Why This Book?

Exquisite Torture is a bold, poetic, and unflinching memoir of survival. Carrie Buddington offers a deeply personal account of life within a controlling religious group and the slow, painful journey of unbinding herself from its influence. Her writing is visceral and lyrical, full of truth-telling that pierces through shame, silence, and fear. This book isn’t just about what happened — it’s about what it takes to feel again after your inner world has been buried under obedience and pain.

Who It’s For

• Survivors of coercive religious groups or fundamentalist spiritual environments
• Readers who process through poetry, emotion, and raw narrative
• Those searching for language to express what they haven’t been able to say

Big Takeaways

• Language — especially poetic language — can be a lifeline when traditional storytelling isn’t enough.
• The effects of coercion can live in the body and the soul long after escape. Naming them is the beginning of release.
• You are allowed to grieve what you lost and who you had to become to survive.

How It Can Help

Carrie’s writing creates space for grief, anger, and deep reflection — especially for readers who may have felt silenced or emotionally flattened by their experience. Exquisite Torture reminds survivors that healing doesn’t have to be tidy or linear. It can be ragged, nonlinear, and even beautiful in its messiness.

Additional Notes or Warnings

• This book includes themes of spiritual abuse, religious trauma, emotional pain, and psychological disorientation.
• It is written with poetic intensity — not graphic, but emotionally raw. Readers should approach gently, especially if processing similar wounds.