Contact: Twila Belk, Gotta Tell Somebody Inc., 563-332-1622, twilabelk@mchsi.com  

ATLANTA, Feb. 22, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Senator Scott Brown's memoir, "Against All Odds," just released and the big news story is his revelation that he was sexually abused as a child. The senator has something in common with evangelical pastor Ted Haggard, actor/producer Tyler Perry, and CNN news anchor Don Lemon. The difference between these men and millions of other men is that they've finally given themselves permission to tell their stories. And that leads to healing and freedom from their hidden shackles.

Senator Brown's abuser told him that he'd kill him if he ever told anyone. "Besides, nobody will ever believe you," he said.

Shame, fear, and a number of other things keep countless men from opening up and letting people know about their past. They live with their secret stuffed deep inside them, and they suffer in silence, sometimes without telling a soul. Sadly, the effects of their abuse follow them throughout their life.

Veteran author Cecil Murphey, also an abuse survivor, says, "I didn't face up to the reality of my sexual abuse until I hit 50. For years the pain of abuse lay buried deeply, but the hurt and damage of the past finally broke through." Murphey says he grew up living with the effects of the abuse and that the abusive experiences had left their mark on his life. He encourages other men to face reality. "Abuse happened to us. Until we accept it and face what it has done to our lives, we don't really move forward. We only live unhealed lives."

Murphey addresses these thoughts to abuse survivors:

"The impact of sexual abuse can be devastating and it is long lasting. You were a child, and you were victimized by someone -- and most of the time it was someone you trusted.

"The first thing you need to know is this: The sexual abuse was not your fault. You may even be told that you did something wrong, but that person lied. You were a victim; you were an innocent child.

"Most of the adult survivors with whom I've talked told me that they grew up feeling something was wrong with them. They believed they caused the abuse and blamed themselves.

"You may have tried to talk about the molestation and no one listened. Until recent years, too many adults refused to acknowledge that such things occurred. If that happened to you, you have probably felt inadequate, embarrassed, isolated, guilty, shameful, and powerless. Then you probably reacted by suppressing this as a shameful secret.

"Research now affirms the link between the abuse and the effects. Each of us needs to be able to admit that the long-term effects are powerful and include poor self-esteem, difficulty trusting others, anxiety, feelings of isolation, self-injury and self-mutilation, eating disorders, sleep problems, depression, self-destructive tendencies, sexual maladjustment, and substance abuse."

Cecil Murphey hurt for a long time because of childhood sexual abuse. Now he provides a safe place for hurting men to connect with other survivors of sexual abuse. Visit www.menshatteringthesilence.blogspot.com for more information. He is also the author of "When a Man You Love Was Abused" (Kregel, 2010), as well as 120 other books, including the New York Times bestseller "90 Minutes in Heaven" (with Don Piper) and "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story" (with Dr. Ben Carson). His newest books are "Knowing God, Knowing Myself" (January 2011) and "Getting to Heaven: Departing Instructions for Your Life Now" (with Don Piper, March 2011). For more information about Cecil Murphey, visit www.cecilmurphey.com.  

For interview requests, contact Twila Belk: twilabelk@mchsi.com or 563-332-1622.