Raising Myself: A Memoir Of Neglect, Shame, And... Apr 2026

Later chapters explore her professional success and her eventual ability to view her mother with compassion rather than just fear or anger. Professional Impact

and Amazon highlight the book's "brutal honesty" and its message of hope for fellow survivors. Raising Myself: A Memoir of Neglect, Shame, and...

is a raw, candid memoir by Beverly Engel , an internationally recognized psychotherapist and expert on abuse recovery. Published in 2018, the book chronicles her traumatic childhood and her ultimate journey toward healing and self-reinvention. Core Narrative and Themes Later chapters explore her professional success and her

The book follows her through a "minefield" of childhood characters—including religious fanatics and child molesters—and her struggle to avoid falling into cycles of crime or self-destruction. Published in 2018, the book chronicles her traumatic

A central focus is how early neglect and abuse created deep-seated shame, making her feel "unlovable and rotten inside".

Engel used her personal history to inform her thirty-year career as a therapist specializing in abuse recovery. According to Simon & Schuster , she has written over twenty self-help books, including The Emotionally Abused Woman and It Wasn’t Your Fault .

Engel recounts severe hardships, including physical and emotional neglect, being sexually abused at ages four and nine, and being raped at twelve.