Spiritual Abuse is a form of emotional and psychological abuse. Spiritual abuse occurs when religious authority is used to hurt, scare, shame, coerce, or control people using their religious beliefs against them. Someone who is in a position of authority may use a religious text or a claim that they speak for God as justification for inappropriate demands or behavior. A person in a vulnerable position such as a child or church member may believe that they must submit and obey because of their religious convictions or unquestioning trust in the person in authority. The victim of spiritual abuse may do things that they do not want to do and things that they do not agree with because they fear the social and emotional consequences of disobeying, or they may believe that they would be sinning against God if they were to disagree with the person in authority. In this way, a person with a position of authority uses religious commitment to gain control over a vulnerable person and cause them to do things against their will. This type of abuse causes long-term emotional and psychological symptoms such as chronic shame, feelings of worthlessness, lack of personal autonomy, self-loathing, self-doubt, chronic fear and anxiety, perfectionism, hypervigilance, and difficulty experiencing pleasure.

Specific examples of Spiritual Abuse may include:

• Use of shame to control, manipulate, and/or exploit
• Control over decision making, such as how to discipline children, what to wear, what to think, where to go, who to talk to
• Blocking communication with others
• Teaching that asking questions is distrust and disobedience and therefore sin
• Requirement of obedience to the abuser
• Requirement of secrecy and silence
• Claiming to speak on behalf of God
• Suggesting that disagreement with those in authority is the same as disobeying God
• Enforcement of isolation from others

Therapy can help you to gain back your confidence to make independent decisions for yourself, develop an accurate view of yourself, God, and others, set appropriate personal boundaries, release you from fear, shame, and anxiety, and provide a new experience of freedom and joy in life.