Official Review: Journey to a Safe Harbor by Jeanette Orme

[Abacus]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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Jeanette Orme suffered occasions of sexual abuse from the age of four to thirteen, at the hands of an uncle and a cousin, leaving her with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She found that alcohol and opioids helped her deal with the distressing feelings of "I want to leave" or "Why stay here on this planet" or being numb.

As Jeanette grew up, she made some doubtful choices like marrying her first husband, whom she later divorced. Later, she met her soulmate, Jim, who became her rock. Jeanette brought a girl and a boy to the partnership with Jim, and Jim brought his two sons. She nearly died from sepsis and had a bad fall in which she shattered her wrist. When Jim died, Jeanette was grief-stricken, and out of her suffering kept a journal. It is from her journal entries beginning 9/12/2014 and over the next three and a half years that she wrote Journey to a Safe Harbor. To me, it feels like I am Jeanette, we can hear her mind at work, and feel the desperation of the bad feelings which consume her. She has an inquisitive intellect and never stops reading or asking questions, and she applies what she learns to her specific needs. She has plenty of help and recommendations for research, but it is Jeanette Orme's zealous determination and clear thinking that develops the answers she needs.

I am in awe of her ability to diagnose the cause of her feelings and to plan. She follows through to do research, to take courses, and to haul herself out of PTSD and addiction. Her journey, which she shares so willingly, is remarkable. I liked that she shared the process with us. I particularly liked that she found that it was necessary to treat PTSD and addiction together to achieve the most beneficial outcome. That is such an important finding. I am hopeful that her findings will embrace overeaters and provide them with a path to salvation.

The author believes in reincarnation, and her findings include a mind, body, and soul experience of healing. Her strong beliefs in connections after death may be uncomfortable for some readers. She also subscribes to findings in the profession that "household dysfunction affects children's weight early in childhood, and abuse and neglect affect children's weight later in childhood. Early adversity causes an increased risk of asthma, infection, somatic (cellular level) complaints, and sleep disruption." Also, that trauma, whether it comes from sexual abuse or neglect, changes the physiology of the body. Then substance abuse helps that body feel more normal.

Overall, I appreciate the book's vast amount of information and that it gelled with my layman's understanding of this subject. The author has been thorough in writing up her research sources, and I believe Journey to a Safe Harbor will become essential support for many people with PTSD and addiction. And Jeanette Orme's descriptions of her feelings and emotion will constitute a considerable part of that support.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because of its authenticity, honesty, and research. I do not rate it 3 out of 4 stars, because this work is fundamental. I detected nothing to dislike and believe the book to be professionally edited. A discussion of sexual needs in the book may be unsuitable for young readers. I recommend this book to a broad audience of medical professionals, therapists, counselors, self-help groups, and anyone with PTSD or addiction problems.

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Journey to a Safe Harbor
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Bossgirl25]

I agree I like this book to and everything that she described about her life was sad she came through with power and confidence and overcome everything that happened

[Sheila_Jay]

PTSD is a real issue in the society and affects a lot of people. I am happy that Jeanette Orme wrote a book that talks about the issue. Thanks for this great review.

[Ria710]

Wow, thank you for the review. This book sounds amazing. I'm definitely going to be checking it out.