Sanctuary of Healing: Transforming Churches Into Trauma-Informed Spaces

With compassion and insight, pastor Julia Matallana Freedman empowers religious leaders to address the prevalence of trauma in their congregations with empathy and care. Bringing startling data about the prevalence of sexual, racial, and generational trauma in the U.S. to light, she asserts that holding space for parishioners' traumatic life experiences--truly delving into and exploring the pain of their past in one-on-one sessions--can help transform places of worship into what she calls "sanctuaries of healing." Through practical tools and a call to "hold space," this guide offers actionable steps to create safe, intentional environments where healing and wholeness--both spiritual and physical--can flourish.