A Compassionate Approach to the Spirituality of Adult Christian Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse (original) (raw)
Survivors of childhood sexual abuse often suffer from the psychological effects of chronic shame and trauma. Many adult survivors turn to psychotherapy and spirituality for healing. Psychotherapies such as Compassion Focused Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization (EMDR) can help to heal trauma. This paper presents a psycho-spiritual model of treating trauma that integrates the insights of psychotherapy and spirituality. It offers a concept of grace working through psychotherapy in healing trauma. This paper also documents some of the compassionate work of adult survivors who have undergone a transformative journey of psychological and spiritual healing. These transformations have been despite, not because of, Christian faith communities. Some faith communities, rather than being compassionate, have vilified survivors. This has often been the case when the perpetrator has been a member of the clergy. The theology of mercy, advocated by Pope Francis, invites faith communities to examine themselves as recipients of God's mercy, as a measure of humble, compassionate and authentic mission. In this study, compassionate professionals and clergy, working with survivors, provide insights into how faith communities can extend compassionate support to survivors. They describe how, when ministers and pastoral workers provide an emotionally supportive space for adult survivors, this can be a sacramental encounter with Christ. They also describe how ministering to survivors with the Eucharist can be a source of healing and inclusion. This paper also acknowledges diocesan work undertaken with survivors in the form of Eucharistic liturgies with survivor participation in the experience. These liturgies aim to confer both a sense of healing and inclusion in the life of the faith community. Survivors bring gifts to faith communities and the wider world, borne of healing and transformation. Faith communities through recognising the gifts survivors bring, honour them as equals.
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Un ni iv ve er rs si it ty y o of f P Pr re et to or ri ia a 3.3 Practical Theology 3.4 Narrative Theology 31 3.4.1 The "Not-knowing" position of the researcher 34 3.4.2 The expertise of the client 37 3.4.3 The problem is the problem 3.4.4 Deconstructing the problem 40 3.4.5 Externalisation of conversations 3.5 The importance of language and meaning 3.6 Social Constructionism 4. THE RESEARCH PROCEDURE. 55 4.1 Description of a specific context 4.1.1 Historical background of the context 58 4.1.2 My relationship with the context. 58 4.1.3 Epistemological understanding with regard to practical theological research 4.1.4 Positioning in terms of theological paradigm 4.2 The In-context experiences 61 4.2.1 Selecting co-researchers 4.2.2 Methodological implications 63 4.2.3 Ethical Guidelines 4.2.4 The effective move from "listening to experiences to" to "describing the experiences 67 4.3 The collaborative interpretation and description of experience 68 4.4 Description of experience and traditions of interpretations. 70 4.4.1 Valuable inputs from scientific community 71 4.4.2 Involvement of co-researchers in the process of research 71 4.5 Religious and spiritual aspects: God's presence 72 4.6 A description of experience, thickened through interdisciplinary investigation. 73 4.7 The development of alternative interpretations, that point beyond beyond the local community 74 5. MY OWN JOUNEY AS PART OF JOURNEY TO A NEW LAND 75 REFLECTION SUMMARY 78 CHAPTER TWO NARRATIVES IN A COMMUNITY OF LAITY 80 2.1 INTRODUTION 2.2 The Epistemology of "Untying the knot" 81 2.3 The Truth leads to Praxis 85 2.3.1 The action as praxis 88 2.3.2 The "now" is the crucial moment 89 2.4 Co-Travellers on a Social Constructionist Journey 2.4.1 Reconstruction 2.4.2 Story telling as Co-Construction 95 2.5 The journey with a New Story 2.5.1 The open door for the start of a new church 2.6 The Story of the new face of God 2.7 Experiencing a new beginning with a new story 2.7.1 This story identifies with the oral story-telling tradition 105 2.7.2 This story sensitised my co-researchers 108 2.8 Telling your story making your contribution 108 2.9 The metaphor of the "eye" 111 2.9.1 The Conversation between Priscilla and the researcher 112 2.9.2 "I would like to be the eye of this congregation" 113 2.9.3 The use of the metaphor in the story 2.9.4 The dream of care 117 2.10 Externalising Conversations 118 2.11 The fear of non-existence 2.11.1 The language of fear 124 2.12 Look around you and see what is happening 2.13 The Visionaries 2.14 The story of co-exploration 2.15 The risk to take a step in faith 131 2.16 God's church as the family of God 134 2.17 When the ears of people were deaf, God heard our cry 137 2.17.1 The story of the chronic asthma attacks 2.17.2 Listening to God Creates Room for introspection and research 141 2.18 The Church creates room for therapy and testimony 142 2.19 The youth should make a "reality check" 2.20 The story of spiritual upliftment and a new chapter in spirituality 147 2.20.1 The story of Craig 2.21 Interviews as conversations 149 2.22 Discussion of the stories 150 2.1 Moving towards thick descriptions 2.23 The story of love, care and support REFLECTION SUMMARY 153 CHAPTER THREE 155 PASTORAL CARE IN A COMMUNITY OF LAITY 3.1 3.3.2 Pastoral care from a social constructionist perspective 159 3.3.3 Pastoral care as a group activity 161 3.4 The church as the family that communicates a family ministry. 162 3.5 The "self" in relation to others 3.5.1 Self as a consciousness or awareness 166 3.5.2 Care comes from the relational self 3.5.3 The church in relation to the self and others 169 3.5.4 Deconstructing the Self-Narrative 170 3.6 Togetherness is a challenge to reconstruct 3.6.1 Togetherness speaks about the presence of God 174 3.6.2 Recognition of God's presence does not always assure the smooth running of things. 176 3.7 Our faith motivated us never to look back 178 3.8 The caring community 180 3.9 Developing the new story of "Care Giving" 182 3.9.1 Structure of "Care Giving" 183 3.10 A community that connects 186 Reflection 189 Summary 191 CHAPTER FOUR 192 HEALING AND TRANSFORMATION IN A COMMUNITY OF LAITY 192 4.1 INTRODUCTION 192 4.2 Understanding of the biblical text 4.2.1 The Hermeneutical Paradigm 194 4.2.2 The text and reader comes together 4.3 A deepened spirituality in relation to the bible 198 4.3.1 My co-researcher's interpretation of spirituality 200 4.4 Transformed lives through spiritual formation 4.5 There are no Quick fixes 4.6 Conversations initiated through Prayer 4.7 The imperative of spirituality as a God given opportunity of care 203 4.8 Wisdom speaks from a deepened spirituality 207 4.8.1 The three components of wisdom 4.9 The effectiveness of a healthy community 4.10 Professional identity in leadership and relationship 212 4.11 Diversity and conformity plays a role in healing 4.12 Accepting group Recognition 216 4.13 Acceptance sets you free to take a Risk. 4.14 The Voices of solidarity 4.15 Listening as a Component of Healing 221 4.16 Conversation as part of God's Healing plan 224 4.17 Healing and Personal Accountability 225 4.18 Compassionate Ministry as an Enlightening Ministry 226 4.19 The New Story of 'Care Giving' 227 REFLECTION 229 SUMMARY 230 CHAPTER FIVE THE THEORY OF CARE AND SUPPORT IN RELATION TO THE NARRATIVE APPROACH 232 5.1 INTRODUCTION 232 5.2 The specific context as narrative 232 5.3 Historical background as part of a narrative journey undertaken 5.4 My relationship with the context as narrative 236 5.5 Epistemology as the narrative of understanding and knowledge 5.6 Positioning in terms of a theological paradigm 238 5.7 The In-context experience as part of narration 239 5.8 The methodology as part of narrative analysis 240 5.9 The narration of ethical practice 5.10 A description of the experiences that I have heard 5.11 Narration is a two-way interpretation and description of experience 5.12 Descriptions of experience and traditions of interpretation 244 5.13 The narrative of the scientific community 5.14 Involvement of the co-researchers in the process of research 246 5.15 Their religious and spiritual aspects became a story of narrations 246 5.16 A description of experience, thickened through interdisciplinary investigation 247 5.17 The development of alternative interpretations, that point beyond the local community 247 5.18 My new story as part of Journey to a New Land REFLECTION 248 SUMMARY 249 CHAPTER SIX 250 REFLECTION ON THE RESEARCH 250 6.1 INTRODUCTION 250 6.2 Reflection on Researched Topic(Title) 6.3 The overall aim and specific objectives 251 6.4 Reflection on the epistemological and theological points of Departure 252 6.4.1 Postmodern epistemological point of departure 6.4.2 Postfoundationalist practical theology 6.5 The Narrative Approach as a structured 'given' 256 6.5.1 The expertise of the co-researchers 256 6.5.1 The problem as storied 6.5.2 Deconstruction of the problem 6.6 Social constructionism 6.7 Feedback Loops 6.8 Reflection on the whole process of research 259 BIBLIOGRAPHY CHAPTER ONE POSITIONING 1.1 INTRODUCTION In my current position as the Coordinator for the training of Lay Ministries in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) I realised the significant role that laypeople play in the lives of people and perform an outstanding ministry. In my role of training laypeople I have observed that laypeople have the skills and the capacity to take care of one another. The laity are people who serve in a non-ordained position in the church, but who can also render a service like an ordained priest or minister. The reason that I have ventured into this research is that the stories of the people who did the research with me speak about managing a church in the absence of a fulltime pastor. The stories relate the journey of people who travel together from a perspective of love, care, support, healing and transformation. Although I am an ordained minister in the MCSA (Methodist Church of Southern Africa) during my time of being a fulltime minister in a congregation I really observed and experienced a deep level of a growing maturity in the skilfulness and spirituality of lay people. I remember where I came from as an ordinary layperson in the MCSA. In reflecting on my past I could still see myself involved in the ministry of pastoral care, healing and transformation, but doing it under the leadership of a fulltime ordained minister, to whom I had to give feedback on all important matters. In my own capacity as a fulltime minister in a congregation I experienced the responsibility for and initiating of a ministry as something only done by the minister. There were only a few lay leaders who had the courage to implement certain important ministries, but still with my consent and under my authority. In the beginning my coresearchers saw this research as only writing down of the history of this congregation. They were thrilled and enthusiastic to see this congregation materialising but only realised later the importance of their ministry and how they performed it. The people who ventured with me in this research are people whom I have met in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) while I was still a chaplain and a part time minister at one of the Methodist Churches in Thaba Tshwane. Most of these people are still in the military environment but others are in the Public Service and other departments of the government. In this research they are known as co-1 researchers because in narrative research one does not use the term clients or counselees but rather co-researchers. According to Gergen in Demasure and Müller (2007:7) in the process of social construction one should guard against seeing one person as the opponent and not as somebody that is participating in the construction of meaning. I would like to regard my co-researchers as people who are participating in this process of research from the perspective that they can give meaningful inputs. In...
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