Diane Mandt Langberg - On the Threshold of Hope: Opening the Door to Hope and Healing for Survivors of Sexual Abuse (AACC Counseling Library)

A survivor of sexual abuse says:

"If you are a survivor of sexual abuse, you are not alone. You hold in your hands not merely the weight of a single book but also the weight of stories that describe what it felt like to be hurt, afraid, hopeless, abandoned, and lost into the darkness. We who are survivors wrestle with overwhelming grief, anger, confusion, and unanswerable questions.

"After years of working with survivors like you and me, Dr. Langberg understands your suffering and respects your long struggle. However, her hope goes far beyond this because she knows what true healing looks like, and she knows that it is available to you. She speaks truth in the face of lies and will lead you to the Truth, the only source of real healing.

"Reading this b

-Isabelle

A counselor says:

As it counselor, I can promise that this book will touch your life deeply-whether you are a survivor of sexual abuse or someone who has chosen to walk with a survivor on his or her journey to healing. With sensitivity and in clear language, Dr. Langberg will help you face the 'hellishness' of the experience of sexual abuse-but she will also help you to know the presence and power of the Redeemer.

"Because of Diane's many years of experience with survivors, she knows the trauma they face, and she provides a safe place for them to tell their own story. Through her voice and the voices of survivors, you will understand how abuse damaged the survivor's body, emotions, thinking, relationships, and spirit. But you will also hear hope as these same voices-joined by the voice of Jesus, the Redeemer-describe what healing looks like in each of the damaged areas.

"Diane shows how to find strength to distinguish between the distorted reality of the experience of abuse and the truth that can begin to restore wholeness to people who are damaged to the core of their being. She points to biblical stories of sexual abuse and describes how God feels about abuse. She shows that the enemy of our souls, Satan, is the origin of sexual abuse and that God has send a Champion to fight a battle that no one person, no counselor, no amount of human care and compassion can fight alone.

"This is a refreshing and deeply satisfying book that will unlock the specifics of the healing process and give profound examples of survivors who have walked the healing journey in extraordinary ways. As I read these pages, I was moved, changed, and given a new sense of hope and trust in the One who bore abuse and suffering so that we can be healed.'.

-David Gatewood, Supervisor of Counseling Services, Focus on the Family

A pastor and church leader says:

"As I read this book, I became caught up in the content-emotionally, spiritually, theologically, and intellectually. This hook is for this moment. It should have been written long ago, but now we have a book that will aid professionals as well as friends and family members of those who walk the road to healing from the wounds of sexual abuse.

"As a minister, counselor, Christian educator, and a cultural apologist, I believe that this book should be required reading for anyone involved in caring ministry-seminary students, pastors, counselors, youth directors, and lay leaders. It is intense reading that not only offers significant insights into healing from sexual abuse but does so from a sound psychology of relationships cast within a clearly biblical theological mold. Langberg's insights into Scripture open new vistas to those of us involved in ministering to people. On the Threshold of Hope is an excellent companion to Diane Langberg's earlier book about abuse, Counseling Survii'ors of Sexual Abuse. "

-Dr. Charles Dunahoo, Director of Christian Education, The Presbyterian Church of America

Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling by Mark R. McMinn, Ph.D.

Counseling Children through the World of Play by Daniel S. Sweeney, Ph.D.

Promoting Change through Brief Therapy in Christian Counseling by Gary J. Oliver, Ph.D., Monte Hasz, Psy.D., and Matthew Richburg, M.A.

Counseling Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Diane Mandt Langberg, Ph.D.

Family Shock: Keeping Families Strong in the Midst of Earthshaking Change by Gary R. Collins, Ph.D.

Intimate Allies: Rediscovering God's Design for Marriage and Becoming Soul Mates for Life by Dan B. Allender, Ph.D., and Tremper Longman III, Ph.D.

"Why Did You Do That?" Understand Why Your Family Members Act As They Do by Wm. Lee Carter, Ed.D.

Questions Couples Ask behind Closed Doors: A Christian Counselor Explores the Most Common Conflicts of Marriage by James Osterhaus, Ph.D.

High-Maintenance Relationships: How to Handle Impossible People by Les Parrott III, Ph.D.

Fresh Start: 8 Principles for Starting Over When a Relationship Doesn't Work by Thomas Whiteman, Ph.D. and Randy Petersen

Into Abba's Arms: Finding the Acceptance You've Always Wanted by Sandra D. Wilson, Ph.D.

Simplify Your Life and Get More out of It! by H. Norman Wright, M.A.

Changing Your Child's Heart: Parenting Tools to Change Your Child's Attitude, Not Just Behavior by Steve Sherbondy

DIANI: MANDT LANGBERG, PH.D.

To the many survivors I have known: Your liter are a testimony to the redemptive power of the living Christ. I am honored to have participated in his work with you and in you.

CONTENTS

PART 1-APPROACHING THE SUBJECT OF SEXUAL ABUSE

PART 2-DEALING WITH THE ABUSE

PART 3-WHAT WAS DAMAGED IN THE ABUSE?

PART 4-WHAT DOES HEALING LOOK LIKE?

PART 5-FINDING OTHERS TO HELP

Acknowledgments