A Path to Redemption After Military Sexual Trauma
In this moving memoir, Jeanette combines the insights of a woman who learns to overcome her childhood traumas, the life experiences of a woman who has survived the horrors of military sexual trauma, with the path a woman travels to find her healing and self-love. Jeanette takes the reader through her journey to find recovery from MST via her mind body and soul connection working synergistically to heal.
By allowing the reader into her thoughts and feelings, she hopes to bring awareness to the truth about what women in the military go through once they have dealt with MST and how there is possible a connection between childhood trauma, mental health, and physical symptoms that potentially can all lead to some illnesses.
In Camouflaged Shame, you will learn how Jeanette:
- Identified her patterns of dysfunction
- Overcame hard emotional scars
- Reconciled childhood traumas
- Found forgiveness
- Discovered how to live an amazing life
If you or someone you know experienced military sexual trauma and are now living in emotional, psychological or physical pain, Jeanette J Pizarro-Harpe’s true victim-to-victorious story is a must-read!
Military sexual trauma (MST) is the term the Department of Veterans Affairs uses to refer to sexual assault or repeated, threatening sexual harassment that occurred while the Veteran was in the military. It includes any sexual activity where someone is involved against his or her will—he or she may have been pressured into sexual activities (for example, with threats of negative consequences for refusing to be sexually cooperative or with implied faster promotions or better treatment in exchange for sex), may have been unable to consent to sexual activities (for example, when intoxicated), or may have been physically forced into sexual activities. Other experiences that fall into the category of MST include unwanted sexual touching or grabbing; threatening, offensive remarks about a person’s body or sexual activities; and/or threatening or unwelcome sexual advances. —US Department of Veterans Affairs
This book is not meant to be the solution to overcome the trauma you’ve endured, but more of a facilitator and inspiration for you to seek help in healing your spirit. I pray this book can show you that there are different paths to healing, but that the paths are there. Each of us needs to find the path that is right for ourselves.
There are many treatments and routes to healing, and I hope you discover the one that works best for you. For family members looking to understand and support their loved ones, please be patient and kind. Judgment and harsh criticism should never be your approach. Some days, you might need only to listen. For me, encouragement and support were the best medicine most of the time. Don’t take it personally when she or he wants space and keeps to himself or herself. We require processing time from time to time because the trauma caused by sexual assault is difficult to process. Therefore, it is important to be mindful of the other person’s boundaries and offer support when needed. Even when that support is not accepted, be compassionate.
