The spiral staircase : my climb out of darkness
(Book)

[The author] begins this ... story of her spiritual journey with her departure in 1969 from the Roman Catholic convent she had entered seven years before--hoping, but ultimately failing, to find God. She knew nothing of the changed world to which she was returning, and she was tormented by panic attacks and inexplicable seizures. [Her] struggle against despair was further fueled by a string of discouragements--failed spirituality, doctorate, and jobs; fruitless dealings with psychiatrists. Finally, in 1976, she was diagnosed with epilepsy, given proper treatment, and released from her "private hell." She then began the writing career that would become her true calling. -Dust jacket.