Arms Akimbo: A Journey of Healing, written by Audrey Roth, is the story of a childhood filled with terror and the consequences of pain and healing. Roth recounts her life from a childhood of sexual abuse and incest to the recovery process that led her to write this book for others.
From the age of three, Roth was repeatedly abused by his own father. As traumatic as this always is for a young child, Roth found ways to survive the pain and emotional distress. With the help of various support groups, Roth was able to work through the healing process that all survivors of child victims must eventually face.
In Arms Akimbo, Roth talks about the various groups in her life that helped her heal. For example, from a spiritual point of view, Rabbi Kleinbaum convinced Roth that she did not have to embrace her parents’ Judaism, but that she could create the role religion would play in her life.
Artistically, a community called Mudflat in Massachusetts opened its arms and led Roth to find creativity in modeling clay with his hands, while his mind worked through the pain in his heart.
Psychologically and emotionally, Roth credits therapists like Evelyn Schroeder, who was also a friend and mentor who supported Roth through her father’s death and sorting through devastating memories. During late-night phone calls to friends and well-wishers, Roth poured his damaged heart and soul out of her and the result was a web of love that helped her see that she had true value.
While writing Arms Akimbo, Roth also had the help and support she needed from friends, professionals, and family who believed in her writing and encouraged her to continue writing. The memories Roth brought up during the journey of writing her book were painful, but she continued to cry in anguish.
Roth describes his childhood existence as living in a “Jekyll and Hyde” house, where his father could be loving and caring when sober, but had another personality when drunk. From the outside, the Roth family looked ideal: a mother whom everyone considered perfect and a father who was always the “life of the party.” But within the family it was another story. Alcoholism and child abuse were the dark little secrets within the family and were never talked about.
As the years passed, Roth realized that something was wrong, that emotionally he felt as if a volcano was about to erupt. When she had her daughter, she knew something had to be done and she began the healing journey that would take her into the deepest corners of her mind to face the demons that lived there.
Arms Akimbo: A Journey of Healing, written by Audrey Roth, is an incredible story that can be a beacon of light for others who have experienced similar childhood trauma.