Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jenna Quinn. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jenna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

I have several heartwarming stories I could share about how young children have told of their abuse because of a Jenna’s Law training. But there is one young girl that I got to meet personally. I was speaking to university students and faculty at this event. After I spoke, I went over to the book table to sign books for attendees, “meet and greet,” style. Suddenly, a young girl about 7 years old approached the table with her mother. Her mom started to share that her daughter insisted on attending the event so that she could meet me. She continued to explain that her daughter was a survivor and couldn’t wait to meet me. At this point I’m starting to tear up as she shares her story. I couldn’t help but get up from my chair and bend my knees to get on her level to give her a hug and encourage her. After our private conversation I felt completely inspired by this little girl’s determination to heal and speak up about being a survivor. She may have come to the event to receive inspiration from me but she doesn’t know that she left a lasting inspiration on me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

This work is a product of my first-hand experience. I am a survivor of child sexual abuse and I know I’m not alone in having suffered this crime. It’s estimated there are over 42 million survivors of child sexual abuse in American alone. It’s also estimated that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before age 18. The American Medical Association has labeled this a silent epidemic. Most people know me from my work through Jenna’s Law legislation on the state and federal level for prevention education, however I’ve noticed a reoccurring need for addressing another vital issue. Recent research continues to show that in addition to the physical and mental impact of abuse, there is a spiritual impact to abuse. Approximately 84% of the World’s population subscribes to a religious belief system; Christianity is still the largest religion. And sadly many abusers use religion as a cover. There are several studies that show a spiritual impact for survivors but for simplicity sake I’ll just share one. A study of 527 child abuse victims (physical, sexual, or emotional) found the victims had a “significant” spiritual injury. The injuries included feelings of guilt, anger, grief, despair, doubt, fear of death, and belief that God is unfair.
Learning about all the research on spiritual impact confirmed to me what I’ve seen in my own life and echoed in the life of other survivors. Throughout the years, as a person of faith I have paid attention to the conversations I’ve had with survivors and most of the time, when the topic of faith is introduced, the conversation is generally negative. I’ve been grieved for many years to see that spiritual blocks and the spiritual impact for sexual abuse survivors specifically are not addressed in most communities of faith. This is why Reveal to Heal International was created.
According to Lifeway Research, nearly half of Protestant churchgoers say they have been sexually victimized, with some of those instances happening within the church. Yet, most seminaries do not offer adequate teaching on the biblical examples of child sexual abuse referenced in the Old and New Testament. Reveal to Heal aims to be a resource to help faith communities learn how to address their hurting members through the power and redemptive love of The Gospel. Reveal to Heal also has a survivor core program that will assist in addressing the most common effects of the spiritual impact of child sexual abuse. This program facilitates the survivor in their inner healing and deliverance process and is offered as an accessory to other forms of therapy.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

No, if I could go back I would choose this profession as I’ve always had a heart to help others, so this just makes sense to me.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I think every day is a test in resilience. I am personally a survivor of child sexual abuse and now I am fighting the very thing in our society that almost took me out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://revealtohealinternational.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennaquinnlove/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RevealtoHealInternational
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-quinn-b4280323/