Athena
https://www.goodreads.com/hehenabobena
“I told her once I wasn’t good at anything. She told me survival is a talent.”
― Girl, Interrupted
― Girl, Interrupted
“Anyone worth knowing breaks once. Once. No shame, no foul if you survive it. You did.”
― Bloodfever
― Bloodfever
“I've lived with many alcoholic men over the years, and each has taught me that it is useless to worry, fruitless to ask why, suicide to try to help them. They are who they are for better and worse.”
― Eileen
― Eileen
“I'm smart but not enough--just smart enough to have problems.”
― It's Kind of a Funny Story
― It's Kind of a Funny Story
“Carla's description was typical of survivors of chronic childhood abuse. Almost always, they deny or minimize the abusive memories. They have to: it's too painful to believe that their parents would do such a thing. So they fragment the memories into hundreds of shards, leaving only acceptable traces in their conscious minds. Rationalizations like "my childhood was rough," "he only did it to me once or twice," and "it wasn't so bad" are common, masking the fact that the abuse was devastating and chronic. But while the knowledge, body sensations, and feelings are shattered, they are not forgotten. They intrude in unexpected ways: through panic attacks and insomnia, through dreams and artwork, through seemingly inexplicable compulsions, and through the shadowy dread of the abusive parent. They live just outside of consciousness like noisy neighbors who bang on the pipes and occasionally show up at the door.”
― The Couple Who Became Each Other: Stories of Healing and Transformation from a Leading Hypnotherapist
― The Couple Who Became Each Other: Stories of Healing and Transformation from a Leading Hypnotherapist
Athena ’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Athena ’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Polls voted on by Athena
Lists liked by Athena















