The Boy I Left Behind: Spiritual Healing

This week, David Lohman DeVore concludes his story and shares how he found peace and healing.

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I took a deep breath and continued on for the next two hours, going through sexual details of the report, identifying marks on his body, logistics of the rectory, time frames, and potential witnesses.

Memories surfaced that I had forgotten, and with them floods of emotion. I remembered that after being sexually abused I would often cry because I was afraid that I was in the state of mortal sin and going to hell. I believed that I was corrupting a man of God. I believed it was my fault. I would beg the priest to hear my confession and he would. He blamed me for what was happening. I loved him and would have done anything for him.

And for the first time, I made the painful emotional connection of what happened to me. For the first time I understood that I was sexually, emotionally and spiritually abused. On a core level, I had come to believe that I was bad. I had been carrying this around for years. By the end of the meeting I could see that the council not only believed me, but were emotionally invested. A warm buzz of relief echoed within me. This was my first experience with the healing power of telling my story. The power of emotional vulnerability. And every time I tell my story, the healing expands.

Ultimately, the case came down to my word against his. The council unanimously agreed that I had been sexually abused. The next week the priest met with the council and denied everything. The bishop ultimately took him out of the priesthood for noncompliance.

His community formed a circle around him, created a Facebook page in his support, and even hung yellow ribbons on trees. They believe he was treated unfairly; a witch hunt. Priests have a lot of power in communities. Not only are they spiritual authorities who bestow the grace of God through the sacraments, they become family over the years as they preside over weddings, and funerals. They attend football games and participate in holidays. They are deeply loved and trusted individuals.

It was announced at all the churches in the diocese that the priest had been accused of sexual misconduct and to call if anyone had any information. Only one person called the hotline. A woman left a message stating that her husband became very depressed and upset after the announcement. He told her that he had been sexually abused by the same priest but would never go on record. She hung up.

        I feared going public with this because my parents still lived near that community. My mom told me many times, "David, please don’t let that hold you back from telling your story. I’m not afraid. We’ll be fine."

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Over the next few years, I worked intensely with my spiritual coach and discovered that there is a direct relationship to feeling stuck, half present, on auto pilot, and being a survivor of childhood sexual and emotional abuse. I used to think I had an anxiety disorder but have come to see the etiology is shame, setting off symptoms of anxiety and panic. Shame is an emotional response that arises out of experiences of being unloved, unaccepted and abused. It creates the delusion that we are alone, separate, and hopeless. The shame of being sexually abused, being bullied for being gay, and having a parent who didn’t show up, had colored the lens of my perspective in all areas of my life, holding me back.

Shame is one of the lowest energetic vibrations and subconsciously sabotages us from having deeper meaningful relationships, excelling in career, making more money, and moving into our life purpose. Shame is the voice within that says, "I’m not good enough. I’m unworthy. I’m defective, and bad. I’ll never get there." Shame attracts shame.

  I learned to survive the shame of being abused by creating strategies such as pretending everything is okay, distracting myself, numbing out, and blaming the world. I felt untrusting of myself and those around me. The mask I created to survive my life was "happy, optimistic, proud, gay David". There was no room anywhere for me to have shame. In fact, my mother sent me a book about shame in my twenties and it made me feel angry. "Why would she think I need this?" I viewed shame and vulnerability as weakness and wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. It’s really no wonder I felt so disconnected in my life.

The path to spiritual awakening is through shame, for it is our shame that creates the delusion that we are not enough, that we are broken, that we unsupported and alone. It blinds us from our true spiritual nature and our life purpose. The pathway requires getting past the gargoyles of the ego mind that are protecting repressed experiences of shame that are often running the show in our lives. Our experiences of abuse. This is no easy task because shame feels like death to our ego and will be fiercely resisted. It’s a path not often taken and is the path of true healing.

Beyond what may feel like immense darkness within, where I am holding myself hostage with my own self judgement, is an ocean of light. I return to this light over and over as the healing becomes deeper and the multiple layers of the onion of my inner terrain are revealed. I return to the child I left behind in pain. The child I told to run and never look back. I sit with the child I once was every time I experience shame, realizing that only I can give myself the love and compassion that creates healing within. It’s a never ending journey. Falling upward and expanding into the second half of life.

I used to think that my experiences of sexual, emotional and spiritual abuse were unfortunate obstacles to my path but now see that the obstacles ARE the path. In fact, the shame recovery coaching work I do today was born through my healing journey. I teach mind, body, spirit practices, processes and visualizations to assist abuse survivors in waking up from whatever shame infused reality you have bought into so you can be the joyful purpose driven individual you were to be. Shame recovery coaching is restorative in nature, bringing you back to the light you have always been, and putting you back in the driver’s seat of your life.

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Join my "warrior group" for adult survivors of childhood abuse at awakeyou.com. 

When you sign up for my email list, you gain access to my free life-changing master class, SHAMEGAME 101.

I’ll also be sending you mind, body, spirit practices via email and will keep you posted about my upcoming online course, "From Shame to Abundance".


A special thanks to Rachel for extending this invitation to participate as a guest here. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support.

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David Lohman DeVore, M.A. is a shame recovery coach, and survivor or childhood sexual abuse.   He began his career twenty-five years ago as a wellness coach and personal trainer.   He became a psychotherapist in 2003 and developed a mind, body, spirit life coaching practice.  Over the last eight years, David’s spiritual and healing journey became his main focus.  He made the discovery that shame was subconsciously holding him back in all areas of his life.   It has become his passion to share practices to assist survivors in waking up from the shame driven world that blinds us from the joyful purpose-driven life we were born to live.

Find out more about David’s work at Awakeyou.com 

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NOW ENROLLING...

BEYOND SURVIVING GROUP PROGRAM FOR MEN

STARTS APRIL 9th

Go here to learn more and apply today!

My Beyond Surviving Program is my in-depth program of live coaching calls and support that teach you how to finally be free of the past and move on with your life. 

It's for you if you want step-by-step support to reliably and consistently navigate life with clarity and ease. 

This program is designed for all types of survivors who are sick and tired of going around the same mountain over and over again and who want to learn specific tools and skills for transforming their lives. 

In the Beyond Surviving program, I've combined what I have learned through my own journey of recovery from sexual abuse, my study of neuroscience, my training in counseling psychology, and my experience working with hundreds of clients. I have included every lesson, exercise, worksheet, client example, and training module that has made a difference for me and my clients into this program. 

We use my guidebook, Beyond Surviving: The Final Stage in Recovery from Sexual Abuse, as the roadmap through seven modules that address the critical areas of life that are impacted by abuse. 

The Boy I Left Behind: Sexual Abuse Report - Telling My Story

This week, David Lohman DeVore relates his experience of sitting down in front of the Catholic counsel and taking the big step of telling his story.

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After a few months, I agreed to speak with a diocesan advocate who handles sexual abuse cases for the church. There was something incredibly familiar and comforting about Pat. Maybe it was her soft Midwestern tone, matched with a deep sense of concern and care. After talking to her for about an hour, I realized that it was my responsibility to report the priest for sexual abuse because he was still in active duty and worked with children. Even though my situation still didn’t feel like abuse to me, maybe it would be for another child.

I felt vulnerable. The cat was out of the bag leaving me feeling empty, unsure, and under a self-created microscope. The Catholic church generously offered me three years of therapy in a letter from the diocesan headquarters. Somehow reading the formal letter made me feel like I was in trouble. The words "sexual abuse" appeared multiple times. That couldn’t be me they were talking about. It just couldn’t. I knew that I needed something more than traditional therapy, being a therapist myself. Three years? No way. Six months would be plenty. And I wasn’t up for analysis.

I realized the disconnection I was experiencing in my life was spiritual in nature. Maybe I needed spiritual healing? I asked around for a recommendation, and through divine synchronicity found an amazing spiritual coach from California named Suzi Lula. I knew she was my person the moment I first talked to her.

I didn’t think doing sessions on the phone would work for me, but was surprised how quickly we went deep into the core of what was going on. I felt completely free and safe working with her from my home. I did each session in my bedroom with the door closed and a notebook handy. I made sure I had adequate time before and after the session to prepare and process. It was the absence of judgement and high vibration of love and vision by Suzi that allowed me to open up so quickly. She was holding the space we created together, and I’ve never felt so understood by anyone in my life. She believed in me.

I had agreed to go over my sexual abuse report with a counsel of peers at the diocesan headquarters and spent my first sessions with Suzi preparing and working though any hesitations or vulnerability I felt. I was incredibly confident on the three-hour rural train ride to the meeting. I arrived at the campus a little early and was greeted by a woman at a desk who was sorting a large pile of papers. I introduced myself as she looked up from her work. She reassuringly asked me to take a seat as they were preparing the meeting space and waiting for a few of the counsel to arrive. I wondered if she knew why I was there, and what had happened.

 I was relieved to see my mom sitting in the waiting room quietly reading a book. She stood up and gave me a hug, and we talked a little. We were whispering as if we were in church. I noticed the sterile smell of holy water that filled the air, causing the hair to stand up on my neck. I felt light headed, and clammy as a drop of sweat ran down my face. I also seemed to be having trouble catching my breath, as my heart pounded.

 I would later discover that these are symptoms of shame. My mom reached over and held my hand. She asked me if I wanted her to pray with me, and I said yes. It was comforting. The only thing I remember about the prayer is that she asked that I be able to tell my truth, my story.

"David? We’re ready for you", Pat said as she walked over to me. "It’s really hard to get everyone in the counsel together at the same time. Sorry about the delay. Nice to finally meet you."  Relief rushed over me at the sound of her voice. I had spoken with her numerous times on the phone including the sexual abuse report. I wasn’t sure if I should shake her hand or hug her. As we walked quietly down the hallway, I turned to look at my mother, "I’m proud of you", she whispered. I felt like a thirteen-year old boy on his way to the principal’s office. Impending doom. As we entered the small meeting room, the council, sitting around a long oval table jumped to their feet as if we had startled them. As I shook their hands they asked me questions about my trip, and my plans for Thanksgiving. I was in full panic mode. Terrified. There was one window in the room. I could escape. I could ask to use the restroom, grab my mom, and leave.

As we sat down, everyone looked at me and I felt so small. I could see their fear. A man at the head of the table broke the silence, "To be honest David, we have never done this before. We’ve never had a sexual abuse case against a living priest. We’re not sure how to proceed. Maybe it would be best if you told us what happened and we will ask questions. How does that sound?"

  

For a second, I thought I might not be able to speak. My mind felt foggy. My throat was dry. A woman handed me a glass of water and I began, "First off, I wanted to tell you that I am a gay man. I feel that this might put me at a disadvantage as to how you perceive me and this report." It surprised me that I said this. But as I looked at the group of middle-aged Catholics of all walks of life, I felt judged by them before I even got started. Homosexuality is forbidden and considered a mortal sin the the church. Maybe they are all going to be on the side of the priest? I was in a full-fledged shame storm.

I began to tell the story of how the priest and I met and became friends. My voice cracked and I stopped. "What’s going to happen to him?" I said abruptly and began sobbing. The woman sitting next to me handed me a Kleenex and told me to take my time. This was not going at all the way I expected. I thought I had the whole thing together. My story. The report. It hadn’t been more than a few minutes and I was hysterical. I felt embarrassed. I took a deep breath and continued on for the next two hours. And and as the minutes passed it became easier. I felt reassurance that they believed me.

Read Part 4: Spiritual Healing

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David Lohman DeVore, M.A. is a shame recovery coach, and survivor or childhood sexual abuse.   He began his career twenty-five years ago as a wellness coach and personal trainer.   He became a psychotherapist in 2003 and developed a mind, body, spirit life coaching practice.  Over the last eight years, David’s spiritual and healing journey became his main focus.  He made the discovery that shame was subconsciously holding him back in all areas of his life.   It has become his passion to share practices to assist survivors in waking up from the shame driven world that blinds us from the joyful purpose-driven life we were born to live.

Find out more about David’s work at Awakeyou.com 

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NOW ENROLLING...

BEYOND SURVIVING GROUP PROGRAM FOR MEN

STARTS APRIL 9th

Go here to learn more and apply today!

My Beyond Surviving Program is my in-depth program of live coaching calls and support that teach you how to finally be free of the past and move on with your life. 

It's for you if you want step-by-step support to reliably and consistently navigate life with clarity and ease. 

This program is designed for all types of survivors who are sick and tired of going around the same mountain over and over again and who want to learn specific tools and skills for transforming their lives. 

In the Beyond Surviving program, I've combined what I have learned through my own journey of recovery from sexual abuse, my study of neuroscience, my training in counseling psychology, and my experience working with hundreds of clients. I have included every lesson, exercise, worksheet, client example, and training module that has made a difference for me and my clients into this program. 

We use my guidebook, Beyond Surviving: The Final Stage in Recovery from Sexual Abuse, as the roadmap through seven modules that address the critical areas of life that are impacted by abuse. 

The Boy I Left Behind: Going Deeper

This week, David Lohman DeVore explores the complex relationship he discovered he had with shame resulting from abuse and growing up gay and Catholic. He shares how he began to unravel this shame and evolve his relationship with god, which ultimately led him to a harsh realization that he had experienced sexual abuse and now had a big decision to make - report the abuser or not.

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I went to the first class at Oneness University, still feeling overwhelmed with anxiety. As much as I wanted to change, grow, and awaken, my life in Chicago didn’t seem that bad. The familiarity of my suffering had become comfortable to me, as I knew nothing else. I was afraid of changing who I had come to believe I was, after all, it’s all I had known.  

The class rustled as a beautiful Indian monk in a white robe entered the room. As she spoke, the room calmed into perfect silence. She led us in a deep contemplation that rocked me to the core, as I began to discover the shame within me. Spiritual shame, a deep subconscious unworthiness that had kept me feeling separate, and isolated most of my life. I had grown up Catholic, and at young age knew that I was gay. As a child I had bought into a reality that I was condemned by God, and had spent most of my life seeking acceptance and love. I was looking for a God and a world who could love me as I am. And I wanted peace at all costs, often diminishing myself in the process.

In many ways, this was the introduction to my own shame. I delved into secrets that I had repressed and locked away in caverns of my own self-contempt. I cried the first week more than I have ever cried in my life. Through all retreats, workshops, and self-help work I had done, becoming a psychotherapist at age 32, and thinking I knew myself so well, I was only scratching the surface of what was really keeping me stuck and not living my life fully.

 India proved to be one of the most liberating yet frustrating and exhausting experiences of my life. A spiritual boot camp that began at 6:30 in the morning and ended some days well after midnight. We began every day with mediation, rituals, and Deeksha, followed by some of the most profound spiritual teachings that I had ever heard. Outside the campus stood a colossal white temple with flags of all world religions. The basic teaching is that religion is framework used to comprehend the immense power of divine intelligence and answer questions about our very existence. The inherent truths in all religion lead to the same God, and each of us have created a unique construct of God based in our perception, that often doesn’t serve us. My God was judging and condemning, and I began to recreate a God without so much human baggage.  

I was having major lightbulb moments every day as I surrendered to the processes, visualizations, yogas, and shamanic journeys. It was relentless. Resistance became my friend as we started each new practice. I even felt an attachment to my Catholic roots at some points as I struggled to hold onto something for dear life. Some days were incredibly rough and I wished I could leave. I would take a few deep breaths and imagine that I was a reporter who was there to experience and discuss this process. I even kept a video journal documenting the "spiritual science experiment of David", after trying everything on the curriculum that day and observing the effect. Some of the practices I learned there are now part of my spiritual arsenal, and what I teach today, and some I left in India.

The last Saturday night of the retreat, after being guided through a particularly trippy shamanic journey, I danced to drums and felt deeply connected to everyone there, to myself, and to God. I walked alone outside the temple under the light of a full moon, feeling everything and nothing; timeless. I entered a bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were fully dilated as I scanned my face. "You’ve been really hard on yourself David", I whispered as a tear ran down my cheek. It was as if I was observing myself for the first time. I vowed to have more compassion for myself when I got home. I realized that I had spent a lot of my life believing I was a droplet of water trying very hard to get somewhere fast, only to discover I am a part of the divine ocean itself. Fully supported like a cell to a body. I wished to hold on to that calm and fully present state of being forever. I try to remind myself of this on the days I feel disconnected and alone.

            I had come quite a distance on my spiritual journey and understanding the ways I was sabotaging myself in my life. The role of my mind, operating like a computer executing fear based programs and keeping me in survival mode. But there was still something I was missing.

When I got home from India, I went to visit my mother to tell her about my trip. She seemed very serious when I got there and told me she needed to talk to me about something important. Somewhere deep in my heart I knew what it was.  

A year before my trip to India, my mother had found out that I was in a sexual relationship with a priest when I was thirteen years old. This was a secret I hoped she’d never find out. She had introduced me to the priest because my father was emotionally unavailable and spent most of my childhood fully reclined in a lazy boy chair watching TV and drinking martinis. She thought I needed a strong male influence in my life.  

She was furious in a way I’ve never seen before. I sat and listened to her speak and remained relatively calm.  A few years earlier, I probably would have run right off that porch. I answered all of the questions that she read off a paper neatly folded on her lap. Her hand shook and she trembled when she spoke.

 Then she looked up at me and said, "You answered the questions the way they said you would. You answered the questions like an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse." My heart raced. "Did she say sexual abuse? Abuse?  No. That didn’t fit. She was dead wrong about that," I thought. She had reported him to the Catholic Church and requested that I do the same. I absolutely refused.  

In my mind, my first relationship, at the age of thirteen just happened to be a priest. I loved the guy and would have done anything for him. We had become friends. I wanted to be with him all the time. I was in love with him. Sexual abuse didn’t fit.

What would happen to him? Who would take care of him? How would the community respond? He’s getting older. I felt incredibly protective of him. Defensive. Loyal. Reporting him almost thirty years later would be a tremendous betrayal. I couldn’t imagine it. And at the same time, I could not deny that the intensity of my resistance was a red flag to me. Maybe this is exactly where I needed to focus my attention.

Read Part 3: Sexual Abuse Report - Telling My Story

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David Lohman DeVore, M.A. is a shame recovery coach, and survivor or childhood sexual abuse.   He began his career twenty-five years ago as a wellness coach and personal trainer.   He became a psychotherapist in 2003 and developed a mind, body, spirit life coaching practice.  Over the last eight years, David’s spiritual and healing journey became his main focus.  He made the discovery that shame was subconsciously holding him back in all areas of his life.   It has become his passion to share practices to assist survivors in waking up from the shame driven world that blinds us from the joyful purpose-driven life we were born to live.

Find out more about David’s work at Awakeyou.com 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOW ENROLLING...

BEYOND SURVIVING GROUP PROGRAM FOR MEN

STARTS APRIL 9th

Go here to learn more and apply today!

My Beyond Surviving Program is my in-depth program of live coaching calls and support that teach you how to finally be free of the past and move on with your life. 

It's for you if you want step-by-step support to reliably and consistently navigate life with clarity and ease. 

This program is designed for all types of survivors who are sick and tired of going around the same mountain over and over again and who want to learn specific tools and skills for transforming their lives. 

In the Beyond Surviving program, I've combined what I have learned through my own journey of recovery from sexual abuse, my study of neuroscience, my training in counseling psychology, and my experience working with hundreds of clients. I have included every lesson, exercise, worksheet, client example, and training module that has made a difference for me and my clients into this program. 

We use my guidebook, Beyond Surviving: The Final Stage in Recovery from Sexual Abuse, as the roadmap through seven modules that address the critical areas of life that are impacted by abuse. 

The Boy I Left Behind: Midlife Crisis

This month, I am pleased to introduce you to David Lohman DeVore, M.A.. David is a shame recovery coach and survivor or childhood sexual abuse. In this series, he will be sharing his personal story of abuse, healing, and renewal.

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Eight years ago, I woke in a panic and began pacing around my house, trying to catch my breath and make sense of what was happening to me. I’m no stranger to anxiety, but this was something different. Waves of terror raced through my body like a roller coaster.

For years, I had been feeling disconnected in my life, and not fully present. As I looked around the yellow brick bungalow filled with family pictures and reminders of trips my partner and I had taken together for over ten years, something felt dishonest about it all. I had become attached to the things; the house, the dogs and the relationship. They had become validation of my existence, a two dimensional Facebook pictorial in search of “likes”.    

I wasn’t showing up authentically in my relationship or my life. I wasn’t transparent emotionally. Resentments were building. Days seemed to be going by faster and faster. It was all becoming a blur. I was operating on auto-pilot, half conscious, and knew there had to be more to life. It was as if the suit of my body was getting too tight and needed to expand to a new size. I longed to be more real, and there was no denying that I felt stuck.

I had been on a spiritual path for years, and had numerous awakening moments that felt like taking a breath of air after being under water a very long time, only to return once again to the familiar murky water. One step forward, and one step back. Potential became a word I despised as I knew I wasn’t utilizing the gifts I had been given. And worse was the nagging feeling that I was missing the boat, and my life purpose and meaning was unclear. 

On the outside everything seemed fine. I kept trucking along, smiling and pretending everything was okay. The duality was driving me crazy. At forty-three, I figured I must be having a midlife crisis, and made it my mission that day to get unstuck, and wake up from the fog that had become my life. I also knew I needed some sort of healing but had no idea why.

I was overwhelmed at first. Where do I begin? I packed my clothes, books, and a few objects from the house and moved in with friend a few months later. It was one of the most liberating and frightening things I’ve ever done. As I lay on the blow-up mattress that first night I thought, "It all comes down to you now David." I began to brainstorm ways of tackling my midlife crisis.

My physical body seemed like the best place to start. How do I fuel my body in a way that gives me more clarity, balance, and energy? I tried numerous cleanses, and diets. I viewed myself as "the science experiment of David" and my body as the vessel, the ride of my life. After some trial and error, I found a new balance with fuel. I became less anxious, more focused, and energized throughout the day. Aches and pains disappeared, as healing was happening within my body. I started a hot yoga practice, meditation, retreats, workshops, books, followed gurus, worked with shamans, and played around with energy work. The fog began to clear and a new vantage point emerged.  One with hope. 

I ended up in India for a month long, very intense spiritual retreat with five hundred people from all over the world seeking spiritual awakening. My sister’s joked that I was having my Julia Roberts Eat, Pray, Love moment.  They were right.  I was looking for answers.  A man on a mission.

I was incredibly hopeful and excited as I boarded the plane for the long flight ahead. There was a part of me that believed India would be the final answer, the magic wand. I had become a bit of a spiritual junkie, looking for the next fix. I wanted to be done so I could move on with my life. I had no idea what was in store for me.

I spent a night in Chennai and the next morning, jumped in a taxi with my friend Paula, a shaman who was just as excited and nervous as I was. Once we got going, I felt the a very familiar anxiety well up in the pit of my stomach, butterflies becoming bats seeking an exit. When we arrived at the ashram campus, I was nearing a full-fledged panic attack. I entered the dorm, and got in line for my room assignment. People in white from all over the world silently waited. Some were wearing headdresses, quietly meditating, chanting, or chatting. I took everything in. I felt like an outsider. I didn’t belong there. I walked into a small, dimly lit room with seventeen beds, and there was one left for me. Everyone was asleep. I got under the covers, hoping to fall asleep, but the anxiety grew as I tossed and turned. Something didn’t feel right. Maybe I made a mistake coming to India.

Then a very loud visceral voice came into my head that startled me. "We have to escape this retreat. These people are crazy. This is a cult. Why have you taken us here? They are going to try to brainwash us. They are going to change us! We must escape!"

I began thinking of ways to leave. I also wondered why I was talking to myself in the third person. I hadn’t paid the full tuition, only about a hundred bucks. I could leave first thing in the morning and travel India on my own.  

I fell asleep briefly, and began dreaming. An Indian man in a white robe approached me with a smile on his face. He reminded me a bit of Mr. Rourke from one of my favorite childhood TV shows, "Fantasy Island". He put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Hey. Don’t worry. This happens to many people. Resistance is a natural part of growth. Go to class in the morning and then make your decision."

I would learn later, I had my first big lesson that night. The mind of survival, the ego mind, or amygdala, functions to protect us from death, from annihilation. As we move through life, anything that is perceived as a threat to the ego sets off the same "fight of flight" response. I tend to want to fly, and it’s been happening all my life without my awareness.

Read Part 2 - Going Deeper

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David Lohman DeVore, M.A. is a shame recovery coach, and survivor or childhood sexual abuse.   He began his career twenty-five years ago as a wellness coach and personal trainer.   He became a psychotherapist in 2003 and developed a mind, body, spirit life coaching practice.  Over the last eight years, David’s spiritual and healing journey became his main focus.  He made the discovery that shame was subconsciously holding him back in all areas of his life.   It has become his passion to share practices to assist survivors in waking up from the shame driven world that blinds us from the joyful purpose-driven life we were born to live.

Find out more about David’s work at Awakeyou.com 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOW ENROLLING...

BEYOND SURVIVING GROUP PROGRAM FOR MEN

STARTS APRIL 9th

Go here to learn more and apply today!

My Beyond Surviving Program is my in-depth program of live coaching calls and support that teach you how to finally be free of the past and move on with your life. 

It's for you if you want step-by-step support to reliably and consistently navigate life with clarity and ease. 

This program is designed for all types of survivors who are sick and tired of going around the same mountain over and over again and who want to learn specific tools and skills for transforming their lives. 

In the Beyond Surviving program, I've combined what I have learned through my own journey of recovery from sexual abuse, my study of neuroscience, my training in counseling psychology, and my experience working with hundreds of clients. I have included every lesson, exercise, worksheet, client example, and training module that has made a difference for me and my clients into this program. 

We use my guidebook, Beyond Surviving: The Final Stage in Recovery from Sexual Abuse, as the roadmap through seven modules that address the critical areas of life that are impacted by abuse.