Thought-Stirring Post: Public Entry
Religion/spirituality is a touchy topic for everyone. Among survivors, it can be triggering for a variety of reasons, particularly if the abusers in one's life used a certain religion or religious beliefs to further their own agenda. However, it can also be very empowering, for example in cases in which one's religion kept him or her afloat in abusive situations or provided hope when things seemed terrible. In any case, it's probably safe to say that religion is different for everyone--positive or negative, triggering or empowering, strongly tied to abuse or incredibly helpful with recovery--all depending on the individual and his or her unique circumstances.
We encourage you, as always, to respond freely to the following questions about religion and spirituality. We accept everyone here, no matter what belief system you follow or what your experiences have been. This week's answers, however, may be especially triggering depending on your situation--what may be working as a wonderful recovery tool for one person might have been at the core of another survivor's abuse. Therefore, please take extra care of yourself when reading the comments if religion/spirituality is especially triggering for you.
This week, it might actually also be extra helpful if, when submitting your comment, you list the religions/belief systems you mention--that way others can decide whether to read or skip over your comment until they are feeling up to it.
Without further ado, here are this week's questions!
We encourage you, as always, to respond freely to the following questions about religion and spirituality. We accept everyone here, no matter what belief system you follow or what your experiences have been. This week's answers, however, may be especially triggering depending on your situation--what may be working as a wonderful recovery tool for one person might have been at the core of another survivor's abuse. Therefore, please take extra care of yourself when reading the comments if religion/spirituality is especially triggering for you.
This week, it might actually also be extra helpful if, when submitting your comment, you list the religions/belief systems you mention--that way others can decide whether to read or skip over your comment until they are feeling up to it.
Without further ado, here are this week's questions!
- What kind of experiences did you have with religion/spirituality in regards to your abuse history?
- What kind of impact have these experiences had on your current belief system?
- How does your current belief system and/or the practices related to it affect your recovery path as a survivor?