Spiritual Formation and Sexual Abuse: Embodiment, Community, and Healing

Abstract

As a distortion of God's created designs, sexual abuse (SA) carries a unique devastation-factor. Abuse that is sexual in nature damages a spectrum of internal and external aspects of personhood. In particular, the core realities of: (1) self-identity, (2) community, (3) and spiritual communion with God can be deeply fractured through SA. In light of the significance of the image of God, movement toward healing includes strengthening personal agency, processing profound boundary ruptures, and managing disillusionment with God. Due to the multi-faceted trauma of sexual abuse (i.e., physical, social, spiritual) spiritual formation programs must not only plan for the unique profile of abuse victims, but also need to incorporate a fuller understanding and praxis of the realities of embodiment, ritual, and theocentric metaphor into their transformational goals. Analysis includes first-person experience, anthropological science, and theological reflection.

"Rape is a part of life where I live" the normalization of girl-child sexual abuse in Jamaica

“…This requires attention to structural inequalities, classism, sexism harmful cultural, and gender norms that privilege men and inferiorize women and girls. Schmutzer (2009) explains that as a tool of domination, sexual abuse creates feelings of helplessness, shame, and humiliation in the survivor that is worsened by the secrecy demanded and enforced by the colonizer. He states that "sexual abuse effectively dismembers its victim, it uncreates because it dissects" (Schmutzer 2009:72).…”

“…Sexual abuse terrorises the abused and as Schmutzer (2009) explains it is how abusers exert psychological and emotional control over his victims making it difficult to escape as in the case of Tamara and Maya. Girl-child sexual abuse is an effective form of terrorism based on the sheer number of girls impacted in Jamaica and globally, the long term trauma it causes and the fear it inflicts (Pain 2012:8).…”