Prayed Upon

"In Prayed Upon, Amy Nordhues tells a powerful and disturbing story of how her trusted psychiatrist manipulated her emotions, played on her vulnerabilities, and groomed her to accept greater and greater boundary violations that eventually lead to degrading sexual encounters. The greatest harm done by this kind of exploitation is that a relationship meant to heal does the exact opposite - it destroys the victim's trust in themselves, in the motives of others, and faith in a higher power. All too often victims of such abuse remain silenced by shame and self-doubt. Fortunately, Amy was able to reclaim her faith, step back onto a healing path, and come out victorious. Stories such as Amy's have an important place in educating the public on how such abuse occurs, how to hold perpetrators accountable, and the power of therapeutic relationships to heal or to harm."

~Carrie T. Ishee, Author of Seduced into Darkness: Transcending My Psychiatrist's Sexual Abuse

"Prayed Upon was a gut-wrenching read from start to finish. It felt like I was holding my breath as her story unfolded. The lies hidden beneath the surface were exposed first. Then, the deeper truths she began to believe and, more importantly, live by as she healed, were also unveiled one at a time. I exhaled deeply as I read the last page." 

~Anna LeBaron, Author of The Polygamist's Daughter: A Memoir  

"Amy Nordhues has written a triumph of a book. She takes her reader behind closed doors and makes the experience of being groomed by a predator, painfully real. An important book, beautifully written and profoundly compelling." 

~Analie Shepherd, Author of Mending the Shattered Mirror

"This book, Prayed Upon, is very well written, and clearly explains the process of grooming and preying that can, unfortunately, happen to adults within the setting of mental health. Unfortunately, the predator in this book preyed upon the author, Amy Nordhues, in the name of Christianity - which not only initially doubles the level of trust any client has toward his or her helping professional, but also intensifies the pain of the abuse and the ability for the client to find trust toward any future helpers, especially those who profess to speak in the name of God. The author courageously explains her own vulnerability, the sneaky way the predator took advantage of her vulnerability, her long process of coming to the recognition that she was being abused rather than helped, the way she, unfortunately, wasn't believed when she was finally able to report, as well as her ongoing healing process. This story will be very relatable by anyone who has experienced abuse by a trusted professional in any setting. Victims can only become survivors when they find their voice to speak out about what happened to them - even if they speak it to only one other person. I commend the courage of this author who is sharing her story with anyone who reads her memoir, and I highly recommend this book to victims, survivors, and anyone who seeks to assist them in their healing."

~Kathryn R. Byrne, LPC, Author of Understanding the Abuse of Adults by Catholic Clergy and Religious