Your work
Friday November 17, 2006

Dear Alice Miller:

I am a LMHC (licensed mental health counselor) in Naples, Florida. I have worked for the last 8 years at the Shelter for Abused Women and Children, i only see women, however, most of them are still dealing with the effect of the suffering they sustained during childhood, beactually it because of incest, physical, emotional or other subtler types of abuse. I think every advocate in the whole 2,0000 shelters that are part of the National Coalition against Domestic Violence should read all of your books. Yesterday in a meeting with other counselors I mentioned your name and your book “The truth will set you free”. I was surprised to find out that none of them knew about your work. I will make sure that the people in the FCADV (Florida Coalition against domestic violence) learn about your awesome work. I do trauma work with all the women, Trauma incident reduction, and other techniques that go to the roots of the problem. I am glad I read your book as now I don’t feel so lonely among counselors that do brief cognitive work and have no desire to dig the truth about the present moments. I myself still have to put boundaries to my own family of origin trying to still have dominion over the way we have raised our children WITHOUT FEAR, inquiring and being open. I just wanted to thank you for being such a marvelous advocate. Ivette M Gomez.

I. M G., Women’s advocate and counselor, Naples, Florida

AM: Thank you for your letter. I think that even new methods that already do acknowledge the many traumas endured in childhood are still unable to help if they can’t encourage the clients to clearly see that they were not only submitted to some traumas but lived for MANY, MANY YEARS as helpless children without ‘knowing witnesses,’ in a climate of an UNBEARABLE TERROR. Only if we as therapists can bear this knowledge can we help the survivors of these crimes to REBEL against them, to stop to protect their parents from their rage and to liberate themselves from the feelings of guilt they instead burden on themselves; they paid for this with countless illnesses. If you read my most recent article and other articles on this site you will understand why my books are not known in Florida or elsewhere. Who wants to know what Daddy or Mom really have done? The therapists don’t want to know it either. So many of them prevent their clients from acknowledging the truth. They don’t want to be bothered with my books because these books confront them with their history. There are not many who are seeking this confrontation as you obviously do. Most prefer to stay the “helpers” without knowing their history. But this actually doesn’t work, I suppose. The body rebels at the end.