You Are Safe Now: A Survivor’s Guide to Listening to Your Gut, Healing from Abuse, and Living in Freedom
Ebook
“I didn’t know I was being manipulated. I didn’t know the signs.” “I didn’t know the cycle of abuse, or that it’s normal to feel guilt for something that’s not your fault, to have complex emotions about your abuser as you heal. I learned that I could set boundaries, choose not to reconcile, and still pursue the internal freedom of forgiveness.” – Tricia Lott Williford
A seasoned author and masterful storyteller, Tricia Lott Williford encountered the public trauma of the death of her husband, but she held quietly the private trauma that happened at the same time: grooming, manipulation, sexual abuse, and spiritual abuse by a person of trust. Tricia and her therapist, Jana Richardson, LPC, have written a resource to help others recognize the veiled dynamics of abuse, where it starts, how it escalates, and how survivors can break free and find freedom. Peer-reviewed by mental health therapists, You Are Safe Now offers a survivor’s firsthand story of abuse in the church including
- an explanation of the nature of abusers and their common tactics;
- compassionate, nuanced discussion of trauma responses;
- research, examples, and statistics to identify abusive dynamics, predation, grooming, and psychological manipulation; and
- practical tools and resources to facilitate recovery.
For survivors of abuse, counselors, therapists, pastors who treat survivors, and those who support survivors in their healing, You Are Safe Now is an indispensable resource.
This stunning book is like being ushered into a therapist’s (Jana’s) office and listening to the therapist’s client (Tricia), whose transparency is so lucid and articulate that you can see the feelings and hear the pulses of her heart. In You Are Safe Now the church is provided with one of the most important books on codependency, on spiritual abuse, on therapeutic finesse, and on a pastor who realized something was not right and was called to put an end to it. Right then and there Tricia heard, “You are safe now,” and the healing began. A redemptive book of insight, grace, forgiveness, and healing.
An achingly raw and redemptive book. Tricia and Jana masterfully unveil the tactics of abusers and the realities of trauma while simultaneously showing the rescue and goodness of God. I hope that every pastor and counselor will read this book to learn how to come alongside victims—and that every person harmed by abuse can encounter the safety and hope in these pages.
You Are Safe Now reads as the work of a master storyteller paired with the professional insight of a compassionate witness and expert guide. Together, Tricia and Jana have provided a significant contribution to the literature on abuse. This is a gift to all those who seek a better understanding of the complex dynamics of interpersonal exploitation and a clear, hopeful, practical guide for the healing journey.
You Are Safe Now is both a courageous and vulnerable memoir and a wise and kind guide. Tricia Williford’s bravery in recounting her season of abuse and grief will both encourage and bring healing to the reader, while Jana Richardson’s therapeutic narration will offer psychological explanations and tangible next steps. Someone in or coming out of abuse will find a pathway in You Are Safe Now, and someone walking alongside a healing victim will have a clearer understanding of how to show empathy and support. This is a beautiful and needed book.
You Are Safe Now is one of those rare books that is as moving as it is instructional. Tricia is a gifted and talented writer, and the way she brings readers into her story and points us to hope and healing is inspirational and eye-opening. For those who want to learn how to travel from “victim” to “survivor” (or lead others on the journey), this book is a gem.
I could not put this book down. I sat down to glance at the first chapter . . . and before I stood up, I had devoured it cover to cover. Tricia and Jana have done something extraordinary, unlike anything I’ve encountered before in books on trauma. I believe this honest journey about the life cycle of abusive patterns and relationships will not dysregulate your nervous system, will not retraumatize you. Instead, the authors’ honest and kind words will wrap around you like a warm blanket, speaking in the voices of trusted friends guiding you through the hardest parts. Somehow, even though the truth telling is hard, the path toward healing and healthy intimacy becomes clear. I trust that when you emerge from these pages, you will find yourself stronger.
- Title: You Are Safe Now: A Survivor’s Guide to Listening to Your Gut, Healing from Abuse, and Living in Freedom
- Authors: Tricia Lott Williford, Jana Richardson MA LPC EMDR
- Publisher: NavPress
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781641582827, 9781641582803, 1641582804, 1641582820
- Resource ID: LLS:9781641582827
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-10-29T07:19:08Z