My Anchor of Hope
A Journey of Restoration Redemption and Freedom
by Alison Marie

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“From the time I was a young child on into adulthood, my heart and spirit have been wounded, my rights violated, my future threatened, and my performance not accepted. I grew up believing that I was unlovable. My identity was distorted.” How can you recover from such traumatic beginnings? Where do you even start to heal? What or who can help you find your way to a healthy self-perception? My Anchor of Hope, an open and honest memoir of the author’s life, reveals the details of her difficult childhood and adolescence, her unhealthy choices, and her violent marriage. While each of these life experiences left her with very definite scars and ramifications, Alison Marie determinedly refused to allow them to define her. Her early conversion to Christianity offered her a solid belief in the hope and grace of God, and she persevered. When she felt a desire growing within to help people discover how their upbringing and childhood experiences had affected them, she pursued a post-secondary education with the goal of achieving a bachelor’s degree in psychology. God’s providence continually showed up, providing her and her children with appropriate living accommodations and schools, moral support, and even groceries on occasion. Throughout the many challenges that arose, Alison Marie struggled to maintain her equilibrium with more success in some times than in others. Her ongoing belief in God’s goodness provided a solid foundation upon which she could build, and her research continues to provide helpful insights into the consequences of childhood trauma and domestic abuse. Her perceptiveness allows her to apply the latest research on this topic from credible academic resources to her own situation, and she passes her wisdom on in her narrative. This story is one of restoration, redemption, and freedom. It offers hope to all women who are suffering through difficult times and shows them how to break free from the abuse and self-contempt that controls their lives, allowing them to find a peace and self-love that is real and everlasting.

www.alisonmarie.ca

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"Alison holds nothing back in giving us a glimpse into the life of a highly sensitive person and the effects of a lifetime of abuse and trauma can have on such a person. Her story is one of many of mistreated women around the world who have tried to manage and cope for years living in this reality. That she is a clinical counsellor sheds even more light into how far and wide this reality exists in our world for thousands of women. Alison blends her own life story, her academic experience and knowledge, along with her spiritual experiences with Jesus and how He worked in her own life to give us all a sense of hope for our future. Well done Alison! Your book will change women's lives by giving them an anchor of hope to cling to in a troubled and chaotic world. —Karen Evans, Friend and fellow author

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Alison Marie demonstrates her hope through her Christian belief and ability to work through personal trauma. Her life story is a perfect example of Jesus Christ’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and redemption. She firmly believes that through Christ, you can find freedom to be your true self and can break free of any abuse and self-contempt that may be controlling your life. After leaving her abusive marriage, Alison raised three children as a single parent and earned a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, writing her thesis on the place of religion and spirituality in the counselling process. She went on to work as a counsellor and eventually established her own counselling practice. She continues to research the effects of childhood trauma, the connections between childhood trauma and brain development, and the long-term effects of stress on our physical and psychological health. Alison Marie lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, with her younger daughter.

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Contributors

Author

Alison Marie

Artist

Yvonne Acheson

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