Holy Hurt
Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing
Where to Purchase
About
Too often the institutions and communities that are meant to be the most holy in our lives end up deeply hurting us.
In Holy Hurt, clinical psychologist Hillary L. McBride sends a sincere and profound message: spiritual trauma is real and has a far-reaching impact. She also reassures us that we can remake ourselves and heal in its aftermath.
McBride expertly and compassionately shows that acknowledging the impact of spiritual trauma in our lives allows us to begin to tend our wounds individually and collectively, experiencing reconnection with ourselves and others. She draws on clinical research, trauma literature, insightful interviews with experts, and poignant first-person stories, ending each chapter with a short practice to begin healing.
McBride empowers those who have lived through spiritual trauma or witnessed it, as well as those who want to develop healthier church environments and prevent abuse.
Contents
Introduction
1. The House Is Haunted
Mihee Kim-Kort and K.J. Ramsey on Defining Spiritual Trauma
2. Shards of Glass
J. S. Park on Fear-Based Spiritual Trauma
3. Pulling Back the Curtain
Preston Hill on the Systems and Process of Spiritual Trauma
4. All in the Family
Alison Cook and William Matthews on Learning to See Patterns That Perpetuate Spiritual Abuse
5. How We Feel
Laura Anderson on Power, Control, and the Savior Complex
6. Seeing and Believing
Alison Cook and J. S. Park on Healing
7. Mending and Meaning
Roberto Che Espinoza on Communal Healing and Belonging
8. Unsettling Ourselves
Mark Charles on the Legacy and Healing of Spiritual Trauma
Conclusion: Grief Is a Form of Hope
Endorsements
"I expected to feel understood when reading Holy Hurt, but I did not expect to be so thoroughly diagnosed beyond even my own self-awareness that I gently put the book down and made an appointment with my counselor. This particular sentence, 'We stoke in people an inner critic and tell them it's the voice of God,' healed two decades of pain and confusion for me. This will be a source of profound spiritual nurture for essentially everyone I know."
Jen Hatmaker, New York Times bestselling author; host of the For the Love podcast
"None of us are self-made and self-healed, and Hillary McBride brings many needed voices to an open table for help with mending, including her own valuable experience and gentle expertise. There is really no hurt like spiritual trauma, and McBride 'un-haunts the house,' inviting us into a delicate and deliberate healing that is never easy but made possible by this communal gathering of supportive voices."
J.S. Park, hospital chaplain; author of As Long As You Need: Permission to Grieve
The Author
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© LilyGlassPhotography Hillary L. McBride, PhD
Hillary L. McBride (PhD, University of British Columbia) is a registered psychologist and an award-winning researcher who has hosted the Other People's Problems and Holy/Hurt podcasts. She has a private practice in Victoria, British Columbia, and...
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