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The Spiritual Implications of Interpersonal Abuse: Speaking of the Soul

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Abstract

A holistic view of the person includes body, mind and spirit, or soul. The purpose of this paper is to explore the concepts of “soul” and “radical evil” within a conversation about destructive interpersonal abuse. Most religions and spiritual disciplines understand the human person, especially the human soul, as sacred. When the perpetrator, propelled by his own internal alienation, desecrates the soul of his victim through relational sexual abuse, the victim often experiences herself as a no-person. Her ongoing sense of identity is fragmented, her capacity for spiritual experience, for imagination, creativity, relatedness are deeply wounded. With the help of information from the field of neuroscience, as well as other theological perspectives, some pathways for healing of the soul are discussed.

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Acknowledgement

The author of this paper would like to express her appreciation to The Evangelical Education Society for the financial support they gave which made this paper possible.

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  1. Adjunct Instructor in Psychology and Religion, Graduate Theological Union, 2565 Le Conte Ave., Berkeley, CA, 94709, USA

    Emily Lyon

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  1. Emily Lyon
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Correspondence to Emily Lyon.

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Lyon, E. The Spiritual Implications of Interpersonal Abuse: Speaking of the Soul. Pastoral Psychol 59, 233–247 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-009-0238-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-009-0238-2

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