Official Review: Journey to a Safe Harbor by Jeanette Orme

[Renu G]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Journey to a Safe Harbor" by Jeanette Orme.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Jeanette Orme begins by dedicating Journey to a Safe Harbor to her dear ones and those on a journey towards healing. The title has a spiritual significance as it brings her to the “safety and love” of her Self (which she always writes in capitals). After reading it, I can see that she has suffered immensely in her life because of being sexually abused as a child, the death of her husband, an accident, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, and addiction. She has tried processing her past and dealing with her pain by writing her thoughts and going for therapy.

The first part of the book consists of complex and unsystematic notes from a diary that was not originally meant for publication. She often describes details of family life, her treatment, books she has read on psychotherapy, songs, meditations, karma, mindfulness, the “Sinclair Method” for curing alcoholism, and more. She mentions several other individuals suffering from PTSD, but I think she is looking at them with the lens of this disorder because of her suffering.

I feel happy for Jeanette as she gradually moves towards equilibrium with the attitudes of openness, forgiveness, unconditional love, and surrender to the “Source.” She explores each aspect of the person in details. What I like most is that the interactions between body, mind, and soul are studied through the intersection of science, psychology, and spirituality. Jeanette’s thoughts seem to be characteristic of the New Age movement. She writes about her spirit guide and medium, Cindy, who is a positive force in her life. I am skeptical about this aspect of the memoir as she shares about her interactions with the spirit world, including her husband, Jim, who was her soulmate. The book also goes into details of PTSD and addiction. Additionally, the author provides a “list of cognitive distortions” and deals with core beliefs.

This book is written in 305 pages, and it may not be suitable for those who cannot take the stress of prolonged reading on this subject. This is the aspect I disliked because it drains energy. As a counselor, I was able to bear it, but some readers may find it heavy and emotionally exhausting. Nevertheless, those experiencing similar problems in their lives may resonate with the author and feel relieved of stress. The subtitle A Mind, Body and Soul’s Journey of Healing Loss, PTSD, and Addiction itself reveals the author’s brokenness and feelings of being split. It is apparent in the style of every paragraph of this book.

I interpret this memoir as Jeanette’s journey towards wholeness and integration. I am pleased to rate it 3 out of 4 stars. It has several grammatical errors, and a round of editing will improve the quality of the work. I did not give a higher rating because the journal lacks clarity, and I think the book could have been written in less than 200 pages. I did not give a lower rating because it has been written creatively, and every reader has something to benefit from the contents. I recommend it to counselors, doctors, social workers, teachers, and pastors. The book is not meant for children because they may feel disturbed. It may appeal to men and women who are suffering from similar problems.

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Journey to a Safe Harbor
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[Ngozi Onyibor]

I believe openness is the first step towards healing. It's very courageous of the author to write about her life and experiences for public reading despite all she has been through. Thanks for the review.

[mmm17]

I am sure a book like this would drain my energy. It sounds good, though, for those who can handle it. Thanks for a wonderful review!

[Erin Painter Baker]

I always think it is interesting when someone chooses to include parts from a diary or journal that was not meant for publication. I appreciate the honesty and the raw emotion of it, but I do think it can make it harder for the reader to follow.

[gali]

A memoir about the author's recovery from PTSD, abuse, and loss sounds intense. The author had a lot on her plate (abuse, the death of her husband, post-traumatic stress disorder). It is impressive that she snapped out of it. I don't believe in a spirit guide and medium either. Not for me, but I am glad you found it enlightening. Hopefully, those editing errors were fixed by now. Thank you for the review!

[Brendan Donaghy]

I appreciate that writing this book may have been of great therapeutic value to the author. I also appreciate that there are people who will benefit from reading it. I'm not sure that I'd be able to cope with the trauma that the author describes, so I'll probably give it a miss. Thanks for the review.

[lavellan]

Thanks for your review! The book sounds emotionally heavy. I don't know if I would be able to get through the whole book; but I admire Jeanette's courage in documenting her journey toward recovery. I truly feel for her. It seems like a lot of horrible things have happened to her, including the death of her husband and sexual abuse. The beginning journal section sounds interesting to me.

[Amy+++]

This is not my genre so I will be giving this book a pass.

[Prisallen]

I'm glad the author was able to finally get on the track towards happiness as it sounds as though she had a tough past. I enjoyed reading your review. Thanks!

[Nerea]

Jeanette's story is quite emotional. I would love to read, but can't because I might be disturbed and I totally don't like reading books that feature spiritism. I'll pass the book sorry. Thank you for your honest review

[Janalyn101]

I do not mean this with any disrespect, but what class in college did you take that you can read a long drawn out book and get through it OK? I didn’t understand that line because I am a counselor I could bear it and get through it. I too have had the same issues this lady in the book head, but I do not want to read it as it seems long and incoherent. Still thanks for the review!

[Wanjugush]

As much as I love memoirs, this is not my type of book. I don't have the patience to read about PTSD and such, because as you have said, "it's energy draining". Thanks for the great review.

[Florence Nalianya]

Congratulations for this inviting re iew.Many people suffer silently and never get the courage to speak out.I love the fact that Jeanette Orme did speak.Its a read for me.

[shaz1994]

I appreciate the way the author has used his personal struggle to give hope to those going through difficult times. Congrats to the book of the car.

[skindrukas]

Amazing how can someone still be happy after being sexually abused as a child, the death of a spouse, an accident, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, and addiction! It's too disturbing for me to read this book but I'm sure many people can benefit from it.