S5E01: Kicking Off the New Year with Spiritual Abuse: How to Leave a Controlling Family Environment, with Katherine Spearing

Happy New Year! January is Spirtual Abuse Awareness month, and so we're kicking off the New Year with a couple of episodes with Katherine Spearing (@katherinespearing), host of the Uncertain Podcast (@uncertainpodcast) and founder of the nonprofit Tears of Eden.    Katherine defines spiritual abuse as "invoking a religious text or deity as a way to maintain power and control over both individuals and communities." In this episode, we describe the multiple systems in Katherine's life that practiced abusive dynamics--family of origin, churches, the Evangelical system at large. Katherine talks with us about:  Stay at Home Daughters (7:00) Women as Property (9:00) Double Binds of Womanhood (13:00) Arrested Development (17:00) Labeling Abuse and Defining Spiritual Abuse Once More (25:00) Finding a Voice You Never Had (29:00) Individuation (31:00) Phobias and Leaving Cults (39:00) Silent Patriarchy (45:00)  Tears of Eden and Healing (55:00) Learn more about Katherine's work by visiting tearsofeden.org. We're so grateful for her influence and passion for helping folks in the early stages of deconstruction!