Reappraisals to a punishing God, reappraisals of God’s powers, and expressions of spiritual discontent partially mediated the relationship between trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms. In contrast, reappraisal of the event to evil forces was unrelated to PTSD symptoms. It may be that attributing the event to evil forces provides an unsettling but satisfactory explanation for some trauma survivors, perhaps because it distributes blame away from self or God to a being already understood as malevolent (e.g., Pargament et al., 2004). This finding suggests that aspects of spiritual struggle are related but distinct constructs that should be assessed separately in future research.
Differences by Trauma group
- They also experience an ineffable quality from becoming spiritual – one where their feelings go beyond mere words.
- The feelings of loss, longing, emptiness, and sorrow that you’re experiencing mirror exactly what those undergoing a Dark Night experience.
- Spiritual threats can come in the form of emotional threat or injury.
- You have a place inside of you that is imperishable, wise, and flowing with power.
- I hope that during the course of this article, I have communicated myself clearly.
- This biases our system towards threat physiology and plays a significant role in our health and wellness.
- We may carry the sense that we’re like the living dead, dragging ourselves through an existence that leaves us feeling nothing but pain, disappointment, and sorrow.
No amount of reason or rationalization with someone under threat, who is physiologically incapable of reason in that moment, will work. No amount of reason, rationalization, or punishment, will restore their sight. Giving a threatened person safety instead of reason, rationalization, or punishment, is the equivalent of giving spiritual malady a blind person sight. The threatened given safety will see, understand, connect, bond, and thrive. Thankfully, the “spiritual malady” is no longer a “missing piece” of Step One for me. It is a reality of my powerlessness and unmanageability and enables me to see why I so desperately need to seek a Power Greater than myself.
Get to know your needs as an empath or highly sensitive person
- Interim traumatic and stressful events were assessed at Time 2, followed by subsequent spiritual struggle and PTSD symptoms.
- You can pray in whatever way you like, as long as you like, to whomever you like.
- Please trust this and know that if you tap into your inner Spiritual Warrior, you will be able to handle anything that comes your way.
The present findings suggest that trauma exposure results in PTSD symptoms in part through the negative cognitions of spiritual struggle. Spiritual struggle may relate to PTSD symptoms in complex ways, a consideration for future research evaluating causal direction. For instance, negative appraisals of the trauma could lead to initial symptoms of PTSD, and negative religious appraisals of the PTSD symptoms themselves could relate to their long-term maintenance. In support of the latter notion, theorists have speculated that psychopathology could impair religious functioning and give rise to spiritual struggles (Hill & Kilian, 2003). At Time 2, participants indicated whether they had experienced any stressful events since coming to college. The CSLES has high test-retest reliability (Park, Cohen, & Carpenter, 1992; Sandler & Lakey, 1982) and has been used successfully with college students (e.g., Park, Cohen, & Herb, 1990).
Journal about how you feel
It is this notion that the fellowship of AA was founded upon, and how millions of recovered alcoholics equate their success in overcoming a seemingly hopeless situation. The only solution to a https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/alcoholics-heart-problems-cardiomyopathy/ is a spiritual awakening. Only once we open the spiritual channels and begin to accept a Higher Power into our lives can we hope to find a solution to our alcoholic condition.
What are the Symptoms of a Spiritual Malady?
But the beauty of the 12-steps is that they are spiritually based as opposed to religious. What that means is that all that is required is the belief in a power greater than yourself. There is no church you must attend or strict practices you must adhere to in organized worship of said higher power, it is a completely individual and personal experience. Now, the mental obsession is how our minds have been conditioned to crave alcohol and preferred illicit substances. It is also the reason why many of us relapse because we cannot stop “obsessing” about drinking and/or using.
The Dark Side of Spiritual Healing That No One Talks About
How to Move Through Complex Grief
