As I’ve shared in the past, I am a trauma survivor. Although I spent years in therapy trying to deal with the emotional scars, I kept hitting a wall – a point where I just couldn’t go any further in my healing. For many years this was a source of great frustration for me. But then I discovered The Academy for Spiritual Formation, a program of The Upper Room. I enrolled in their two-year Academy, and it was during that journey I realized my remaining issues weren’t emotional but spiritual in nature. In other words, I had some grievances with God that I needed to air out. With the help of the Academy, my spiritual director, my therapist, and others, I was able to do that. Today, I’m in a place of great peace, for which I’m so grateful. IMG_7533

In August I will begin working on book #4. This one will be focused on helping my fellow trauma survivors with their own spiritual healing. It will – surprise, surprise – involve the use of prayer beads as a tool to help readers address their issues with and feelings about God. The format will be a Bible study with Scripture passages, discussion questions, etc. But there will also be a strong element of storytelling. I will be using my own story of trauma and healing to make various points throughout the book. However, I want to include stories from other survivors as well.

That’s where you come in!  I invite anyone who identifies as a trauma survivor to share your story with me. Here’s what you need to know:

  • It doesn’t matter what type of trauma you survived – abuse, crime, natural disaster, sudden loss, etc. As long as you identify as a trauma survivor, I’d love to hear your story.
  • You can share as little or as much as you want.
  • You can share your real name or a fake name.
  • If you take the time to submit your story, I will use it. It may show up in the book, or I may use it here on the blog. Either way, I will use it to talk about spiritual healing from trauma.

If you’re interested in sharing your story, please click here. The link will take you to a secure Survey Monkey questionnaire. If you have questions, let me know via the comments section below.

I look forward to sharing more about the book, your stories, my story, etc. over the next several months. Together, we will continue to journey towards Peace.