Survivors of sexual trauma can be female or male and come from every ethnicity, family structure, and socioeconomic group. Whether or not you are a survivor, it is very likely you know someone who is.

The personal stories of Lisa Mladinich, Courtney Hempstead, Denise Bossert, Patty Espinosa Capetillo, Marguerite Ogden, Jeannette Meyer, and Deacon Marty Meyer in Hear My Story: Walking with Survivors of Sexual Trauma offer hope that healing is possible — and are invaluable aids for helping others find healing. Each writer shares her or his own journey from the edge of the cliff, through the valley, and into the Lord’s arms. Therapist sidebars and additional materials written by Cherie Spellman, LMFT, are included.

This book is meant not just for survivors of sexual assault but for those who know and love them. Sometimes the people we count on to help us deal with trauma are stuck in their own reality, unwilling or unable to acknowledge that darkness and evil have happened to someone they love — and possibly at the hands of someone they know.

A true companion on the journey to healing must listen to each story with empathy, believe that it really happened, grieve with the brokenhearted, and commit to participating in the journey to inner healing. This book is not only for the quarter of our society that has been wounded but for anyone who is called to accompany the wounded toward healing.

Let the voices in this book become a beacon of hope.