Did you have a tough childhood? Do you know someone who did? Many of us who survived traumatic or abusive childhoods still carry the wounds left from that difficult time. We have dealt with the physical traumas, worked through the emotional baggage with the help of therapy, but there is still something missing...something not quite right. Somehow, we feel different from everyone else....we feel flawed, we feel that we must hide our true selves from the world, because if "they found out what we are really like, they would not accept us".

At Mary's Hope Workshops, we have a name for this problem: we call it a hole in our soul.

We believe that there is another level of healing, beyond physical and emotional, that is necessary to fully recover from childhood abuse and trauma: spiritual healing. Spiritual healing allows survivors to regain their sense of connectivity to the Holy, however that is understood. It enables survivors to reconnect with that which is good in this life, and to see that they are not a mistake of creation. It enables survivors to leave behind their shame based perception of themselves, and to embrace their real identity as beloved children of the Creator.

Mary's Hope Workshops will offer a workshop on spiritual healing and recovery from profound childhood abuse at St Raphael's Episcopal Church, 802 Leta Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80911, Saturday April 18th. The workshop help find answers to the questions: What do I say to a survivor of childhood abuse who asks, why did God let the abuse happen? Or if you are a survivor, what do you do with the pain, confusion, and emptiness which remain, even years after the abuse? How do you heal from abuse that touches your very soul?

Who should attend: survivors of childhood abuse who have begun their psychological healing, mental health personnel, victim service workers, pastoral care professionals, clergy, foster and adoptive parents and other caring individuals that walk the healing journey with abuse survivors.

"Introductory Workshop - Spiritual Healing and Recovery" helps both those who care for survivors and survivors to find the tools to help with the difficult journey of spiritual healing. This 7 hour workshop is designed to give attendees a common language about spiritual wounds, knowledge about the distorted or even arrested spiritual development of the abused child, and knowledge about how to facilitate healing. This experiential workshop requires advance registration.

The workshop begins with registration at 8:30 am and ends at 5 pm. The special fee for this workshop is $50.00 due to a generous grant from the Virginia Ervin Fund. The fee includes a workbook and other workshops materials. Lunch is provided. Registration required. Contact Mary's Hope - 303-377-0293 or maryshope@qwestoffice.net.

Mary's Hope Workshops is a Colorado-based ecumenical organization, not bound by the limits of a specific faith tradition, offering education about healing and recovery from the spiritual wounds left in the wake of profound childhood abuses. Since 2000 Mary's Hope has presented more than 175 educational programs and workshops to over 5,000 individuals in 10 states. The presenters, Sherry Niermann and the Rev Diane Moore, are respected regionally and nationally as voices promoting the spiritual healing of survivors of profound childhood abuse. Moore, an ordained Episcopal deacon, and Niermann are spiritual directors, educators, writers and themselves survivors of profound child abuse. They share liberally from their experiences working with thousands of survivors, offering multiple tools for healing other survivors. More information about Mary's Hope Workshops can be found on-line: www.maryshope.org.