Description:
A harrowing story of sexual abuse, privilege and trauma.
Brief description:
Dr Valerie Sinason PhD PGTC MACP M Inst Psychoanal is a poet, writer, child psychotherapist and adult psychoanalyst. She was Founder Director of the Clinic for Dissociative Studies, until her retirement from long-term clinical work in December 2016. Dr Sinason specialised in work with abused, abusing and dissociative patients, including those with a learning disability, and has been used as an expert witness in court cases. Dr Sinason was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ISSTD (International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation) in April 2016. She continues with writing, supervising and short term assessments.
Review Quotes:
'Valerie Sinason's The Orpheus Project is an engaging novel which is hard to put down, full of intrigue and mystery while addressing some very serious issues. The novel encompasses the secretive world of child abuse by the upper classes, trauma, dissociative identity disorder, disability, mind control and ritual abuse. The novel gives us an insight into the life of Lady Rose, rejected by her mother due to her disability..The way in which Valerie described how they eventually were able to find a closeness and union together, was very moving and beautifully told.
We also get a glimpse of what life is like for adults in care and for those working with them and how professionals deal with disclosures of abuse.Their job is in effect made harder by the way the system works when the perpetrators come from the upper classes and are well known in society.
It is evident from what is written that Valerie has a wealth of experience and knowledge of these issues and for those of us who work with survivors of child abuse, we know how difficult this can be to address and how hard it is for survivors to have a voice, to be heard, and to be believed, as too often they are dismissed.
I feel through this novel, Valerie is in effect giving a voice to survivors as although written as fiction, the sad reality is that abuse takes place by all sections of society with too often the upper classes protected when survivors disclose. Valerie has to be applauded for raising awareness of something that is too often hidden and kept underground.
I very much look forward to a sequel to this excellent captivating novel.'
SupportLine