Sacred Wounds: A Path to Healing from Spiritual Trauma
by Teresa B. Pasquale
Foreword by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM
"Beautifully written and pastorally rich. Highly recommended!”
—Brian D. McLaren, Author/Speaker
Trauma therapist Teresa B. Pasquale offers healing exercises, true-life examples, and life-giving discussion for anyone suffering from the very real pain of church hurt. Pasquale, a trauma survivor herself, understands the immeasurable value of our wounds once we've acknowledged them and recovered in community. That's why the wounds are "sacred," and the hope this book offers is a powerful message to anyone suffering from this widespread problem. Trauma therapist Teresa B. Pasquale offers healing exercises, true-life examples, and life-giving discussion for anyone suffering from the very real pain of church hurt. Pasquale, a trauma survivor herself, understands the immeasurable value of our wounds once we've acknowledged them and recovered in community. That's why the wounds are "sacred," and the hope this book offers is a powerful message to anyone suffering from this widespread problem.
This book explores the nature of emotional wounds, trauma, and spiritual hurt that come from negative religious experience. Some of the features are:
- Stories from a wide range of persons hurt by negative religious experience
- Healing and contemplative practices to help readers explore their own spiritual story and practical ways to move towards personal healing
- A journey through the experience of trauma in religious settings and how it is both relatable and distinctive to other forms of trauma, outlining both facets
- An exploration of the author’s own personal and professional understanding of hurt, trauma, PTSD, and the power of resiliency and healing
"Wise teachers and reliable paths are so hard to find. In Sacred Wounds and in Teresa B. Pasquale, you have both. ... Hurt people hurt people, I’ve frequently observed. Sacred Wounds shows us how to honor our hurts so that we become healing people healing people." —Fr. Richard Rohr, from the Foreword
Endorsements
“So many people have been wounded by religion. So few understand the personal, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of these wounds. As a pastor and a professional therapist, Teresa Pasquale is the first person I would go to for help in processing spiritual pain. Now, her gentle wisdom is available widely through Sacred Wounds. It is beautifully written and pastorally rich. Highly recommended!” ―Brian D. McLaren, Author/Speaker
"Sacred Wounds is an incredible tool of hope! Teresa Pasquale is an amazing guide, tender and wise, and offers her own experiences, other’s powerful stories, and practical, gentle, and meaningful exercises for healing. I will be sharing it with the many people I know longing for hope after experiencing religious trauma.” ―Kathy Escobar, pastor and author of Faith Shift: Finding Your Way Forward When Everything You Believe Is Coming Apart
“I met Teresa Pasquale for the first time when she was moderating a lecture — at which the lecturer failed to show. So Teresa stepped up to the mic and asked the audience in her generous and unassuming way, ‘Would you like to practice breathing?’ My friends and I said yes, and we were greatly enriched by the experience. The second time I encountered Teresa Pasquale was in reading her book, Sacred Wounds. It is as if again, Teresa has stepped forward and said gently, kindly, ‘Would you like to practice healing?’ I hope that readers grappling with their own spiritual wounds have the courage and the wisdom to say yes.”―Sarah Thebarge, author of The Invisible Girls
“Sacred Wounds is a literary liminal adventure into the holy terrain of trauma, healing, brokenness, and openness. In these pages lies a call for us to be wounded healer-warriors in a fear-ful trauma-saturated culture. May it be so!” ―Anthony Smith (Postmodern Negro); Pastor, Mission House
“Coming from a place of deep compassion and skilled knowledge and experience in the professional field of the healing arts, Teresa brings to us her deepest wisdom to the critical question ‘how do we recover from religious and spiritual trauma?’ The good news is that healing and recovery are possible. In this groundbreaking book, Teresa invites readers on that redemptive journey." ―Sarah Griffith Lund, author, Blessed Are the Crazy