• Welcome to VM Life Resources
  • Individual Counseling
  • Support Group for Survivors of Abuse
  • Counseling and Support Groups
  • Life Coaching
  • I Can't Hear God Anymore
    • Birth of a Book
    • About the Author
  • Religious Abuse
  • About Us Doug and Wendy Duncan
  • What is Spiritual Abuse?
  • Audio Version I Can't Hear God Anymore
    • Audio book
    • Upcoming Speaking Engagements
  • Store
  • Wounded Sheep
  • Facebook Group Cult Awareness
  • Speaking Engagements & Workshops
  • Biderman Chart of Coercion
  • Critical Thinking Skills
  • Recovery Articles
    • Recovery Issues and What to Expect
    • Harsh Conscience of Those...
    • Post-Cult Trauma Syndrome
    • Coping with Triggers
    • You Survived the Abuse
    • What is a Cult
  • Guidelines for Clergy
  • Spiritual Abuse Resources
  • Spiritual Abuse
  • Resources & Information
  • Guidelines for Families
  • Videos
  • Spiritual Manipulation Panel Discussion
Please call for case consultations with therapists, information for legal cases, speaking engagements, and general information on cults or spiritual abuse.

call 214-607-1065

or email: wendyjduncan19@gmail.com

We provide services and resources for persons impacted by spiritual or cultic abuse.
  • Counseling
  • Recovery Coaching
  • Support Groups
  • Cult and Spiritual Abuse Recovery
  • Consultation
  • Presentations
  • Resources
  • Legal Cases
Individual Counseling available with Doug Duncan, MS, LPC
Support Groups Held Monthly
Individual Sessions with Wendy Duncan, LBSW, MA, Cult/Spiritual Abuse Recovery Specialist
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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