When A Woman You Love Was Abused

About the Book: 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that 80 percent of childhood abuse victims later suffer from at least one abuse-induced psychological disorder. It's proven that the effects of childhood abuse follow women into adulthood. Yet few men are prepared to deal with those effects, even when their own wife is the one who is suffering. And their wife's suffering becomes their own suffering as their needs aren't being met by a wife who is powerless to control her inner turmoil.

Author, pastor, and survivor Dawn Scott Jones candidly shares her own abuse experience to help husbands understand the varied emotions, fears, distorted thoughts, and triggers that hold their wives captive. In practical and accessible language, Jones explains the stages of the healing journey (processing denial, asking for help, grieving, expressing anger, learning to forgive, and finding resolution). Building on that knowledge, Jones then moves to an honest discussion of what husbands can do to help. Whether it's creating a healing environment, understanding the need for control, building trust, or even just praying for healing, a husband plays an active role in helping his wife survive and thrive despite her past abuse.

Offering hope for a healthy marriage relationship, When a Woman You Love Was Abused answers the questions men have and offers the advice they need to help their wives finally find peace.

Meet Dawn:  
For over twenty years God has graciously used Dawn to touch the lives of people through her affecting personal testimony, her humor, and her writing. Dawn’s past challenges have deepened and enriched her ministry; enabling her to truly understand and relate to what others are going through.

Dawn is an Ordained Minister with the Assemblies of God. She has served in various capacities including Executive Team Pastor, Small Groups Pastor, and Woman’s Ministry Director. Dawn travels Nation-wide speaking, training and consulting.

Find out more about Dawn Scott at http://www.dawnjones.org/.

What I Thought About the Book:

Counseling women from all kinds of backgrounds is something that just falls in the lap of a Pastor's wife whether she wants it or not. Unlike Pastors there is no real training that the wives get to go through. Many of us just fly by the seat of our pants and rely on our own personal experiences and knowledge of the Word. With books like this available to us the job of helping other women is much easier.

As someone who trained in psychology I was familiar with the steps Dawn took the reader through and thought she did a wonderful job. She covered three major areas, Understanding the Survivor, Understanding the Healing Process, and How You Can Help, each going into depth and step by step detailed info on how to help the woman you love recover from abuse. I really appreciated how she small, simple steps all the way through, Instead of having the reader focus on the huge picture, she had them focus on specific details that would slowly help their loved one heal. Going through a traumatic thing like abuse can be overwhelming not only for the victim, but for the family as well.

Although this book was written specifically for the husband of an abused woman, there is so much that anyone who has had a loved one suffer abuse could get from it. The steps are as valid for other people as well. I think it will also help people understand how victims of this kind of abuse feel and how they can help and pray for them.

If you would like to buy a copy of the book you can find it here:  http://ow.ly/dva82 

Live Webcast:

In coordination with the launch of their fall releases, Kregel will be hosting a live webcast event on September 20 at 8 PM EDT featuring authors Kim Ketola (Cradle My Heart), Teske Drake (Hope for Today, Promises for Tomorrow), Dawn Scott Jones (When A Women You Love Was Abused). The webcast will allow women to come together to share their struggles and fears in order to move toward healing and hope. Women will be able to support one another and discuss shared experiences in a non-threatening, open and loving environment.

Cat Hoort of Kregel says, "We are seeking to provide safe means for Christian women to be vulnerable with each other, to seek help and guidance and counselors, and to find encouragement from those who have shared similar experiences. Out hope is that Women Redeemed webcast will become a forum for hurting women as well as for those who can help. Kim, Teske, and Dawn are all survivors and their stories will surely inspire and equip other women to move toward healing and hope."

To register for the event, just click HERE: https://www.facebook.com/KregelBooks/app_241719209283045

I received a copy of the book from the publisher though Litfuse for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated for this post in any other way. All opinions expressed here are my own.