Healing Spiritual Wounds: Reconnecting with a Loving God After Experiencing a Hurtful Church - Hardcover

"Carol Howard Merritt gently unspools the tightly wound messages of shame and guilt that strangle spirits and cause damage to body, soul and relationships. Merritt shows the reader how to unfurl into the open space of God's great love. An invaluable tool for faith leaders and healers of all types."--Ruth Everhart, author of Ruined and Chasing the Divine in the Holy Land

"Carol Howard Merritt offers a profoundly useful resource for reconciliation and rebirth. In artfully rendering the story of her life, Merritt invites others to look deeply at their own lives, and to redraw the lines of their belief, and their very selves. This book is a gift."--Bromleigh McCleneghan, pastor and author of Good Christian Sex

"Sexism, homophobia and church politics can cause deep spiritual wounds, agony and pain. Carol Howard Merritt, through honest reflection and faithful analysis, helps her readers towards spiritual renewal and restoration. This is a powerful and compelling must-read book for a fragmented world longing for love, hope, wholeness and healing."--Grace Ji-Sun Kim, author of Embracing The Other

"If your story includes being hurt by the church, or by religious people, this book might be just the balm you've been looking for."--Off the Page

"Merritt transfigures her own harrowing journey into wisdom for others. With the heart of a pastor and the skill of a healer, Merritt pairs moving testimony with thoughtful exercises for working through trauma. Courageous, cathartic, and deeply moving, this book is a balm for bruised believers."--Katherine Willis Pershey, author of Any Day a Beautiful Change

"Substantive, beautiful, and deeply relevant in a time when many of us are trying to navigate a path of healing. I highly recommend this book to everyone who has ever set foot in a church, whether organized religion is a part of your life now or not."--David LaMotte, author, songwriter, speaker

"This book is joyful, but it's also sobering, for it's a reminder of how deeply religious practices can wound the spirit, and just how many people are still out there, right now, being pierced by cruelty in the name of God."--Spirituality and Health

"For anyone who has known the wounding that can come from those speaking and acting in God's name, this book is a must. In other words, if you have ever been to church or know someone who has, this book is for you. Read. And find healing for your wounds."--Patheos

"Carol Howard Merritt gives us a wise, gentle, and practical book for all those who have been hurt by their churches, but who seek healing in their lives and reconciliations with their faith communities."--James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage

"Healing Spiritual Wounds is a gift of candid and caring space for those who have been hurt by the church, and Carol Howard Merritt is a wise and gentle guide through the complex work of spiritual recovery. Welcome to a deeper, healthier faith journey."--Rachel G. Hackenberg is the author of Sacred Pause and Writing to God