What is it like to be a child raised in a spiritually abusive environment? We have many books published that look at physical abuse and neglect from the eyes of the child, as well as other books that give an in depth look at sexual abuse or emotional abuse and how it feels to be the victim of such crimes.
More and more, I am hearing the stories of those who were raised in spiritually abusive environments. It is no shock to me to discover that many of these children also experienced other types of abuse while growing up. Abusive natures tend to not limit the tools of the abuse to one particular mode.
Many people may be familiar with the book “A Child Called It” and the sequels, where horrendous abuse is described from the viewpoint of Dave Pelzer, the victim, after he has grown up and finds himself in a safer environment. Although his mother’s primary choice of abuse was physical, she also heaped emotional and psychological abuse upon him. Severe neglect was part of her twisted behavior, and her physical abuse became more and more severe until it rivaled military torture in severity.
Much like this story, it is common in mental health care, when we encounter a child who has been the victim of abuse or neglect, to also discover other types of abuse the child experienced in that process. Knowing this, it is no surprise to discover that spiritual abuse often leads to physical abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, psychological abuse, sporadic care or neglect, and even, in some cases, sexual abuse.
The viewpoints of these individuals is quite similar to children who have grown up with other kinds of abuse.
There is the feeling that they are unworthy or faulty in some deep internal way. There is guilt over things that they have no control over. Constant need to apologize is common. A severe need for reassurance is to be expected. Not being able to trust their own intuition or second guessing their perfectly logical thoughts is part of the symptomology. Fear of authority or inability to trust authority of any kind is to be expected. Much like victims of other types of abuse, PTSD symptoms are “par for the course”–hyper-vigilance, nightmares, triggers, startle reflexes, wariness, and extreme anxiety. It is also fairly common that they may experience suicidal ideation–urges to harm themselves.
Spiritual abuse is no joke. It can cause permanent harm, just like any other type of abuse. It tears down the individual, and creates the same anxieties found in other child abuse victims. Almost without fail, spiritually abusive environments will require physical abuse of children, often disguised as “biblical” corporal punishment, but seldom considered within the realm of “normal” developmentally appropriate corporal punishment.
In the next segment of this article, we will look at some of the stories of the abuse from the eyes and testimonies of the victims, as we preserve their privacy.
(To be continued)
Children Raised Under Spiritual Abuse
Children Raised Under Spiritual Abuse II
Children Raised Under Spiritual Abuse III
Children Raised Under Spiritual Abuse IV
Children Raised Under Spiritual Abuse V
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