WELCOME TO VM LIFE RESOURCES
We provide services and resources for persons impacted by spiritual or cultic abuse.
- Counseling
- Support Groups
- Consultation
- Presentations
- Resources
- Legal Cases
Individual Counseling available with
Doug Duncan, MS, LPC
Support Groups held monthly
Call for more info 214-607-1065
What is Spiritual Abuse?
The term, “spiritual abuse” has slowly made its way into contemporary Christian discourse over the last twenty years. Although the term began to appear in literature in the 1990s, (The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Johnson and VanVonderen, 1991) the Bible talks extensively about the subject. Spiritual abuse often occurs along with other forms of abuse, such as sexual, emotional, and physical.
Spiritual abuse has been defined as "a kind of abuse which damages the central core of who we are. It leaves us spiritually discouraged and emotionally cut off from the healing love of God" (Recovery from Spiritual Abuse, Juanita and Dale Ryan, 1992). In a position paper, Humphreys wrote in 2018, “Spiritual abuse is a form of emotional and psychological abuse. It is characterized by a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behavior in a religious context. Spiritual abuse can have a deeply damaging impact on those who experience it. However, holding a theological position is not in itself inherently spiritually abusive, but misuse of scripture, applied theology and doctrine is often a component of spiritually abusive behavior." (Oakley, L & Humphreys, J; 2018).
Need Help? Individual Counseling Is Available
Call 214-607-1065
to make an appointment
Doug Duncan, MS, LPC, is a professional counselor licensed in the state of Texas and practicing in the Dallas area. Doug specializes in helping people recover from religious or spiritual abuse, cult involvement, depression, phobias, trauma, relationship conflicts. As a recovering former member of an aberrational group, Doug is sensitive to the particular concerns of people struggling to overcome the legacy of cultic and spiritual abuse.
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