Body & Soul, Healed & Whole:
An Invitational Guide to Healthy Sexuality
after Trauma, Abuse, and Coercive Control
by Tabitha Westbrook
Body & Soul, Healed & Whole and Why It Matters for the Church
Body & Soul, Healed & Whole: An Invitational Guide to Healthy Sexuality after Trauma, Abuse, and Coercive Control by Tabitha Westbrook is a gentle yet deeply informative guide for those navigating the long road to healing from sexual harm. In a culture—and often in church spaces—where sexuality is discussed either in silence or with shame, this book opens the door to restoration with compassion, clarity, and faith.
As part of Help[H]er’s Summer Reading Series, we’re honored to feature Tabitha Westbrook—both as a friend of the ministry and a returning podcast guest. (Also see Season 5 Episode 2 – Domestic Abuse Reconciled) With years of professional clinical experience and a Christ-centered approach, Westbrook offers a voice of hope for survivors and equips the people who walk with them. This book is not a manual for fixing others; it’s an invitation into healing that honors the body, soul, and story of each reader.
God’s Precepts and Strategies
Westbrook’s approach is distinctly Christian, rooting sexual healing in the goodness of God’s design rather than moralism or performance. She affirms that God created sexuality not to shame or control—but to express intimacy, connection, and dignity within the safety of covenant. Throughout the book, Scripture is used not to correct survivors, but to gently reframe their understanding of themselves and their worth in God’s eyes.
God’s heart for restoration is seen in every chapter. From discussing boundaries to reclaiming agency, Westbrook echoes biblical themes of truth-telling, justice, and renewal. Her theology is not detached—it is pastoral and practical, with a keen awareness of how coercive control has twisted many survivors’ ability to trust God or their own bodies.
Key Takeaways for Leaders and Counselors
For counselors, pastors, and advocates, Body & Soul, Healed & Whole offers a robust, trauma-informed framework for addressing sexual healing. Westbrook combines clinical insight with practical tools, including journaling prompts and grounding exercises. Her emphasis on pacing, consent, and embodiment is particularly helpful for leaders seeking to avoid retraumatization in care settings.
The book equips readers to move beyond surface-level conversations around purity or marriage, challenging leaders to foster spaces that are truly safe and healing. Westbrook also models how to speak about sexuality with both candor and reverence—skills that are urgently needed in church communities today.
Impact on Victims and Survivors
This book will be a lifeline for survivors who have felt alone, ashamed, or spiritually confused about their sexuality after abuse. Westbrook writes with deep empathy, validating the disconnection many survivors feel from their bodies and inviting them back into gentle reconnection.
Her tone is never prescriptive or rushed; instead, she offers survivors the space to listen to their bodies, reconnect with God, and redefine intimacy on their own terms—free from fear or coercion. As Carya’s testimony reminded us in Episode 7 of Safe to Hope, the violation of the body often aims to destroy identity. Westbrook’s work stands in direct opposition to that goal—restoring agency, dignity, and divine design.
Conclusion
Tabitha Westbrook brings both clinical expertise and theological depth to Body & Soul, Healed & Whole. This book is more than a resource—it’s a compassionate companion for anyone recovering from sexual trauma or walking alongside those who are. Its value lies not just in what it teaches, but in how it restores what coercion tried to take.
We’re thrilled to feature this title in Help[H]er’s Summer Reading Series. Julia Fillnow will be interviewing Tabitha in an upcoming episode, offering listeners a chance to hear directly from the author and deepen their engagement with this vital resource.
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