Abuse survivors may have a hard time believing in God or belonging to organized religion. Yet having a spiritual practice helps survivors heal. Explore practices that bring you a sense of hope and well-being.
1. Yoga. A yoga practice involves the whole body, mind, and spirit. Abuse experiences affect individuals at a cellular level. The yoga movements and positions help the body to heal at a cellular level. Practicing the deep breathing that is taught in yoga enables your whole body to receive a better supply of oxygen. At other times when flashbacks occur, doing deep breathing overcomes feelings of terror and empowers your body to move rather than to become frozen.
2. Praying. For me praying does not necessarily involve words. In fact, some of my most profound periods of praying are resting in the stillness of God's presence. One night when I was too scared to use my own words, and I was experiencing a flashback, I stilled my sense of terror by turning to the sacred presence. At such times, it matters not whether you actually sense the presence of the Holy One, only that you turn your focus there. To my surprise the words to the Lord's Prayer popped into my mind, but there was a difference. Word by word, phrase by phrase, with pauses in between, NEW WORDS, came. Similar experiences continued over a few years. All-in-all there were more than 75 prayers which were given to me by the Holy Spirit. These prayers profoundly influence my spirituality and my inner healing.
3. Meditate on sacred scripture. I find the Bible to be inspirational. I take a small passage and read slowly, several times, paying attention to which words draw my attention. I write the word or phrase in my journal. The following queries you may find helpful in responding to the scripture through writing in your journal: What is the author trying to say? What is the nature of God? What do you experience?
4. Participate in worship services. Do you need to find a worshipping community in which you feel comfortable? where you feel free to worship? Perhaps you will find this in your own faith tradition. Perhaps you need to look elsewhere.
5. Walk a labyrinth. A labyrinth is a winding path that circles into the center. Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has no dead ends. Compose yourself at the entrance to the labyrinth. What is your intention for walking into the sacred center? Do you have a question? a prayer? Do you want to walk, and see what comes to you. In the center, stop and sit down or kneel. Listen to the presence of God. You will know when it is time to leave, then walk out slowly being thankful for blessings. Remember afterwards to write in your journal.
6. Go to a spiritual retreat for survivors. There you will experience community. You will be given opportunities to experience guided meditation, prayer, and self-affirmation.
Abuse survivors who want to be spiritually empowered have many opportunities. In this article, I've only named a few. You will find that having a living spirituality will generate inner healing. I know because I'm an abuse survivor and my spirituality has saved my life.
Judy Brutz is author, spiritual director, retreat leader and speaker. She lives in Idaho with her family, and enjoys nature, knitting for peace, and volunteering. http://www.judybrutz.net
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