FALLOUT: A Survivor Talks to Incest Offenders

FALLOUT: A Survivor Talks to Incest Offenders (And Others)

     Lurking under the covers in perhaps a million American homes are the crimes of unreported incest offenders, for whom treatment is not available. Since professionals must  report suspected sexual abuse of children, the familial perpetrator has no place to turn unless he admits his own transgressions, leading to an incarceration which often destroys himself and his family.

     This one-of-a-kind book, written by a closet survivor who led a prison sex offender treatment program for twelve years, is an attempt to reach the incest offender who may or may not have also victimized outside the family. It was the discovery that incest offenders do not believe they have damaged their victims that finally led Dr. Mykel to share her story.

     She has not been satisfied to simply describe her own journey as a survivor, realizing  the ease with which it could be discounted by offenders. Instead, she draws heavily on the professional literature for clarification and interweaves and contrasts her own experiences with published findings.

     This volume is not a bid for pity or recrimination, but offers a compassionate exploration of a difficult topic for the perpetrator, the family, and other survivors.

      Included are chapters addressed to men who commit incest, to the community who will receive them back if they should go to prison, to other survivors, and to the dynamics of shame. Both the trauma bond and the sexual bond are discussed at length, and the author makes a diligent attempt to determine her mother’s role in the incest. Included are letters from the  father who molested her.

     This 435-page book includes bibliographical references plus pages from her chronological journal, replete with dreams, drawings, readings, reflections and poems. She is an advocate of  journaling for insight and healing, and includes feelings of temporary despair along with humor and the mundane.

      Fallout took ten years to complete, and went through three different drafts. Although a nonfiction book, there was drama behind the scenes as pieces of the puzzle fell into place while the author was reading the literature and continuing to journal. Some of the final draft was re-written, even as it was readied for press. The author has completed the book, at  79.

 

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