Grieving is about loss…..

This was a popular post on my community page, as often people don’t realise they are grieving.

People often assume grieving is about the death of someone, which it is and is heartbreaking, but grieving is about loss.

I am grieving the loss of relationships with family, who whilst they are still alive, the loss of them in my life, knowing they will never be in my life, is loss like someone dying.

I am grieving a Mother who didn’t protect me and love me.

I am grieving a Father, who abandoned me and does not wish to see me, even though I now live really close to him.

I am grieving the loss of my relationship and contact with my siblings, who I have always loved and protected when we were children.

Grieving is also about trauma.

I am grieving the huge amounts of abuse I was subjected to as a child and adolescent.

I am grieving a childhood stolen from me. My innocence stolen from me.

Spiritual Abuse: What it is and Why it Hurts

Musings of a Christian Psychologist

In 21^st century United States, does spiritual abuse really happen? Can’t we all just choose churches where we feel safe? No one makes us (adults) go to church so shouldn’t spiritual abuse be nonexistent in this day—or at least happen only once (e.g., fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice…)?

Sadly, spiritual abuse happens in all sorts of churches and for all sorts of reasons.

What is spiritual abuse?

Spiritual abuse is the use of faith, belief, and/or religious practices to coerce, control, or damage another for a purpose beyond the victim’s well-being (i.e., church discipline for the purpose of love of the offender need not be abuse).

Like child abuse, spiritual abuse comes in many forms. It can take the form of neglect or intentional harm of another. It can take the form of naïve manipulation or predatory “feeding on the sheep.” Consider some of these…

View original post 595 more words