Never, never have I read any book that so perfectly diagnosed my condition. What a loving God we have - and how very much He longs to tell us. But the masks we wear to prevent that relationship is tragic. Sandy Wilson pictures it all so well - and in a gentle and loving way. She gives great encouragement that an intimate God is just a breath away - if we seek. Thank you dear Sandy, for your ministry.

It is not often that I call a book must reading, but this one certainly is. Sandra Wilson has written in such a way as to draw any reader closer to God. It is especially good for anyone with any kind of sense of having been left alone and lonely. But is is also a must for those who believe that they are closer to God than ever. I have reccomended it to many of my counseling clients and have bought and given copies to all of my children, my husband and my parents. If you don't read anything else this year, read this.

This is the best book I have ever read on seeking a personal relationship with God. I have read it for myself, given one to every member of my family and several friends and am recommending it almost daily to people I see in my Christian counseling practice. A book for anyone who has ever wondered where God is and haven't we all?

It is hard to believe that a book like this exists. Many pages are filled with sorrow and pain yet there is a hope that pain like this, once identified can be released. And that this expression of release is conveyed in an honest realistic fashion that will probably needed to be faced over and over again until the toxicity is greatly reduced.God is the key. Honesty is the coarse. Freedom is the goal.

This was an excellent book. It helps remove the blindfolds from your eyes so you can see how being brought up in a dysfunctional family affects you. She makes you feel like she knows what it is like to feel like everybody else is "different" and "better" than you. She gets to the root of how people wind up feeling that way. She also exposes tends in churches that tend to promote an unhealthy Christian experience. By this I mean she draws distinctions between a healthy well balanced church and a church that keeps people in bondage. She is sympathetic and understanding and she gives her own life story. One great thing about the book is that it gives solutions and a way up and out of shame! I definitely recommend her, as well as "Pain and Pretending" by Rich Buhler (perhaps out of print), "Boundaries" by Henry Cloud and John Townsend and "Changes that Heal" by Henry Cloud. I have bought at least three copies of Sandra Wilson's book and have recommended it to others!

Finally someone that understands me. I've always wondered why I felt different. Sandra Wilson finally explains it in simple English, because she's been there done that. I have bought this book and given it to 3 friends who now also understand what it feels like to be known and understood. For one couple it saved their marriage. "If you've enver felt like a a caterpillar in a butterfly world" this book is for you. It deals with dysfunction in a practical problem solving context. Not woe is me, but Praise the Lord you can live a full life "released from Shame."

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has grown up in a dysfunctional family (specifically abusive families), and is interested in learning about the psychology of their past experiences. It took a while to read, as there were many times of prayer, reflection, and tears. I would also highly recommend this book to you if your spouse grew up in a dysfunctional family. Sometimes it's hard for us to talk about our past experiences, and this is a great way to hear, see, and feel the hidden emotions we have and don't always want to talk about.

Painful to read but so necessary to identify the wrong thinking that occurs when one has been shamed. It helps you to face the truth and make a commitment to practical and necessary changes in wrong thinking. It took a long time to finish because it took episodes of courage to pick it up again. It would be so easy to stuff all those emotions under. Without God's love and care that is where they would remain. Thank you for Sandra Wilson for giving him a voice....

Physical abuse. Sexual abuse. Chronic neglect. Domestic violence. Auto accidents. School shootings. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of ways for children to be traumatized. Just as unfortunately, research into children's trauma and the development of treatment methods often lag behaind adult counterparts. Filling a major gap in the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) literature, veteran therapists Robert Tinker and Sandra Wilson are making available, in compellingly readable form, the techniques they have used successfully with children from Oklahoma City to Rwanda. Geared equally to the child clinician interested in adding this powerful modality and to the experienced EMDR practtioner, "Through the Eyes of a Child" cuts through the mystery to illuminate the method. "It's like you took a magic wand, and said 'Bing! You can live now!" --The mother of a six-year-old who had been severely sexually abused when she was 18 months old. Clinical examples and session transcripts demonstrate EMDR at work with children and teenagers who have experienced a range of acute and ongoing traumas, from molestation by a sibling to the suicide of a parent, from near-death in a lightning storm to the emotional upheaval of a bitter custody battle. (Additional cases show its efficacy in dealing with problems that may not necessarily be trauma-related, among them ADHD, simple phobias, attachment disorder, and learning disabilities.) Tinker and Wilson make important comparisons between pediatric and adult applications of the method at the diagnostic and assessment levels, and modify the treatment protocol to fit youngsters at various stages of development. The standard eye movements, for example, are inappropriate for most children under age five, but they respond well to other forms of left-right stimulation. To keep therapeutic goals clearly in sight, direct, concerte language is usually preferable to the metaphoric language commonly accompanying desensitization. The authors are acutely aware of some EMDR therapists' reservations about working with children, and they have included plenty of guidelines so that readers can accuaratly guage young clients' reactions, minimize the possibility of dissociation, and--most importantly--avoid retraumatization. (One rule that can't be overemphasized: establish a "safe place" that can be returned to when necessary.) Clinical and legal caveats, suggestions for combining EMDR with other forms of therapy, and ideas for involving parents are included as well. With clients this young, significant results often come at an accelerated pace. This can be surprising to clinicians used to conducting adult-length sessions, but as one seven-year-old described the effect of EMDR on his nightmares, "[They] just cleared out of my brain."

Despite the child focus, I believe this book is essential reading for all who either use or intend to use EMDR, especially with children. Due to the inevitable developmental influence of much of adult trauma it is an important reference text for all to consider. Any criticism is perhaps only because the general standard is so high that one expects this work to be the fountain of all knowledge when in essence it is a brilliant text about EMDR with children containing a wealth of knowledge. The book is blended like a fine, smooth malt whisky. It has a unique combination of evidence based fact, neurobiological overview, exellent clinical case description, instruction and anecdote based on many years of skilled experience with a rare style that makes it extremely palatable, with continued satisfaction when you resample it. The hallmarks of true expertise were met by the authors' conversion of complexity to simplicity with minimal loss of data. Tinker & Wilson are a rare hybrid of 'gifted researcher and compassionate, effective clinician' who have given generously of their time to fellow professionals and patients. I will unreservedly recommend the book to all.

Dr. Wilson has done a superb job of summarizing control issues which dominate and destroy both internal rest and relationships. Even for those who do not recognize the subtle patterns of denial in their lives and interactions, this book is a real eye-opener. Whenever we can locate a copy, I use this with clients in outpatient psychotherapy.

The links between safety issues and unrecognized attempts to control are very helpful, and the author shares with candor from her own experiences, yet does not confuse her issues with others', as she recognizes different manifestations of these dynamics. Her faith in Jesus Christ is easily shared and offers hope to those needing safety which they can no longer delude themselves into thinking they can produce on their own.

As a former fallen pastor, I wish this book would have been available a decade ago. After doing years of research and helping other religious "restorees," I believe "Restoring the Fallen" is the most comprehensive and insightful book on the market. The writers (multiple authors) convey workable truths obtained from practical experience. Every "nook and cranny" of restoration is dealt with in an easy-to-read and understandable style. These authors believe that there is life after a fall - and for religious leaders hurt by sin, it is needed help, hope and healing.

This book gives a tremendously extensive look at the process of restoring Christians that have fallen because of sexual sin.

Ever since early 1999 it seems like more and more Christians, especially leaders, have been falling sexually. This book provides a comprehensive look at the process of nurturing, comforting, and bringing Christians back into wholeness. The major strength in this book is that it was written by people who experienced it. There are 6 authors. 1 sexually fell, 1 was their spouse, and the other 4 were part of the "restoration team". This book was written by people who have experience in this area. This is basically a detailed explanation of what they did and what worked for them.

This kind of information is a must for all those in Christian leadership and for those who minister to others. This book is very practical and easy to understand. The author's openness and transparency brings this real topic closer to the heart of the reader.

I picked Sandra Wilson's book up at a local library, hoping to find inspiration for my next gift giving adventure. What I found was a failed attempt at teaching us what the "perfect gift" is. I was expecting less of the lists of popular things to give and more practical advice about what is behind a gift. While the author does try to provide us with information about what she thinks certain population groups will like, she falls short in the way she presents the information. I'm sure the large print and short "blurb" style writing will attract some, but I for one am not impressed.