A practical roadmap for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, incest, and generational trauma who are ready to break the cycle.
For survivors ready to break old patterns: Learn how childhood sexual abuse and incest can silently shape adult relationships, work, and self‑worth, and how to start changing those patterns with intention.
For those navigating complex families: Get trauma‑informed tools for naming generational dysfunction, setting boundaries, and deciding who truly belongs in your life and at your table.
For therapists and other helpers: Discover a survivor‑authored resource that complements therapy with survivor‑centered language, insights, and exercises you can integrate into your work.
You may find yourself in adulthood still carrying the impact of childhood sexual abuse, caught in cycles of domestic violence, addiction, toxic professional relationships, failed marriages, and other lingering shadows of trauma. Set Your Own Table helps you gently untangle these patterns so you can begin breaking the cycle of old dynamics and start building a life that fits who you are becoming.
Drawing from her own story as an incest survivor and what she first shared in her memoir Predators at the Table, Terri Thorne offers practical tools, survivor‑centered insight, and hard‑won wisdom about how childhood sexual abuse and incest can shape adult relationships, work, self‑worth, and your relationship with your own body.
Inside, you’ll explore:
How childhood sexual abuse and incest can silently script adult relationships, work, and self‑esteem
Naming and challenging generational trauma and family patterns that keep you small, silent, or over‑responsible
Navigating complex family systems and loyalty binds as you set new boundaries
Creating trauma‑informed boundaries that honor your safety, energy, and values
Moving from shame, secrecy, and self‑blame toward dignity, truth‑telling, and joy
Each chapter weaves personal story, guided reflection, affirmations, and concrete practices to help you listen to your body, trust your inner wisdom, and take the next right step at your own pace. This book does not replace work with a therapist or psychologist; it complements therapy and trauma recovery by offering survivor‑friendly language, examples, and exercises you can bring into sessions or use between them.
A book and podcast that work together
Season one of the Place Cards podcast is built from this book, with each episode reflecting a chapter’s themes so you can revisit the work in an audio format between readings or therapy sessions.
While Set Your Own Table is written first for those who have survived childhood sexual abuse, it can also help partners, friends, and professionals better understand and support the survivors in their lives. This book testifies to the human spirit’s capacity to move from surviving sexual abuse toward living more boldly and fully.
At its heart, this book is about giving you the power to decide who belongs at your table.
About the Author
Terri Thorne is an incest survivor, speaker, and advocate committed to breaking the silence around childhood sexual abuse and generational trauma. Through her memoir Predators at the Table, her book Set Your Own Table: A Survivor’s Guide to Healing from Childhood Sexual Abuse, the Place Cards podcast, and the resources she offers through iThrive Collective, she creates compassionate spaces where survivors feel seen, heard, and supported. Terri has transformed her pain into purpose, inspiring others to pursue lives rooted in daily joy, resilience, and hope. Find additional survivor‑centered tools and community at iThrive Collective.
Signed Editions Available.
