Sarah Anne Stevens lives with persistent depression, desperation, and shame-feelings that swell up from some hidden source. She assumes it's her own fault, which just adds strength to her negative emotions.
Then, one night, she hears a child's voice crying. "No. No. It's not my fault. I'm not a bad little girl." The cry comes from within. Hearing it without fully understanding its implications, Stevens embarks on a grueling journey of therapy and self-discovery-a journey that reveals hidden memories of horrifying childhood sexual abuse and incest.
Stevens's experience mirrors that of thousands of women and men who have been through regressive memory therapy. The treatment has fallen into disfavor, with revealed memories dismissed by psychologists as "false memory syndrome."
Stevens cannot prove whether or not the memories she experienced were real. But she felt and experienced them as real, and their effect-real or not-was prolonged suffering.
Annie's Attic chronicles Stevens's harrowing and painful experiences, which she survives with the help of her therapist, her faith, and an inner strength she never knew existed. Her story will fascinate anyone curious about the events behind closed therapy doors, and offer hope to sexual abuse survivors.
About the Author: Sarah Anne Stevens is a Christian, a mother of three, a retired registered nurse, and a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. She wrote Annie's Attic to offer hope and encouragement to other abuse survivors, and to offer insight into the therapeutic process.
Stevens holds a bachelor of business and an associate's degree of nursing. She lives in Texas.
