the trauma tree: going beyond survival, growing toward wholeness

＂You will be gripped by the author’s honesty and authenticity throughout the chapters of this book. More than that, you will gain the tools to move from survival mode to wholeness. If you or someone you know has experienced trauma, this is one of the most important books you can read.＂
--Carol Kent, speaker, founder and executive director of Speak Up Ministries, and author of When I Lay My Isaac Down

Trauma doesn’t have to define you.

Trauma is a liar. It claims that all hope is lost and that pain dictates your life. Lisa Saruga understands this struggle deeply. As a licensed counselor, trauma therapist, and a victim of sexual assault, she’s been there, and she knows the way out.
The Trauma Tree is a companion for your healing journey. Saruga walks with you through her own story and the stories of survivors, demonstrating how you can move through trauma, avoid re-traumatization, and grow stronger in your mind, body, and spirit.

Woven throughout is a parable of Saruga’s front-yard pear tree, a representation of life and longevity . . . until it was crushed by what seemed like irreparable physical trauma. For the pear tree, and maybe for you, too, a devastating event has transformed life from flourishing to simply surviving.

But mere survival doesn’t have to be the goal.

Discover the God-given resources you were created with and learn to process emotions, find a healthy support system, and start an effective therapeutic path to healing. Move toward God’s goal for you: healing and wholeness.