Find hope and healing in the wake of sexual abuse
If you are one of the millions of people who have suffered abuse in the form of rape, incest, molestation, sexting, sexual bullying, unwanted advances, pornography, and more, you know that hope doesn't come easy and healing can seem impossible. Dan Allender has been there--and he's spent twenty-five years helping other victims of sexual abuse walk the path toward wholeness.
Never minimizing the pain or offering pat spiritual answers that don't truly address the problem, Allender calls evil evil and lights the way to renewed joy, one step at a time.
Never minimizing the pain or offering pat spiritual answers that don't truly address the problem, Allender calls evil evil and lights the way to renewed joy, one step at a time.
Where to Purchase
About the Author:
Dan B. Allender is professor of counseling psychology and former president of The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology in Seattle, Washington. He travels and speaks extensively on sexual abuse recovery, love and forgiveness, worship, and other related topics. Allender is the author of fifteen books, including The Wounded Heart, and coauthor of God Loves Sex.
My Take:
Dan B. Allender is professor of counseling psychology and former president of The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology in Seattle, Washington. He travels and speaks extensively on sexual abuse recovery, love and forgiveness, worship, and other related topics. Allender is the author of fifteen books, including The Wounded Heart, and coauthor of God Loves Sex.
My Take:
This
is the first book I have read as a help book for victims of sexual abuse. It
was extremely insightful and educational. It is amazing the incredible number
of people who have suffered, or maybe even are suffering abuse. There are many
who don't even realized what they went through was abuse.
The
first part of the book was honestly a bit overwhelming. It was a sort of
introduction to many aspects and forms of sexual abuse from things people would
consider in consequential to very serious. At times it was very difficult to
read, and think that such atrocities could happen. Yet, I believe to an extent
this part of the book is relevant because it lays foundation for the healing
aspect of the book - which begins in part two. Dan Allender explains how
through these areas of abuse, people curse themselves, and allow evil to enter.
Most of the time unknowingly and also as a form of self-protection. Dr
Allender says:
The
calling of the good therapist is to follow the story of abuse and its aftermath
closely enough to see the tracks of evil. There will always be a unique
configuration of debris, a pattern of evil's intent that gives and indication
of the covenants the victim has made consciously or unconsciously with the
realm of darkness.
The second part of the
book addresses the healing path and gives hope to those who may be in despair.
Dan talks about joy, hope, peace, forgiveness. He describes how each can be
reached. He stresses that the path is long and the goal not easily achieved.
Superficial solutions do not necessarily fix the problem but are like
medication just masking the root. The abused must be able to face the abuse,
name it, and figure out what lies he or she is believing. They must be able to
grieve, as well as bless. Some of it is complicated, and as I mentioned before
not for the faint of heart, but worth it! A journey of true healing.
I think one can learn
much from this book. I am not sure if it is possible to use it alone with out
the help of a therapist. (Although it seems some therapists do more harm than
good, so finding the right one is essential) It is amazing how sexual abuse
affects so many different areas of a person's life. Dan goes into alot of the
science and psychology of how God designed our brains and bodies to function so
as to be able to deal with stress, abuse, etc. And how those parts although
simply doing their job, can hinder us from healing properly unless it is dealt
with instead of just shoved under the rug and forgotten. He also gives insight
into how to handle someone else's story and without causing even more pain or
undermining what they have been through.
The great news! There is
hope for recovery. There is healing for the wounded heart. God is at the root
of it all, and with His help it is possible. He designed us, we are wonderfully
made, and He is able to do above and beyond what we can imagine. So if you are
struggling, get this book- even if it is just a kick-off point, a beginning,
seek help so God can heal your heart.
The labor of this
pilgrimage is not to gain freedom or joy as much as it is to be captured by the
story so of Jesus and his death, resurrection, and ascension. But we don't do
so by forgetting or ignoring our story. We do so by entering our own death,
resurrection, and ascension in order to learn his story and live out his story
through our own.
Disclosure: This book
was provided courtesy of Baker Publishing in exchange for my honest opinion. I
was not required to review it positively.
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