[BelleValentine]

Is abuse, well any kind but especially spirituality is used against you...is it abuse? I have alot of PTSD from it? Advice?

[Thunder Bow]

How were you abused??

[BelleValentine]

Hmmm...lots of bad things done in the name of spirituality/religion/faith. Too personal to get into. I still have issues with my own spirituality and belief and faith bc I always hear the abuser in my head. But I am a spiritual being but still hear I am eternally damned.

[Gus1234U]

i used to have this 'tape' in my head that played over and over, undermining me, and making my life hellish: "No Damn Good".

i learned to focus on all the good things i had done, the general inclusion of Goodness which we all deserve, and otherwise to refute and remove the energy from that saying. eventually, little by little that voice faded away. now i am working on the one that says: "Do It Yourself".

[(JD)]

There are those who abuse and use the avenue of spirituality to convey it to their victims.

I saw a lot of abuse within many different places of "worship"...mainly in their other programs and of course in some of the members who were, well, mentally unwell. I've been the target of many of them.

It's important to realize that these are abusive people using this avenue. Those who truly have the Good Spirit do not abuse, but love unconditionally, and forgive.

May you find the latter.

[FaceOfTheMoon]

From my experience I have encountered many many people who have suffered this even to a small degree. But significant enough for it to turn them away for life from matters of spirituality. Evangelising works both ways. But then they may find they lack something in their lives but won't turn to heal themselves from the soul outwards as they have been turned off that aspect to the point where they become aggressive when the topic is brought up.

Abuse is about control.

Are you able to leave the situation? Is there another place of worship open to you as an alternative? Is there a counselor or spiritual mentor you feel it's safe enough to turn to. How do you feel about seeking advice from a spiritual advisor in another place of worship? If you have been taught that other denominations are bad, that too is a form of spiritual abuse - and is a good sign the church isn't so 'healthy' and enriching.

No religion or belief practise should be demanding, manipulative, and controlling. For that matter too no religion or denomination of such should be exclusive or spout hate in others.

I do hope you feel empowered enough to evaluate what it is that is abusive, missing, or just plain wrong. There is something out there that is the right place for you.

BelleValentine - I forgot to ask:

Are you safe?

[dlantern]

Yes it is. Sending supportive thoughts

[continuosly blue]

As was said before. Take away the power that you are giving the abusers. Stop letting them rent space in your head. Ask them to pay more rent !!! A lot more. Forcing them to move out !!! You seem to have survived a great deal of pain. Add this to the list of something you not only survived but defeated!!! :hug

[Altarian]

Yes theological/spiritual/religious abuse is real. I won't go into personal experience of naming the "institutions" that it was done in the name of because that is a no no i guess. What i can say is there are those who because they have been injected by the Kool-aid of their families faith that they think everyone, no matter who or what they are, should be that too. No matter what you do they will keep picking away at you until either you snap and join them or snap and find a way away from them, hopefully without a criminal record. I'm not sure if my point has come across or not. What i'm trying to say is find a way to fight back without physically or criminally doing it. I don't know your situation and not everyone can do what i did and just walk away from the life i had built from scratch.

[woe-be-gone]

I completely agree. It is a thing and a horrible one to be put through. I've always tried to understand their judgement and bias as fear or worry but then its things like "you wouldn't be so unhappy if you just believed" or "your mind isn't working correctly and Ill pray for you to realise the right path" that really test my tolerance.

What's helped me the most is doing my own research and finding my own definition for spirituality. Believing in something, whatever it may be, always grounds you...Just find your own! There is no right or wrong! <3

[TaubTaube]

Oh yeah. I am a victim of clergy abuse ,so yes, spiritual abuse is just awful.

[(JD)]

[karritous]

Originally Posted by BelleValentine

Hmmm...lots of bad things done in the name of spirituality/religion/faith. Too personal to get into. I still have issues with my own spirituality and belief and faith bc I always hear the abuser in my head. But I am a spiritual being but still hear I am eternally damned.

I have PTSD and dissociation due to church abuse which spanned from when I was born to when I was 16. It has changed my whole life, but I am in a treatment center now for it and working on fragmented parts twice a week for a year now. It's a really long process to get better, but it can definitely be done.

[dermald]

I grew up in a region of America that was very religiously judgmental. Spent the first half of my life being judged for not being raised a believer. To them, I was a demon, immoral, and not even human. The things they said and did could fill a book.

To this day, I work to fix the damage done.

[Unrigged64072835]

I've been spiritually abused, along with other kinds of abuse. It's real. Another one of the things I'm in therapy for.

[shakespeare47]

Originally Posted by BelleValentine

Is abuse, well any kind but especially spirituality is used against you...is it abuse? I have alot of PTSD from it? Advice?

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