which may be
firm and clearly established, or more subtle and adjustable.
Stage Four is notable for the emerging presence of an apparent paradox.
Survivors in this stage are able to be vulnerable and invincible. They can
approach or be approached by others more openly, exposing aspects of themselves
that survivors in other stages would be afraid to show. The paradox is that, even
though they have opened themselves to potential harm, their internal power,
security and capacity for self-protective responses allow a condition of relative
indomitability to be present.

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The survivor's relationship to her or his life "story". Survivors with ego
states in Stage Four have begun facing and resolving their painful past as well as
the shame, fear and anger that attend being violated as children. They have
progressed beyond the need for being viewed as invincible juggernauts, capable of
battling any foe, as well as discounting references to their abusive childhood
experiences. These survivors are becoming willing to accept and honor the truths
of their childhood autobiographies, and to release the need for retaining fictional
elements of their stories. These Stage Four survivors are able to acknowledge that
acts of abuse did happen, that their effects were significant, but they also clearly
understand that life has continued and healing has progressed.

Stage Five: Opening to Love and "Enlightenment": "I am lovingly at peace, with
myself, and with others."
Stage Five represents the most advanced level of healing, personal
empowerment, and transcendence over the abuse of the past. Ego states in this
Stage have progressed through all prior stages and are becoming open to deeper
and more intimate relationships with themselves and with others. Whereas fear
was the prime issue of Stage Two, love is the primary force of Stage Five. The
love referred to here is similar to that described by M. Scott Peck17 as, " . . . the
will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's
spiritual growth.” Individuals operating at this level have a capacity for and desire
to interact with others in relationships where the goals of the group ensure the
growth and wellbeing of all members of the community. Because this is the most
advanced stage of the healing process, it is also the least likely for survivors to
experience, and is not easily maintained, despite its empowered condition.
Ultimately the healing goal for any survivor is to increase the amount of time
spent in Stages Four and Five.
Key emotional issues. The fundamental emotional issues of Stage Five are
love, harmony and reverence. We employed M. Scott Peck’s definition of love
above and we revisit it here. Harmony is experienced as a sense of balance
emerging from a centered place of strength and inner peace. Reverence is a
complex sense of deep appreciation for the self, others and life, which embodies
honor, respect and love. All life is sacred and is to be reverenced. All living
beings are considered part of a whole that, at its best, is in harmonious interaction.
Sense of power. For survivors in Stage Five power emanates from the heart
as a healing energy flow. Fear and anger have been replaced by love and
compassion. The power of this stage is the healing power of love.
Sense of control. Stage Five survivors are in harmonious balance with
themselves, and have little need for controlling others. The enlightened nature of
this stage creates a natural drawing force to others, who are attracted instinctively
to the healing energy that emanates from these individuals.
Deployment of boundaries to defend the self. Survivors in Stage Five have
resolved much of the fear, pain, anger and other issues that led them to build solid
boundaries for protection. At this level boundaries are deployed only as necessary

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in order to maintain the safety of the self and others. The survivor's centered
energy flow tends to attract others into synergistic relationships where the
combination of the two personalities transcends the individual capacities of either.
The survivor's relationship to her or his life "story". Survivors at this Stage
have transcended their abusive life stories. They have transformed the violations
of childhood into personal empowerment and compassion for themselves anf for
the experiences of others.

Summary

Survivors of childhood abuse typically experience a wide variety of problems


and emotional issues. The manner in which these issues are responded to will
greatly determine, for survivors, the degree of fear or empowerment with which
they will live. In this paper we have attempted to describe the healing process for
survivors as they make their way along the path of recovery through the Five-
Stages of personal empowerment, with the intention of providing them with a
working framework for identifying their current state of function and for planning
appropriate intervention strategies.

Endnotes

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i
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ii
Erikson, E. H. (1972). Eight ages of man. In C.S. Lavatelli & F. Stendler
(Eds.), Readings in child behavior and child behavior and child
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iii
Loevinger, J. (1976). Ego development: Conceptions and theories. San
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iv
Rogers, C. R. (1961). On becoming a person: A therapist's view of
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v
Bass, E., & Davis, L. (1988). The courage to heal: A guide for women
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Blume, E. S. (1990). Secret survivors: Uncovering incest and its aftereffects in
women. New York: Ballantine Books.
vii
Hunter, M. (1990). Abused boys: The neglected victims of sexual abuse. New York:
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viii
Seligman, M. E. P. (1975). Helplessness: On depression, development, and
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ix
Bradshaw, J. (1990). Homecoming: Reclaiming and championing your inner
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x
Federn, P. (1952). Ego psychology and the psychoses, (E. Weiss, Ed.). New
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xi
Berne, E. (1961). Transactional analysis in psychotherapy. New York: Grove
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xii
Watkins, J. G., & Watkins, H. H. (1979). Theory and practice of ego state
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Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc.

Lynn Martin Roundy, M.Ed.


Sunrise Training & Counseling Services
857 East 700 South • Springville, UT 84663
email: lmroundy@gmail.com

Embracing Empowerment: Following the Path of Recovery 14


Through the Stages of Personal Empowerment

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