amy lorraine au

I’m a native Texan who took a 17-year detour through Asia with Cru International before putting down roots in the beautiful state of Colorado. I’m a lover of words and images. I’m curious about the adjectives people use to describe themselves, love to mine truth from Oscar-nominated movies, regularly seek solace in the poetry of Jan Richardson and am editing my first book. I believe well-told stories set our souls free as we exchange the shame of survival for the grief of powerlessness.  

EDUCATION & TRAINING

School of Spiritual Direction Level 1 & 2

New Way Ministries (2003, 2006)

Addictions Training 

Reformed Theological Seminary (2012)

The Story Workshop

The Allender Center (2012)

Leadership Evaluation and Formation Program Coach 

Cru International (2012-2013)

Women’s Sexual Abuse Recovery Workshop Level 1 & 2

The Allender Center (2013, 2016)

NARRATIVE THERAPY

REFRAMING THE SHAME OF SURVIVAL INTO STORIES OF DIGNITY & HOPE

Deep healing begins when the cost of silencing parts of ourselves becomes so high we are ready to pursue wholeness. We must decide to exile nothing. Every choice we made to survive our stories needs to be told, reframed, and cared for in order to dispel shame. In my own journey as an childhood trauma survivor it has often felt like standing at the edge of a cliff and finding the strength to dwell there for a season. The vista on the horizon is hopeful, but the view down into the ravine of emotional pain can be terrifying. As a therapist, facilitating people’s journey back to their whole selves is my greatest joy.

INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS:

60 minutes: $120

available Now!

Reimagining the deeper story of Hagar’s life to reveal God’s love and care for the unseen and unchosen.

As a slave, she is the first woman to experience oppression, abuse and rejection in the Bible. Hagar is the first person to receive a visit from a divine messenger and the only woman to receive a direct promise of many descendants. She is the only person to give God a name. Finally, she is the first female in scripture to liberate herself from oppressive power structures when she flees to the wilderness and the first freed slave.

How we understand her story sets the trajectory for seeing everyone’s story in the Bible.

Her story matters. Your story matters.

online OFFERINGS

Banished to Freedom Book Group

6 weeks, 6 sessions, 2 hours each

Open to 8 participants

Cost: $450

Fall Dates:

Wednesdays: Oct 15, 22, 29 & Nov 5, 12, 19 (8:00am-10:00am MST)

This 6 week discussion book group will explore 6 key themes:

What is our relational history with the Bible?

What if we imaginatively used our stories to read the scriptures?

How can we feel seen and heard by the Lord in stories of oppression?

In what ways do we live in the middle space of trauma?

How can the betrayal of banishment lead us to freedom?

What does it mean to imagine our flourishing?

Seminar Series: Understanding Abuse Dynamics & Symptoms

12 online events, 2 hours each + 30 min of optional Q&A

Each seminar open to 12 participants

Cost: $150 per seminar per person

2025 Dates: Oct 1, Oct 15, Nov 5, Nov 19, Dec 3, Dec 17

2026 Dates: Jan 21, Feb 4, Feb 25, Mar 11, Mar 25, Apr 8

Time: 5pm-7:30pm MST, via zoom

TOPICS:

Oct 1: Diablos & Harm: How we Survive through Betrayal

Our word diabolical is taken from the root word DIABLOS, meaning to throw apart. This illuminates how huamnity survives harm through betrayal. In this seminar we’ll examine historical examples of how trauma tempts people to betray ourselves and one another. Understanding the dynamics of oppression empowers us to address the shame of powerlessness in our stories and see the significance of our battles in the world. 

Oct 15: Patriarchy: Why We All Suffer

At the heart of gender inequity is the oppressive structure of patriarchy. Understanding what patriarchy is and how it operates exposes the reality that it is hurting ALL of us. Addressing patriarchy’s assumptions about who it benefits and its rules frees us to live out our innate design regardless of how we identify and express our gender. 

Nov 5: Choiceless Choices: Surviving Caregiver Harm

Nov 19: God as Witness (not Perpetrator or Bystander)

Dec 3: The Middle Space of Trauma: Living Between Death & Life

Dec 17: Relational Triangles: How We Cope with Anxiety

Jan 21: Structures of Tyranny & The Evangelical Family Model

Feb 4: Seeking Rest: Dissociation, Addictions & Self-Harm

Feb 25: The Fawn Response: How it Becomes Chronic

Mar 11: Biblical Women Surviving Oppression: Abigail, Ruth, Tamar & Lot’s Daughters

Mar 25: Borderline Mothering: Rage & Covert Sexual Abuse

Apr 8: Interoception: Losing & Recovering Access to Our Bodies