Is it just me or are we seeing more and more sexual abuse in religious institutions?
It is time that we actually provide a safe place for people who have been sexually abused to recover and speak out against this abuse.

When this kind of abuse happens in religious institutions by leaders, it is a particularly deep sense of shame in the victim. This is due to the connection these institutions have to God and/or the Divine. The power differential between the leaders and the victims is profound and sends a cognitive dissonant message to the victim. This means that what is preached and the abuse are so completely opposite that the mind has trouble knowing what to do to comprehend what is happening. The shame that occurs is intense and far reaching in the lives of the victims. This is also true for abuse that occurs in homes of people that are religious and abuse family members. Again the message to the victim is confused with messages of faith and causes deep and intense shame.

Shame is deadly. It causes deep depression and intense anxiety.

If you would like to find out more about how to address shame, please contact me at debbie@debrajhackett.com.

Debbie

“If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.”  Father Joseph Martin