Chapter 24 concerns itself with LGBTQI+ clients that have experienced religious and spiritual abuse (SA), using a trauma-informed approach. It identifies SA as the coercion and control of a person utilizing spiritual contexts as tools of doing so. The target of such abuse experiences an attack on an emotional and an existential level. The methods of SA typically include manipulation, exploitation, enforced accountability and conformity, censorship, obedience, isolation, as well as secrecy and silence in order to perpetuate abuse. Victims of SA are typically involved with religious communities from an early age, meaning that their experiences are deeply-rooted.
Some of the symptoms of SA include cognitive confusion, identity confusion, affective anxiety, depression, and a lack of meaning, functional disorders (sleep, sex, substance abuse), social disruptions from family and the community, employment issues, and interpersonal dysfunctions. The situation is made worse by the fact that an individual is often deprived from support of said communities, as the abuse is coming from them. It makes escape and recovery very difficult.
It is proposed for specialists that treat LGBTQI+ members with SA to implement a trauma-informed approach. Religion and spirituality make a significant part of a person’s identity, meaning that one has to be cautious and define how important spirituality is for their patients. The biggest challenges include gaining trust of the patient, dismantling the negative perceptions of oneself and other humans, clarifying one’s own values, and recovering a sense of self-identity. The client’s experience of trauma is to be considered, and sensitivity and supportiveness practiced at all times. The overarching purposes of behavior therapy implemented in a trauma-informed approach is to rebuild a sense of control and empowerment in trauma survivors.
Reference List
Ginicola, M. M., Smith, C., & Filmore, J. M. (2017). Affirmative Counseling with LGBTQI+ People. Wiley.