Spiritual & Emotional Healing Meet: A review of Reclaiming Wholeness by Dr. Don Ajene'

I am deeply moved by Reclaiming Wholeness: Identifying & Healing Spiritual Injury. Iya Rev. DeShannon Barnes-Bowens writes with clarity, courage, and lived authority on a subject that is both tender and urgent.

Drawing from her work as a spiritual psychotherapist and trainer, Iya Rev. Barnes-Bowens distinguishes the difference between spiritual injury and spiritual abuse, offering language that helps readers name experiences many have carried silently. Her personal stories, community examples, and thoughtful observations bring these realities into full consciousness.

What struck me most was Iya Rev. Barnes-Bowens reminder that “Our disappointments can help lead us to the places where we are valued, encouraged to grow, and embraced as our full selves.” That truth alone is worth the read.

Her exploration of healthy spiritual communities through the lens of the South African Zulu concept Ubuntu, her honest confrontation of racism and bias within spiritual spaces, and her clear guidelines for healthy leadership offer both discernment and hope.

The healing pathway Iya Rev. Barnes-Bowens outlines, restores agency and invites readers back into alignment with their spiritual truth and authority. The purpose of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is shared as our built-in surveillance system and its connection to unconscious appeasement. Learning how the ANS affected our collective ancestors’ survival deeply moved me and provided clarity into my own behavior. 

Reclaiming Wholeness is more than a book. It is a compassionate guide for reclaiming identity, power, and voice after harm. I am thankful for Iya Rev. Barnes-Bowens’ insight, bravery, and ability to take the complex and make it real, understandable, and practical.

At its heart, Reclaiming Wholeness affirms there is something inherently resilient and whole within each of us; something that cannot be broken or diminished. Remembering this truth is the beginning of true freedom.

Author Bio

Rev. Dr. Don Ajene’ Wilcoxson, MBA, DMin is co-developer of the Spiritual Emotional Intelligence (SEQ) Development Assessment. For many years, he served as a Distinguished Professor of Business and Entrepreneurship, working at the intersection of theory and lived experience at Riverside City College. Today his work is centered on integrative human development; drawing from Emotional Intelligence, Spiritual Emotional Intelligence, Jungian psychology, Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy, intercultural awareness, and interspiritual wisdom. Listen to his podcast on Audible – Soul Conversations.

Purchase Reclaiming Wholeness at: Barnes & Noble or Smash Words