About the book
The Runaway
A Memoir
Summary
She ran from childhood pain and abuse and joined a monastery to live for God alone. Twenty-nine years later, she ran from God alone seeking peace through freedom. Her story shows that freedom isn't enough, and how to stop running to heal your inner self.
Publisher
Coming Soon
Genre
Memoir / Psychology
NEW RELEASE
The Story:
At sixteen, Amy Nash converted her Converse sneakers and ball cap for the black shoes and veil of a monastic nun. She wasn't running towards God as much as she was running away: from a home disintegrating from far-right religious conservatism, from a father who broke promises, a mother who turned abusive, and the public shame of the 1970 Gracey Case. She thought she'd find refuge in a house of God.
Amy learned the art of submission by praying hours each day, serving her community in menial tasks, and submitting to obedience, even when it meant neglecting herself. Meanwhile, her body rebelled through a combination of illnesses such as migraines, shingles, and IBS. When she finally walked out the door at forty-four, she did so without the benefit of a credit score, work history, or handbook that would help her navigate a world she no longer recognized.
She had not yet learned that freedom was not the same as healing.
The revelation came in a graduate psychology class when she was fifty-seven. A lecture gave her the name of what she'd been carrying her whole life: complex trauma.
The Runaway knits together the insights that come with being both a client and a trauma therapist.
It is part survival story, part education on what constitutes complex trauma, and part hope. It is for anyone who has ever felt unseen, unheard, or unacceptable.
The Author
Amy G Nash, LCPC, NCC
Amy was the tomboy who knew no fear, whether it be riding her stallion at six, climbing the barn roof at seven, or getting her first shotgun at fourteen. She lost that fearlessness when her family fell into religious conservatism. It took three decades for her to find her courage again and leave the monastery. She re-built her life, earning degrees from Mount Holyoke College and Loyola University Maryland, becoming a licensed, certified trauma therapist in Maryland.
She wrote this book from the counseling chair, listening to clients describe their childhoods and hearing her own story echoed back. She wanted readers to know their own trauma symptoms, so they would not have to live in the dark, as she had.
Her work on women's spirituality has been published in Magistra: A Journal of Women's Spirituality in History. She speaks on religious trauma and is doing podcasts and interviews.
She lives in Maryland with her husband Randy and their Australian Shepherd, Jasper.
Find her on Instagram @amygraceynash and on FB at Deconstruction and Healing from Religious Trauma
Endorsements
The Runaway demonstrates how our religious culture can shape and form our lives, even before we know ourselves. The journey Amy takes to discover "who would I be" is articulated after leaving the monastery, but it really feels embedded in every page. Readers who feel like they missed their chance or found themselves overwhelmed by a religious lifestyle will take away hope and courage from her story.
Tia Levings
author of A Well-Trained Wife and I Belong to Me
Real transformation comes from facing your story with clarity, responsibility, and courage. Her journey is a reminder that spirituality does not require an institution. It requires the willingness to finally trust yourself.
Brittney L. Hartley,
No Nonsense Spirituality
In a raw and honest memoir, Amy details her courageous journey of escaping a high-control religious community and rebuilding her life. Her journey is authentic and nuanced, exploring both the beauty and the pain found in life.
Christine Bradley Chenitz, LCSW-C, Religious trauma therapist
With clarity and courage, Amy gives language to experiences that are often minimized or denied, helping readers feel seen, validated, and less alone. This book is an important and healing contribution for anyone seeking to understand their family story and reclaim their voice.
Dr. Sherrie Campbell,
author of But It's Your Family
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