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One Day At A Time actress, Mackenzie Williams has revealed how exposing her long-term incestuous relationship with her father irrevocably damaged her family life.
It was eight years ago that she first dropped the bombshell in her book High on Arrival, revealing how the Mamas & the Papas singer John Phillips had raped the then 19-year-old while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
The encounters continued and the pair eventually entered into a consensual sexual relationship that lasted nearly 10 years.
But in her latest book, Hopeful Healing: Essays on Managing Recovery, the 57-year-old has spoken out about how some of her family members still hold her accountable for the abuse.
Phillips explains how she was accused of lying about the incidents, with some upset that John, who passed away in 2001, couldn’t defend himself from the allegations.
At one point, her severed ties with her relatives even left her disinvited from a birthday party.
“Another family member was angered that I might attend, and I was told she was just not willing to forgive me yet,” she said.
“She wouldn’t forgive me! For abuses perpetrated against me as a child, or for exposing those abuses perhaps.”
Phillips, who has battled a drug addiction in the past, is now working as a drug rehabilitation counsellor at the Breathe Life Healing Centre.
To cope with the pain of being shunned by her nearest and dearest, Phillips admits that she leans on her own counsellor and loved ones for support.
“I’ve come to understand that some in my family have chosen to hold on to the pain and anger they felt when I came out with the truth about my dad,” she said.
“I understand that they’re still caught in a textbook response of devaluing the victim and holding up the perpetrator.”
“I’ve also had to accept that, of course, I’d be the target of negative reactions and feelings because I’m the one who wrote the book ad told a truth no one wanted to hear,” she continued.
“If you’re trying to maintain some sort of façade so you can avoid pain, the last thing you want is for the façade to be demolished.”
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