REMEMBERING ROSEMARY

.His hands smell of grease-as if he has been working on his car. His stomach is big and soft on my back. His weight is going to crush or kill me. I want to fight back, but he is too big. I can hardly breathe. He is sweating. I hate it. Rosemary Revell was a bright and witty high school English teacher who loved to engage in verbal repartee. Yet there was a huge discrepancy between the appearance of her seemingly happy life as a mother, dedicated teacher, and supportive friend, and the feelings of self-loathing she hid inside. In 2000, Revell began to experience what she thought were hallucinations. After seeking psychotherapeutic help, she was told she was regaining a memory she didnt realize she had lost. As Revell began to remember, the overwhelming emotional and physical pain from the past erupted with relentless agony and terror, causing severe post-traumatic stress disorder. During her six years of therapy, Revell relied on her writing, faith, loving friends, and sheer tenacity and courage to emerge from her painful journey of integrating the past with the present. In telling her story, she speaks for those who remain silent. Remembering Rosemary is a testament to both the suffering and the wondrous ability of the human spirit to prevail. -Daniel Rudd, PhD_,