THE SHOULDING A Story of Resilience and Hope by Brown, Roberta

THE SHOULDING: A Story of Resilience and Hope is my journey from being a child-abuse and domestic-abuse survivor to the happy, healthy person I am today. Each chapter takes the reader through the events of my dysfunctional relationships and how that dysfunction impacted every aspect of my life. I suffered through agoraphobia, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. At age fifty-one I got the final piece of the puzzle that set me free and led me to emotional and mental health. I was raised in a middle-class Jewish home in Minneapolis, Minnesota. No one had any idea what was going on behind closed doors. Honestly, I don't think I understood the gravity of what was happening. I just thought everyone got beaten up at home. I have spent years in therapy trying to understand my life. I can proudly say that agoraphobia is no longer an issue. My anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder are minimal so I believe I have won the battle. Writing my autobiography/memoir was daunting to say the least. My writing style is conversational, as if I'm having coffee with my reader. I think with my relaxed writing style and the humor I include, which is my greatest coping skill, I hope that the reader will understand their own similar circumstances and maybe even try some of the things that have helped me through some of the toughest parts of my life. For me, the goal of THE SHOULDING: A Story of Resilience and Hope is to help others.