Principle #1

“There comes a time when the victim becomes a survivor, and that is when the hard work begins.”  TV Program – Law and Order

 

Sadly, many people suffer the deep wounds of spiritual abuse, a type of abuse that not only is easily internalized but particularly insidious.  Whenever God, or the gods, or fates are infused into abuse everything becomes elevated to a cosmic level.  The “Eternal” is now implicitly responsible for this kind of abuse.

 

The word “spiritual” should never be coupled with the word “abuse” because it implies some sort of injury or damage that is done to a person.  This is a diabolical coupling that involves using the sacred to harm, enslave, and deceive the soul of another.  It in turn causes a wounding that is most often classified psychologically as a form of trauma called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or more serious, Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD).

 

Spiritual abuse attacks the very core of a person’s identity.  This traumatic experience profoundly disconnects a person across three continuums: their relationship with others causing disruption to some of life’s most intimate relationships; their relationship with their own self causing a crisis of identity; and most importantly their relationship with God creating hopelessness, despair and distorted images of Him.

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Consequently, “There is nothing wrong with you, rather, something happened to you” is not just some slogan but an assertion of reality that many victims of spiritual abuse never fully accept.  Instead, they come to believe that there is something wrong with them and feel like damaged goods.  

 

This is where the first and most consequential step of recovery from spiritual abuse must begin.  The goal for the survivor is to integrate their traumatic experience into their life in a way that works for them rather than against; that helps rather than hinders.  This is a transition from the mindset that says, “there is something wrong with me” to rather “something happened to me.”  For those who persevere on this journey of recovery they come to understand their own self better, have healthier relationships with others, and (most importantly) can find intimacy with God if they so choose.