Asbury University Professor of Psychology Dr. Laura Dryjanska is expanding the conversation surrounding human trafficking through a newly published book and recent research presented to an international audience in Florence, Italy.
Dryjanska’s new book, Human Trafficking and Lived Experience: Psychological Perspectives on Survivors’ Stories, was published in July 2026 by Routledge. Drawing from interviews with survivors of human trafficking, the book examines the complexities and implications of sharing personal traumatic experiences in different settings.
Psychological science has a lot to offer when it comes to understanding memory processes and self-concept in relation to life trajectory."
While written primarily for an academic audience, the book also offers insights for professionals who regularly interact with survivors, including lawyers, police officers, social workers, journalists and government officials. Dryjanska also expressed gratitude to recent Asbury University graduate Bryanne McDermott ’26, who assisted with data analysis for the project.
Together, Dryjanska’s new book and international research demonstrate how Asbury faculty are contributing meaningful scholarship to complex global challenges while advancing conversations about human dignity, freedom and care for vulnerable populations.
Dryjanska extended that work to an international stage in July at the International Congress of Applied Psychology in Florence, Italy. The gathering welcomed more than 2,500 participants from around the world.
At the conference, Dryjanska presented alongside legal studies expert Dr. Longo on transdisciplinary collaboration to support survivors of human trafficking and forced labor at sea. Their presentation explored how psychological insights concerning complex trauma, coercion and isolation can inform the work of legal professionals, policymakers and government representatives working to protect human rights.
The presentation grew from collaboration through Blue Rights, an EU-funded COST Action focused on protecting liberty at sea and grounded in principles of human dignity, freedom and human rights. Dryjanska and Longo also connected their research to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal “Life Below Water,” highlighting an area psychologists rarely examine despite the prevalence of forced labor and trafficking within fishing activities.
Through both projects, Dryjanska continues to demonstrate the value of connecting psychological scholarship with real-world challenges. Her work invites academics and professionals across disciplines to better understand survivors’ experiences and consider how research can contribute to more informed and humane responses to human trafficking.
Learn more about Human Trafficking and Lived Experience: Psychological Perspectives on Survivors’ Stories through Routledge and about the 2026 International Congress of Applied Psychology.
Asbury’s 18-credit Human Trafficking Studies minor offers courses in global and regional perspectives, psychological perspectives, international social issues, and more, with opportunities for internships, independent studies and seminars. As part of the Political Science program, this minor is a cross-disciplinary effort that draws on faculty with a background in human trafficking studies from other fields such as psychology, social work, sociology, and history.
The Asbury University Psychology Department offers a major and minor in Psychology, with major emphases in Business Psychology, Biological Psychology, Child Psychology, Christian Counseling/Psychology, Clinical/Counseling Psychology, Equine Facilitated Mental Health, Forensic Psychology, Social Psychology, and Student Development Psychology.
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