Synopsis

Fans of Lori Gottliebs, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, and horse lovers alike will appreciate this therapists intimate journey in the other chair as she strives to untangle the trauma from her equestrian childhood that now threatens her marriage.Raw and riveting, Girl, Groomed is seasoned psychotherapist Carol Odells evolving story of coming to terms with the impacts of her own history of sexual abuse and violence at the hands of a predatory horse trainer who, for far too much of her young life, held all the reins. Set in the equestrian world of Virginia, this candid memoir details how, starting at ten years old, Carol falls under the spell of Clarentine, the charismaticand explosively violentowner of the stables just down the hill from her house. In tandem with that story, Carol examines the multi-faceted consequences of the complex trauma that resulted from the exploitive relationship Clarentine cultivated with herincluding the resulting crisis she blindly imposes on her marriage. Chapters toggle back and forth between scenes of her childhood growing up jumping horses on the show circuit and the therapy sessions she later undergoes as an adult. Using her own journey as an example, Carol demonstrates in this insightful memoir how unintegrated trauma limits us and our connection with othersand how the work of uncovering and reintegrating what we do with what happens to us can become the very source of our liberation.

About The Author

Carol Odell, LICSW, grew up riding horses on the show jumping circuit in Virginia. She has been a practicing psychotherapist facilitating groups and working with couples and individuals since 1984. Married for thirty-eight years and the mother of a grown son, her other passions include: squash, pickleball, partner dancing, mosaics, writing, hiking, traveling, and being in community with friends and family. She and her husband currently split their time between Seattle and Cle Elum, Washington.

This is a standard paperback/soft cover version.