Overview

Sent away to boarding school on his eighth birthday, Mark Stibbe watched his adoptive parents drive down a gravel road, leaving him standing in front of a huge country house with his trunk and his teddy. That night he was given the first of four beatings in his first two weeks. Ten years later, towards the end of his time at Britains oldest public school, Mark was then subjected to further brutal abuse, along with twenty other boys, by a man who infiltrated the Christian forum.; Mark Stibbe wrote Home at Last to show how those wounded by their boarding school experiences can find lasting healing. Having been through the process of recovery himself, Mark now tells his story and shares a unique, faith-based perspective and how to start the journey towards freedom from the abandonment and abuse that so often marks the boarding experience.

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9781910786413

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Reviews

One of the biggest mistakes of my life was to choose to go to boarding school aged 11. From the moment I was put on the school train by my weeping father, I was sent to 'Coventry'! Months later, the staff relented but I had already boarded my heart. Many others have different yet equally devastating experiences. I am therefore so thankful to Mark for boldly and honestly breaking the taboo about speaking out about a system which was intended for good but actually took away many children's 'rights'.; In his book, Mark explodes the myth that being sent away from home will be 'the making of us' and invites us to dismantle the self-protective barriers that we unconsciously erected as children to deaden the pain of separation from home. Barriers that were accepted and even designed to make children into young adults way before their time. Barriers that enabled many to be more efficient and effective in institutional environments and other workplaces, whilst alienating them from their homes and families and the love they actually longed for but found themselves unable to give or receive. Mark understands this journey himself and describes the way we embrace compensating paths and patterns that ensnare us. He sensitively assures us that it is never too late to change and shows us how we can take the necessary steps on our own journey towards a safe home coming in the arms of our Abba, Father in heaven. Hugh and Ginny Cryer, founders of Culture Changers

"This is a moving and highly readable account of recovery from the trauma of early boarding. Mark Stibbe uses his own experience as the thread, weaving stories into his narrative, giving insight into what, for many, constitutes a significant form of suffering. Whilst some readers may not relate to the faith base of Mark's resolution, the author is sufficiently aware of the diverse potential readership not to alienate those who do not share his convictions. Home at Last will reach out to many who were damaged by the experience. It offers a sense of meeting and meaning, potentially alleviating the sense of isolation and shame experienced those who feel that they failed because they did not thrive within the system. It is the system and not the child that is the problem. Joy Schaverien PhD, Jungian Analyst and author of Boarding School Syndrome.;Mark Stibbe has written a passionate and personal account of the ills of the British boarding school habit. He brings a rich terminology - ""the boarded heart"", ""the orphan heart condition"", and so on, to describe the mixture of abandonment, shame and privilege which cripples so many former boarders. Stibbe outlines a Christian path to recovery which will be welcome to those looking for a psycho-spiritual approach. Nick Duffell, Psychotherapist and author of 'The Making of Them' and 'Wounded Leader'."

Author Information

Dr Mark Stibbe is an award winning Christian author who has over thirty popular books and five academic books in print. Many of his popular books have been published by Monarch, (I am Your Father, 2010), SPCK (My Fathers Tears, 2014) and Authentic Media (The Presents of God, 2014). His academic books are required reading in universities and seminaries all over the world. Recently Mark has taken to writing works of fiction and is currently collaborating with GP Taylor in developing a series of novels about an English Spy Vicar in the time of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Mark is also founder and CEO of KWS (Kingdom Writing Solutions), a holistic service for Christian writers. He is also a popular contributor at writer's conferences and workshops and has recently started Stibbe Webinars, a web based interactive teaching and training initiative.

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