About the book

​

​​Few experiences carry more shame, stigma, and misunderstanding

than the life-altering trauma of sexual abuse. Men who experience

sexual abuse and rape, often find themselves marginalised and

isolated, yet there are few resources available for them or those who

support them.

​

This book examines the impact of sexual abuse on different men

through an intersectional lens, exploring how their unique identities,

circumstances, and society's views affect their recovery or compound

their trauma.

​

Each chapter addresses a topic chosen by hundreds of

male survivors who have attended my recovery groups. It includes

survivor testimonies, signposts to resources, and reflective activities

and coping strategies to help manage the aftermath of

sexual trauma.

 

With social systems, such as the criminal justice system, often failing male survivors, the book draws on Transformative Justice principles to suggest alternative ways for men to break cycles of trauma and move forward with their lives. 

 

Aimed at male survivors and those who support them—counsellors, psychotherapists, social workers, family members, and loved ones—this book offers guidance and hope for navigating the path to healing.

​

To pre-order the book, click here for Waterstones and here for Amazon Due out July 2025

​​

Book Launch events:

• London: 23rd August 2025, The Freud Museum, 4pm: Tickets Here

• Online: 19th Sept 2025, hosted by the Therapy & Social Change Network, 5pm GMT: Tickets Here

• Glasgow: 3rd Oct 2025, Glasgow Zine Library, 6.30pm: Tickets released summer 2025​

• Edinburgh: Oct (date & time tbc), University of Edinburgh.​

• Edinburgh: Nov 26th, Marriot Hotel, BACP lecture on Gender, Shame and male survivors: Tickets Here 

​

​

​

To download the free, printable worksheets from An Intersectional Guide for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse and their Allies: Masculinity Reconnected, click on the PDF symbol:

 

​​​​​​​

​​

​

 

 

Endorsements for the book:

​

Packed full of insights and practical guidance and signposting, this is an engaging, accessible, and deeply compassionate text for male survivors of sexual abuse and their allies—including the professionals working with them. An essential guide for those wanting to navigate this complex, sensitive, but profoundly important field.

•  Mick Cooper, author of Psychology at the Heart of Social Change (Policy Press, 2023).

 

Jeremy Sachs' thoughtful, caring and sensitive exploration of the complexities and nuances of the under-recognised impact of male sexual trauma and abuse will benefit men, their allies, and clinicians in navigating words and experiences hidden by years of emotional turmoil. This essential resource will assist in demystifying survivors' experiences. 

• Andrew Davidson, Joint Programme Head of the Diploma in Psychosexual Therapy at Tavistock Relationships. 

 

This book shares a rare combination of personal insight and professional experience that will benefit everyone affected by sexual violence against men and boys. This is the sort of book that you do not read just once. Instead, you can keep it with you, returning to it as different challenges emerge and subside, knowing that each time you open it you will find something to help you through.

• Tanaka Mhishi, Author of 'Sons and Others: On Loving Male Survivors’

 

Given that patriarchal adaptations mean men are often taught to hide, or suppress, the shame of sexual abuse, to have so gentle, yet so pointed and strong, a masculine voice speak on so sensitive a subject says a lot about the power of the prose presented in this volume. This is an emotional, sensitive tome, written from the thoughtful and somatically considered. This book lays out that road, presents pathways for practitioners to work with what is a challenging, little understood, yet hugely important experience for a good number of men. This is therefore a worthwhile, easy to access, deep dive into the experiences of male survivors of sexual abuse, which offers routes forward for practitioners working with these issues in their practices.

• Dr Dwight Turner - (He/Him) PhD, Dipl Supvn, Psychotherapist, Supervisor, and Workshop, Facilitator, UKCP Accredited

 

As a survivor of sexual violence who has also worked extensively with other survivors, I was delighted to see this comprehensive yet accessible guide for male survivors and their allies. Jeremy brings a wealth of knowledge and experience and communicates this, through the book, in a way that will resonate with male survivors, whatever their background or experience of sexual violence. It speaks directly to the challenges we all face as we heal and guides the reader through a range of exercises to support the process. Reading this guide took me to a warm place of comfort and reflection and I know it will be life-changing for many male survivors

• Alex Feis-Bryce – CEO Diversity Role Models

 

[An Intersectional Guide for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Their Allies] is profoundly moving: emotionally, it draws you into the embodied narratives of male sexual abuse survivors, compelling you to immerse in their lived realities often shrouded in silence. Conceptually, it challenges the very core of persistent myths about what it means to live as, and be, a man. Therapeutically, it provokes a necessary and urgent reckoning amongst mental health professionals, urging us to question how rigid social constructions of masculinity implicitly guide therapeutic interactions with male service users, where silent struggles may be mistaken as stoic endurance.

• Dr Nini Kerr, Senior Lecturer in Counselling, Psychotherapy and Applied Social Sciences 

School of Health in Social Science, The University of Edinburgh

 

 

In this book, Jeremy Sachs engages the reader with essential information, practical guidance and real-life examples, supported by reflective activities and resources. The emphasis on the impact of intersectionality provides a contemporary and much-needed lens through which to understand the unique difficulties of male survivors. But it is the way that Jeremy writes, making the reader feel understood, supported, and respected, that gives a sense that he is there with you throughout.

• Professor Kate Smith, University of Aberdeen

 

Jeremy has written a profoundly, deeply insightful book that is woven with a wisdom that inspires one's journey to transform trauma into triumph. It is a road map that enables one's own critical reflections to invite personal transformation which in turn has the capacity to create societal transformation.

• Arthur Lockhart, Order of Ontario, Founder of The Gatehouse, Toronto & Co-founder of the Survivors Council Canada

​​​

​More Information

 

I've been blogging about the process of writing the book, both to keep potential readers updated and to process some of the complex feelings and experiences that have come up along the way. Below are links to those blogs:

​

• Woah, we’re halfway there: reflections on getting halfway through the first draft of my book for male survivors of sexual abuse, April 2024​

​​

• And we’re done: Reflections on finishing the first draft of my book for male survivors of sexual abuse, July 2024.

​​

• FINISHED! Submitting the final manuscript, self-disclosure and managing the critical voices, October 2024

​​​​​

To keep up to date with developments, sign up to my newsletter in Contact or check back on this page soon. 

​​​​​​​

​

​