SHERMAN OAKS, Calif., June 17, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Nearly one-third of American women report being physically abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives, according to a 1998 Commonwealth Fund survey. Jeani DiCarlo suffered this pain and shares her experiences of hurt and healing in A Prayer for the Wounded (now available through AuthorHouse).
What started as a private journal became A Prayer for the Wounded, DiCarlo's true story of her relationship with a Hollywood actor who had ties to the mafia. Though he started out as charming and loving, a sleeping beast within him soon awoke, and DiCarlo felt the brunt of his rage. With candor and honesty, she reveals the pain and guilt she felt during those dark years with her abuser and even professes the empathy she felt for him.
DiCarlo includes blank pages throughout the book to encourage readers to record their own experiences. "My book becomes someone else's journal because we are all one in pain," she writes. An additional interactive tool she provides is a "Healing Visualization," which is accompanied by a compact disc. Readers can use these relaxation devices to guide themselves on a meditative journey with the healing power of sound.
"(A Prayer for the Wounded) is short and easy to read," writes DiCarlo, "as I know firsthand that one going through abuse or the post trauma of abuse has a hard enough time coping, no less concentrating." It is this firsthand knowledge that makes this self-help book so pertinent. DiCarlo's message comforts readers who believe they are alone in their situation and inspires them to break free from dangerous relationships. DiCarlo initially shared the journal that sparked this book with clients taking her yoga class who had suffered abuse. It proved so beneficial that she was encouraged to publish it.
DiCarlo has spent most of her life in New York and has worked as an actress, designer and writer. She has studied with such noted acting coaches as Elizabeth Browning and Ivana Chubbuck and has performed freelance design for Ralph Lauren. She ran her own bridal business, White on White, and currently sings and composes lyrics. DiCarlo is the co-founder of X Back Pictures, a production and distribution company that specializes in period films. Her screenplay, "The War Within," will be filmed in the fall of 2004.
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