For eighty years the stately Victorian house served as home to a tight-knit, loving family. Festive gatherings welcomed close and distant relatives alike, producing feelings of unity, belonging, and warmth in all who entered.
Not all was positive, however. A tragic family secret festered under the surface, too painful for open discussion and therefore never fully healed. When the family moved out, the once warm house lay cold and empty, but something stirred in its lifeless rooms. And when new owners arrived, intent on turning the home into a business front, the hidden presence lashed out, either in anger, self-defense, or even a desperate attempt at communication.
Four businesses tried operating under the house's sturdy cypress frame. Three failed, driven out by inexplicable, often destructive events. The fourth remains, in large part due to a descendant of the original family. After examining his family history and possible motivations for the presence's actions, one mental health counselor tried a bold experiment: if family therapy can help the living heal, why not the dead?
About the Author: Jeff Sandoz, PhD, trained as a family therapist at Temple University and the Texas Woman's University. His diverse background includes experience as a clinician, researcher, college professor, author, and columnist.
Sandoz has written over four hundred newspaper, magazine, and journal articles on mental health, mental retardation, Alzheimer's disease, organization development, and addictions. He is the author of two books on alcoholism recovery: Exploring the Spiritual Experience in the 12 Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous: Spiritus Contra Spiritum (2004), and Alcoholic Iliad / Recovery Odyssey: Utilizing Myth as Metaphor in Family Therapy with Addictions (2009).
Sandoz has presented at numerous national and international conferences and received national awards for research, college advising, and innovative teaching. He and his wife live in North Florida. They have three sons and six grandchildren.
