Before writing this book, however, I first had to sort through my reasons for wanting to do so. What were my real motivations? What could I hope to accomplish? Well, my own healing, for one thing. Approaching the meridian of my life, I contemplated my own hellish journey to the dark side and back, accepting that the trip down had been entirely of my own making, with Satan, no doubt, right there, cheering me on.

The destructive choices I made were of my own free will, but so were the restorative decisions I made on the arduous journey back, eased by the compassionate friends and professional healers who came into my life and helped me make it infinitely better. The real recovery began when I embraced my spirituality, when I realized the critical need to nurture my relationship with God if I was to right myself and achieve the strong, positive life I wanted.

I stumbled seriously at times, particularly in the early going, falling often, sometimes sliding backwards, before picking myself up to recontinue the dogged journey. Always, though, there was the certainty that I would succeed, born of the awareness that I had to lead my life according to God's will if I was going to become the person I desperately wanted to be. Since then, the healing has been remarkable, consisting of a recovery I wanted to fully fathom and offer to others in their own struggles. Since I was able to make this journey, others can too. I believe this with all my heart.

I hope to bequeath some of what I've learned and to nurture, counsel, and guide others on their own paths out of the darkness. I can't imagine a greater privilege than the work I do, to be trusted enough to be allowed into the deepest recesses of people's hearts and psyches, to be able to help facilitate their most cherished hopes and dreams.

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