Spiritual abuse is one of the most misunderstood forms of harm there is. And it might be exactly what you've been trying to name.

In this episode, I'm getting into a topic I know many of you have been waiting for. After my episode on "when faith gets messy" became one of my most downloaded ever, I knew we needed to go deeper. So today we're talking about spiritual abuse: what it actually is, what it looks and feels like from the inside, and what healing can look like on the other side.

This is a topic I come at from multiple angles. I'm currently completing my PhD in sociology, researching the experiences of women who have left Gloriavale, a high-control fundamentalist Christian community in New Zealand. I'm also a licensed Private Investigator who works on cases of institutional harm, and a therapist who has seen many clients navigating this kind of trauma.

So when I say I get this issue from a lot of different angles, I mean it.

In this episode we cover:

• What spiritual abuse actually is and why it's so hard to name in the moment
• How power, scripture, and religious authority get used to control and harm
• The difference between a healthy faith community and a high-control one
• The lasting impact on your mental health, your sense of self, and your ability to trust your own thoughts
• What healing actually looks like, including rebuilding agency, reconnecting with your own voice, and giving yourself permission to step away
• Green flags to look for if you're navigating faith communities going forward

If you've ever walked away from a religious group feeling like something wasn't right, or if you've spent years wondering whether what happened to you was "bad enough" to matter, this episode is for you.

You don't have to have all the words for it yet. Sometimes just hearing it named is the first step.

Find more support and resources at charlottecummings.nz