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UBC Theses and Dissertations
The role of spirituality in the healing process : women survivors of childhood sexual abuse Bliss, Wynnae Huizinga
Abstract
While childhood sexual abuse is of major societal concern, given the well documented long term psychological effects and trauma on women survivors of childhood sexual abuse, there is a scarcity of empirical data in the literature concerning the role of spirituality in their process of healing. Spirituality is a major component of the human identity. A wholistic understanding of humanity assists in illustrating the importance of spirituality. This exploratory descriptive study researches the role that spirituality has on the healing journey for women survivors of childhood sexual abuse, exploring significant aspects and benefits or hindrances to the healing process.This study has relevance to social work in that it addresses a vast population of individuals Within our society who have been sexually abused. Seven women survivors of childhood sexual abuse were interviewed to explore the role of spirituality in their healing process. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and the data was analyzed using grounded theory. The findings were organized into four categories: Defining Spirituality, Responding to Abuse, Struggling to Heal, and Searching for Meaning. These categories, augmented by their properties and elements were assembled into a conceptual framework. The conceptual findings revealed that religion was a complex and mixed blessing for these women: sometimes it was a complicated hindrance, or it became a beneficial contributor to the healing process. Spirituality on the other hand, became very important in their healing journey of growth, transformation and restoration. It allowed them to identify a sense of meaning in the midst of their pain and struggle, while providing resources and hope, strength and purpose. Through listening to women's stories about the place of spirituality in their lives, effective therapeutic interventions and knowledge pertaining to healing from childhood sexual abuse can be enhanced. Implications arising out of the data include understanding how religion and spirituality may be different, acknowledging the importance of spirituality for survivors and comprehending the nature of anger and forgiveness in the healing process. Further implications include discerning perceptions of the image and gender of God, establishing proper protocol for religious institutions in dealing with the ramifications of childhood sexual abuse, and increasing awareness of the healing power of spirituality for women survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Item Metadata
Title |
The role of spirituality in the healing process : women survivors of childhood sexual abuse
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
2000
|
Description |
While childhood sexual abuse is of major societal concern, given the well
documented long term psychological effects and trauma on women survivors of
childhood sexual abuse, there is a scarcity of empirical data in the literature
concerning the role of spirituality in their process of healing. Spirituality is a
major component of the human identity. A wholistic understanding of
humanity assists in illustrating the importance of spirituality. This exploratory
descriptive study researches the role that spirituality has on the healing journey
for women survivors of childhood sexual abuse, exploring significant aspects
and benefits or hindrances to the healing process.This study has relevance to
social work in that it addresses a vast population of individuals Within our
society who have been sexually abused. Seven women survivors of childhood
sexual abuse were interviewed to explore the role of spirituality in their healing
process. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and the data was analyzed
using grounded theory. The findings were organized into four categories:
Defining Spirituality, Responding to Abuse, Struggling to Heal, and Searching
for Meaning. These categories, augmented by their properties and elements were
assembled into a conceptual framework. The conceptual findings revealed that
religion was a complex and mixed blessing for these women: sometimes it was a
complicated hindrance, or it became a beneficial contributor to the healing
process. Spirituality on the other hand, became very important in their healing
journey of growth, transformation and restoration. It allowed them to identify a
sense of meaning in the midst of their pain and struggle, while providing
resources and hope, strength and purpose. Through listening to women's stories
about the place of spirituality in their lives, effective therapeutic interventions
and knowledge pertaining to healing from childhood sexual abuse can be
enhanced. Implications arising out of the data include understanding how
religion and spirituality may be different, acknowledging the importance of
spirituality for survivors and comprehending the nature of anger and
forgiveness in the healing process. Further implications include discerning
perceptions of the image and gender of God, establishing proper protocol for
religious institutions in dealing with the ramifications of childhood sexual
abuse, and increasing awareness of the healing power of spirituality for women
survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
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Extent |
9702842 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-07-06
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0089371
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
2000-05
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.