Naming Our Abuse (Review)

This review is for the book "Naming Our Abuse" by Andrew Schmutzer, Daniel Gorski and David Carlson. This book is focused on God's pathways to healing for male sexual abuse survivors. Although I am not a male, I could see the potential this book has for healing. As the men say, their abuse was already identified, but they needed more exploration. They did this in such a way that they labeled the trauma as a car accident, and talked about each stage - The Wreck, Accident Report, Rehabilitation and Driving Again. What a fantastic metaphor.

Obviously, The Wreck is the trauma that was inflicted on these men, which honestly, was unimaginable to me. Andrew, Daniel and David talk about their experiences in a way that you understand where they are coming from and the reader realizes how quickly these things occur, and how long it can go on without anyone even realizing it. Unbelievable. At the end of this section is a reflection of key moments in your own trauma, thinking of how the trauma affects your other relationships, how to be angry, and even coping tips. The Accident Report is discussing, as they say, "the magnitude of the debris" from The Wreck. This includes intimacy issues and anger issues, among other things. A section at the end of the chapter helps you journal your key moments and damage. Rehabilitation is all about the earnest desire to heal the broken parts of their lives. The reflection section goes through the healing process for you, advocates you can reach out to, and more coping tips. Lastly is Driving Again, which is the "moving on" process and adapting to life. There is a reflection area included at the end of this chapter as well.

I can tell this book is such a fantastic part of healing for men. I can imagine men who feel helpless, hopeless and alone, picking this book up and feeling like they know what steps to take to begin this process. What an awesome resource.

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.