Other Spirituality? (post-cult) - where does our strength come from?

[saraemerald]

Yes, mine was apparently to be a nun. Everyone in the family expected it, insisted upon it, punished...

Shunning for sure is soul crushing and sad. It's not right.

Totally mean something. You are your whole world.

So, what are things you like doing, or that you like be...

Some things I wanted to do but couldn't... Be a beach bum and go surfing on a long trip on the other side of the country. Go to college for marine biology. Amongst other things.

Looking back in human history at belief about the spirit world has helped me frame my experiences and also...

The internal struggle is intense. I went through terrible things in my childhood and some ppl in my congregation helped me. Amazingly, I never turned to drugs, alcohol or other addictions. I became VERY religious though and totally believed the religion I was in saved my life. Even though I had some uneasy feelings about certain things in the religion. So when I left, I thought I left God and that he was punishing me. I went from being a happy, "spiritually strong" person to a self destructive person and I am still struggling. I don't know if you are at all familiar with this group, but I was born into a Jehovah's Witness family. It sucked so much but even though it sucked, I still fell for their bullshit. Now my head feels like it is f#!ked up so much and I am sooo confused and hurt about this world.

 

[Changing4Best]

I was involved in a non-Christian cult. It spun my head around quite badly. I am recovering slowly now. One of the best ways to do so is to redirect my thoughts away from any of their teachings or the events that I was involved in with them, and so on.

 

[grit]

Very non-religious person here but grew up in religious society...

I want to answer your question about where does our strength comes from? I ask myself that question everyday (I also use our wisdom or our empathy) as well.

I think if you have healed one aspect of your life manually with a therapist or with an amazing and loving relationship (the only two ways out of childhood trauma that involves attachment and betrayal), you will see what makes a human human and it is not because we are adults!

What I mean by this is: Even babies have a built in mechanism that makes them survive things that will make an adult commit suicide! Just think about that for a second.


I believe, we under estimate babies because they do not have language to explain things; they have a build in strenth, power and love that we unfortunately lose as we get older because we become more dependent on language and movement ability.

Because I am healing in structural damages that I should have by now, I am feeling, I am adult raising myself inside as a baby...and this gives me the strength to know...nothing is concrete. As long as one has a hope to live, one has the strength to survive and thrive after the storm is gone!