The road to recovery. (reader forum).

I was moved and inspired by John Gallagher's article about gay survivors of clergy sexual abuse ["Among the Abused," June 25]. The men and women Gallagher interviewed deserve our gratitude and praise. Through their courage, I hope that others who have been victimized by clerics will gain the strength to break their silence, step forward, and get the help they need and deserve.

David Clohessy, director Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, St. Louis, Mo.

I too am a gay man who was a victim of sexual abuse by a member of the clergy when I was a teenager. My molester wasn't Catholic but Mormon. When I notified church officials, their response was that my abuser was owed confidentiality in the matter. When I sought legal advice, I found the statute of limitations was good for only a couple of years. The one thing I could do--and did do--was resign my membership in the Mormon Church.

The healing process of the sexually abused isn't like a wound that turns into a scab, then gently peels away to reveal new skin. The emotional injury of the abused becomes buried and covered by secrecy, self-blame, and guilt. Past memories that for years were so easy to ignore start to haunt your mind. Painful feelings of mistrust, anger, hurt, and rage consume your body.

Then one day the wound explodes. All the pent-up anger, guilt, and shame spills into every aspect of life. For me, my wound erupted when I turned 38. Everything I thought I knew about life changed. It took more than 20 years of life experience for me to comprehend the horrible predicament my molester had created for me. The first thing I did to clean up the mess? I faced up to the man who abused me. Surprisingly, he had risen in rank within the Mormon Church. Writing to him was one of the hardest tasks I ever encountered. But I had no choice. My letter to my abuser opened a new door for me: my path to healing and recovery.

Ed Nielsen, Seattle, Wash.