Resources

For Healing From Spiritual Abuse

Those who have experienced spiritual abuse often have so many questions—good questions—more than we can answer with our content alone. In an endeavor to help you find quality content and support, we’ve compiled the following directory of resources.

There is a lot of information here. If you’re still in the process of disentangling faith and hammering out what you believe, this page may become overwhelming. Please don’t feel pressured to find all the answers in a day. God sees where you are, He is pleased that you are seeking His truth, and He cares about you. If you find yourself becoming mentally/emotionally exhausted, we recommend taking a break and coming back at a later time when your mind is refreshed and able to focus. If it would help to share your story with someone, feel free to reach out! We’re here and happy to listen, as well as connect you with likeminded believers (when opportunities arise).

This resource page was created to be as comprehensive as possible, so feel free to bookmark it and take your time working through each topic. Please note, we are not in complete agreement with all the content, authors, and organizations we recommend. However, each source on this page has been carefully selected and vetted as much as possible for alignment with Christian values. If a resource made our list, then we believe it contains valuable information that is worth taking into consideration. We pray that these resources will encourage you as you heal from spiritual abuse and disentangle from harmful teachings.

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Content

 

“The first step to finding healing from spiritual abuse  is to become educated about it.”

—Connie Baker, Traumatized by Religious Abuse

Directory

Healing from Spiritual Abuse

Exiting from a high-control group can feel incredibly isolating, but you are not alone.

Spiritual abuse is a form of abuse that is not widely addressed, and it can have long-term effects on a person’s spiritual health. One of the most dangerous aspects of spiritual abuse is exposed in The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse; “Spiritual abuse puts people at odds with their best Friend. It causes some people to question, doubt, and even run the other direction from their Source.” In Churches That Abuse, Ronald Enroth also puts it well: “Unlike physical abuse that often results in bruised bodies, spiritual and pastoral abuse leaves scars on the psyche and soul.” Spiritual abuse is harmful because it makes its victims question the safety of the One who is supposed to be a safe refuge and protection.

Examples of spiritual abuse can be found in the Bible, but the term “spiritual abuse” was coined in the publication of The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse in 1991. In 1992, a similar book that was written by Ronald Enroth, Churches That Abuse, describing the ten identifying traits of abusive churches: control-oriented leadership, spiritual elitism, manipulation of members, perceived persecution, lifestyle rigidity, emphasis on experience, suppression of dissent, harsh discipline of members, denunciation of other churches, and the painful exit process. Other teachers and authors on this topic share similar observations. If any of those traits sound unfortunately familiar, you’ll want to explore the rest of this page to learn more.

As you start to understand the reality of spiritual abuse, a great starting place on this place is to learn about grace. Once you are able to reacquaint yourself with God’s sweet grace (or perhaps for the first time), you will hopefully be able to take the pressure off of yourself, find rest, and allow yourself to grieve if you need to. Understanding God’s grace is a crucial point to begin your healing journey. Start with this video.

What is Spiritual Abuse?

Articles

Books

    Workbooks

    Videos

    “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

    — Matthew 11: 28-30 —

    Recovery Topics

    Grace

    • Grace and Mental Health by Mark DeJesus (Podcast)
      • Understanding grace is essential to healing.
    • Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Cheap Grace vs. Costly Grace by Josh Benner (Article)
      • In The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer differentiates between “cheap grace” and “costly grace.” This article explains the concept well. For more in Dietrich’s own words, see this excerpt from The Cost of Discipleship.
    • What’s So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey (Book) 
      • In this Chapters 14 and 15, Yancey spends time differentiating between “grace abuse” and “grace avoidance.” As he describes “grace abuse” he notes, “If we truly grasped the wonder of God’s love for us, the devious question that prompted Romans 6 and 7 — what can I get away with? — would never even occur to us. We would spend our days trying to fathom, not exploit, God’s grace.”
    • Grace by Max Lucado (Book)
      • “On-and-off salvation never appears in the Bible. Salvation is not a repeated phenomenon. Scripture contains no example of a person who was saved, then lost, then resaved, then lost again. Where there is no assurance of salvation, there is no peace. No peace means no joy. No joy results in fear-based lives. Is this the life God creates? No. Grace creates a confident soul who declares, “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” (2 Tim. 1:12 NIV)
    • Grace Plus Nothing: Freedom From Performance-Based Acceptance by Jeff Harkin (Book)
      • Reads like a devotional (short sections)
    • Holiness by Grace by Bryan Chapel (Book)
      • “How do we keep the wonders of grace and the standards of Scripture married–beautifully supporting each other? The answer lies in making sure that people know that grace is not contrary to holy living. Grace and holiness perfectly agree; the psalmist says they ‘kiss’ (Ps. 85:9-10). …Grace does not preclude holiness, but makes it possible. Holiness springs from the foundation of grace.”

    Boundaries

    Love Bombing

    Grief

    Religious Trauma

    Trust

    Spiritual Anxiety

    Spiritual Gaslighting

    Fear

    Performance-Based Acceptance

    Rethinking the “Will of God”

    Courses & Ministries

    Courses

    Ministries

    Events

    Living Out Freedom Conference: Sept. 12–13, 2025

    The Living Out Freedom (LOF) Conference is hosted by beEmboldened and taking place in Sevierville, TN. It will be a time of learning, untangling, and healing, specifically designed for survivors of spiritual abuse and for advocates of those who have suffered. You can find more information and purchase tickets now at: beemboldened.com/lof

    Helping Others Recover

    Books

    Workbooks

    Articles

    Videos

    Professionals

       

       

      “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’“

       

      — Romans 10:9-13 —