Spirituality and Sexual Abuse: Issues and Dilemmas for Survivors

Sexual abuse profoundly affects survivors to the extent that they are unable to maintain previously held viewpoints or ways of being, including those relating to their spirituality. Certainly the experience has considerable potential to complicate the spiritual lives of survivors. For Christian surv...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Theology & sexuality
Main Author: Crisp, Beth (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group 2007
In: Theology & sexuality
Year: 2007, Volume: 13, Issue: 3, Pages: 301-314
Further subjects:B Forgiveness
B Spirituality
B Silence
B Self-image
B Sexual Abuse
B Sacraments
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Parallel Edition:Electronic
Description
Summary:Sexual abuse profoundly affects survivors to the extent that they are unable to maintain previously held viewpoints or ways of being, including those relating to their spirituality. Certainly the experience has considerable potential to complicate the spiritual lives of survivors. For Christian survivors, this may include how they perceive and relate to both themselves and God as well as affect participation in sacraments such as eucharist and reconciliation. Spiritual traditions often promote the embracing of silence, but this may be problematic for survivors who have been silenced and unable to give expression to their experiences. Similarly, socialization resulting in beliefs that Christians should always forgive and/or never be angry needs to be overcome. While negotiating these pitfalls may result in explorations of spirituality being even less straightforward for survivors of sexual abuse than it is for others, a transformative spirituality within a Christian framework can be realized.
ISSN:1745-5170
Contains:Enthalten in: Theology & sexuality
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/1355835807078263