09-11-15 Childhood Molestation to Healing Spirit to Sassy Shoes~ A Conversation with Margot Silk Forest
About 20 years ago my then 11-year-old daughter said to me in that oh-so-innocent way kids can do, “Daddy, when I look in the faces of grown-ups sometimes I see a very sad child. Isn’t there something we can do to help them?” How could I possibly say no to her?
The outcome of that conversation was the CD entitled Inner Child Healing. It’s goal was to speak to that child within coming to give its support, comfort, love, and healing. What was unique about this program compared to all the others I have done, was that it not only included guidance into a state of deep relaxation, once the listener reaches that state of relaxation they hear the voice of my daughter speaking directly to the inner child: “I am a child, like you, and I know how sad you can be…”. Our idea was that instead of hearing an adult speaking to the inner child, the listener’s inner child might be more open to hearing the voice of another child.
Childhood molestation creates some of the largest amount of inner trauma and PTSD. Therefore I included Margot Silk Forrest on this program. Margot was sexually molested by her father, from her infancy until she was 12 years old. Her recovery involved work in EMDR with Francine Shapiro, following which, she began to edit a newsletter, The Healing Woman, for women who had been molested as children. Margott Silk Forest is a writer, an editor, and a creator of wearable art. She has written and co-written numerous books, including her first, A Short Course In Kindness.
Long ago, back in 1990, when the psychotherapeutic professions had little awareness of the extent of sexual molestation and abuse of children, Margot Silk Forest happened to do a retreat at Thich Nhat Hanh at his Plum Village Center in France. Following this, she began to have strange dreams. A psychiatrist suggested that she simply follow these dreams, and they began to lead to flashbacks to sexual molestation extending over 10 years of her childhood.
Margot came from a family with a loving alcoholic mother, an inspiring and loving brother who could always make her laugh, and a highly ethical Philadelphia lawyer of a father who began molesting her in her infancy. In this sensitive and moving episode, Margot shares her experience on discovering the truth about her early life, her work in creating the enormously successful newsletter, The Healing Woman, and the message that emerged from her years of publishing this incredibly useful periodical. She shares what she learned and the important messages that emerged, and why it was important that the hundreds of contributions from readers all end on a positive note in this little pink publication.
You will also learn how Margot has found deep happiness in her life and how she now serves as a guide for people who have wonderful things to offer the world – enabling them to translate their ideas into words and books, to bring them into written form. Finally, you’ll find out about her latest venture, painting shoes! How important it is to take something old and make it new and beautiful. You also get a chance to experience a segment from Inner Child Healing. Enjoy this episode now.
