Leila Rae Sommerfeld, Author
Book Review Written by Theresa Harvard Johnson
Some years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Leila Rae Sommerfeld, author of Beyond Our Control: Restructuring Your Life After Sexual Assault, at a gathering in the Northwestern United States. The Lord connected us through our love for poetry and writing, and I was given this phenomenal book (the first edition) as a gift. She autographed it for me as she shared how much my testimony through the spoken word poem, “I Know My Name is Theresa,” blessed her. I tell you, the conversation I had with her that day was a defining moment in my life.
So much time has passed since that God-encounter, but as I sat I my desk a few weeks back preparing to assist as a leader in a 7-month inner healing program that in part addresses the trauma and devastation of sexual abuse, Holy Spirit prompted me to revisit her ministry online and to obtain a new copy of the book. Inside these pages, this courageous woman shares her testimony and journey to healing after she was raped in her home by a stranger as her small children slept.
While the violence of this type of crime is unimaginable, the effects that one night had on all the other areas of her life were even more traumatic. Sommerfeld walks readers through that process of healing with Christ at the helm while uncovering the reality of victimization; the battle to restructure one’s life; the effects of sexual assault on relationships, and other critical topics that help women recover.
Beyond Our Control is written in a format designed for individual use by women or in an intimate class setting with a qualified facilitator. Sommerfeld’s testimony is strategically and lovingly aligned with the healing process revealed in the book – making everything she shares relevant to the journey toward recovery. This approach is a tremendous and necessary asset to this publication.
The truth within cover elements of healing that aren’t often discussed in great detail in other books. For example, a spouse who is married to a woman who has been raped can glean great insight into what takes place in the “mind and emotions” of a victim. This knowledge and understanding rooted in the love of God can save marriages. Loved ones who aren’t quite sure how to “reach out” to help victims in their own families will get a glimpse of the appropriate kind of support to release to their loved one. This is a huge plus because many people do not know how to respond or appropriately relate to a victim.
Beyond Our Control dissolves the stigmas about how a person is healed from trauma associated with sexual assault. It takes the time constraints off the healing process, breaks the myths and compassionately explains to the reader that one’s healing process is as different and unique as we are as individuals. Best of all, it reinforces this one simple truth: With the help of the Lord true healing and wholeness can come.
I would highly recommend this book to women in search of Christ-centered healing and anyone working with victims of sexual assault. It is REALISTIC, biblically sound and extremely practical in its approach to healing. Truly, this book will help victims of sexual assault reconstruct their lives.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leila Rae Sommerfeld is a published author, lay church counselor, life coach, certified self defense instructor and a sexual assault advocate residing in the state of Oregon. She also facilitates events, classes and retreats for women. For more information about Sommerfeld or to purchase her book, Beyond Our Control, visit her website at http://www.leilarae.com. The book is also available through multiple online retailers including Amazon.com.
