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Laura Davis

Goodreads Author

Born

in Long Branch, New Jersey, The United States

Website

http://www.lauradavis.net

Twitter

laurasaridavis

Genre

Nonfiction, Parenting & Families, Memoir

Influences

Every single thing that has ever happened to me: shocking, surprising, ...more

Member Since

August 2012

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In her 30+ year career as an author and writing teacher, Laura Davis has written seven non-fiction books that change peoples’ lives. Laura’s ground-breaking books have been translated into 11 languages and sold more than two million copies.

The Courage to Heal and The Courage to Heal Workbook paved the way for hundreds of thousands of women and men to heal from the trauma of sexual abuse. Becoming the Parent You Want to Be a rich resource guide, co-authored with parenting expert Janis Keyser, helps parents develop a vision for the families they want to create. And I Thought We'd Never Speak Again teaches the skills of reconciliation and peace building to the world, one relationship at a time.

Her forthcoming October 2021 memoir, The Bu ...more

472 posts
Laura Davis's Blog

When the Bill Comes Due

“The truth about our childhood is stored up in our body, and although we can repress it, we can never alter it. Our intellect can be deceived, our feelings manipulated, our perceptions confused, and our body tricked with medication. But someday the body will present its bill, for it as incorruptible as a child who, still whole in spirit, will accept no compromises or excuses, and it will not

Combine Editions
Laura Davis’s books

Average rating: 4.23 · 12,286 ratings · 503 reviews · 10 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse by Ellen Bass, Laura Davis (Goodreads Author) 4.21 avg rating — 8,303 ratings — 44 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Courage to Heal Workbook: A Guide for Women and Men Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse 4.27 avg rating — 2,223 ratings — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Laura Davis (Goodreads Author), Janis Keyser 4.16 avg rating — 582 ratings — published 1997 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Allies in Healing: When the Person You Love Was Sexually Abused as a Child by Laura Davis (Goodreads Author), Laura Hough (Designed by) 4.13 avg rating — 439 ratings — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Burning Light of Two Stars: A Mother-Daughter Story 4.59 avg rating — 328 ratings — published 2021 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beginning to Heal: A First Book for Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse 4.22 avg rating — 229 ratings — published 2012 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	I Thought We'd Never Speak Again: The Road from Estrangement to Reconciliation 3.95 avg rating — 141 ratings — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Obsidian Mirror: An Adult Healing from Sexual Abuse by Louise M. Wisechild, Laura Davis (Goodreads Author) (Preface) 4.33 avg rating — 103 ratings — published 1988 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Courage to Heal, Part 2: Changing Patterns by Ellen Bass, Laura Davis (Goodreads Author) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 5 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Courage to Heal, Guide & Workbook by Ellen Bass, Laura Davis (Goodreads Author) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Laura’s Recent Updates

Laura Davis wrote a new blog post When the Bill Comes Due “The truth about our childhood is stored up in our body, and although we can repress it, we can never alter it. Our intellect can be deceived, our fee Read more of this blog post »
Apr 01, 2026 05:59AM · like

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Quotes by Laura Davis (?)

“Abuse manipulates and twists a child’s natural sense of trust and love. Her innocent feelings are belittled or mocked and she learns to ignore her feelings. She can’t afford to feel the full range of feelings in her body while she’s being abused—pain, outrage, hate, vengeance, confusion, arousal. So she short-circuits them and goes numb. For many children, any expression of feelings, even a single tear, is cause for more severe abuse. Again, the only recourse is to shut down. Feelings go underground.”
― Laura Davis, Allies in Healing: When the Person You Love Was Sexually Abused as a Child

tags: abuse, child-abuse, guilt, healing, innocence, love, manipulation, repressed-feelings, shame, trust

283 likes

“Many survivors insist they’re not courageous: ‘If I were courageous I would have stopped the abuse.’ ‘If I were courageous, I wouldn't be scared’... Most of us have it mixed up. You don’t start with courage and then face fear. You become courageous because you face your fear.”
― Laura Davis

tags: abuse, child-sexual-abuse, courage, fear, healing, mental-health, survivors, trauma

52 likes

“Survivors often develop an exaggerated need for control in their adult relationships. It’s the only way they feel safe. They also struggle with commitment—saying yes in a relationship means being trapped in yet another family situation where abuse might take place. So the survivor panics as her relationship gets closer, certain that something terrible is going to happen. She pulls away, rejects, or tests her partner all the time.”
― Laura Davis, Allies in Healing: When the Person You Love Was Sexually Abused as a Child