Holy Hurt: Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing
Ebook
Overview
Rebuilding trust, connection, and hope after spiritual trauma
Too often the institutions and communities that are meant to be the most holy in our lives end up deeply hurting us. Religious trauma, spiritual abuse, and faith-based wounds can leave lasting scars that impact every aspect of our lives.
In Holy Hurt, award-winning clinical psychologist Hillary L. McBride delivers a profound message: spiritual trauma is real, widespread, and has far-reaching consequences. More importantly, she provides hope and practical guidance for those seeking healing from religious trauma and spiritual abuse. You’ll discover
● evidence-based healing strategies rooted in clinical research and trauma therapy techniques;
● real stories of recovery from survivors of spiritual abuse and religious trauma;
● practices at the end of each chapter designed to support your healing journey;
● expert insights from leading trauma therapists, spiritual abuse counselors, and recovery specialists; and
● tools for prevention to help create healthier faith communities and protect against spiritual manipulation.
McBride expertly combines clinical research, trauma literature, and compelling interviews with experts to create a comprehensive guide for spiritual trauma recovery. Each chapter includes first-person accounts of healing and practices to help readers process their experiences and begin their journey toward wholeness.
This essential resource empowers trauma survivors, family members, clergy, counselors, and anyone seeking to understand the complex dynamics of spiritual abuse. Whether you’re healing from religious trauma, supporting someone who has experienced it, or working to prevent it in faith communities, Holy Hurt offers the clinical expertise and compassionate guidance you need.
From the Back Cover
Rebuilding Trust, Connection, and Hope after Spiritual Trauma
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.
Drawing on clinical research, trauma literature, insightful interviews with experts, and poignant first-person stories, McBride shows that acknowledging the impact of spiritual trauma in our lives helps us to begin to tend our wounds individually and collectively, allowing us to reconnect with ourselves and others.
"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
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
- Title: Holy Hurt: Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing
- Author: Hillary L. McBride
- Publisher: Brazos Press
- Print Publication Date: 2025
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Pages: 272
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781493449583, 9781587436598, 1587436590, 1493449583
- Resource ID: LLS:9781493449583
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-08-15T19:14:57Z
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 is a sought-after speaker and retreat leader. McBride is the author of The Wisdom of Your Body, Practices for Embodied Living, and Mothers, Daughters, and Body Image. Her work has been recognized by the American Psychological Association and the Canadian Psychological Association. Learn more at www.hillarylmcbride.com.