Walking Free From the Trauma of Coercive, Cultic and Spiritual Abuse: A Workbook for Recovery and Growth
"I see the process of recovery and growth after a coercive, cultic or spiritually abusive experience as a journey. It takes time and effort and we need a roadmap as we navigate across bumpy terrain and around some roadblocks, but there is a way through and a destination worth seeking."
This book provides a comprehensive guide to recovery, based on a tested model of post-cult counselling (now referred to as Walking Free Counselling), and years of research and clinical experience. It is designed to help survivors of diverse abusive settings, including religious and spiritual, political, gangs, business, therapy and wellness and one-on-one relationships. The reader follows a beautifully illustrated journey through four Phases of Recovery and Growth, one Milestone at a time, to make sense of what has happened to them, learn how to walk free from psychological control and find resources for healing. Gillie includes stories from her own experience, detailing her path towards recovery and how she learned to come to terms with and overcome what happened to her.
BOOK LAUNCH
Onlinevents Book Launch, May 2023
Dr Gillie Jenkinson is joined by Onlinevents’ John Wilson to launch her brand new workbook.
DIANNE CASONI AWARD
2024 Dianne Casoni Award
The Dianne Casoni International Award is presented in honour of psychologist and criminology professor Dianne Casoni. It was awarded to Gillie in 2024 “for outstanding quality and relevance of her book entitled Walking Free from the Trauma of Coercive, Cultic and Spiritual Abuse: A Workbook for Recovery and Growth and for its contribution to a better understanding of cultic phenomena”.
Reviews
“There are not enough superlatives to describe your book. It is fantastic. I love the journey analogy, the whole concept of a journey implying a pathway to recovery, the concept of a workbook engaging multiple ‘sensory’ elements, the early introduction of what their desired recovery will resemble, and the various stages they will journey through. The illustrations are brilliant, especially the roadmap. And your writing skills are first class - easy to read, and retaining the reader’s interest. It truly is a triumph.”
— Denis Healy, Psychotherapist
“Gillie Jenkinson has provided former members and those who counsel them with a unique gift, which will profoundly impact the recovery field. After leaving cult life's cognitive and emotional confusion, Dr. Jenkinson uses the perfect grounding metaphor of a physical journey (with illustrations) to give former cult members a step-by-step ‘psychological roadmap’. Like the best kind of guide, she offers wisdom gained from her own cult experience and her years as a therapist in the cult recovery field. With each step forward, as the ‘fog’ of cult life begins to clear, former members can finally arrive at a place where they gain their authentic identity with a wide range of feelings and a clearer sense of reality. This workbook is a remarkable achievement.”
— Daniel Shaw, Psychoanalyst
“There is a new tool to help former cult members and other survivors of abusive groups and relationships, and I will be recommending it to every former cult member who consults with me. In this ground-breaking book, Gillie Jenkinson literally takes her readers on a step-by-step journey to recovery. She doesn’t use jargon and she doesn’t list aspirational goals and leave the ‘how’ to the reader’s imagination. Instead, she offers clear exercises and examples that untangle the process of recovery.
“The whimsical illustrations help the reader to visualize the recommended steps and invite the reader to participate. I recommend this workbook without reservation.”
— Bill Goldberg, Clinical Social Worker
