The spiritual side to pain of the pathological

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#1 Aug 7 - 12PM
Sunafterrain
Sunafterrain's picture

The spiritual side to pain of the pathological

I'm struggling with the spiritual aspects of all of this.

It is so complicated. My ex was a licensed pastor, although he did not govern a church, but sat on a church board and was music director at his old church. He plays music at the new from what I know.....

Being the OW, I feel slimed with all of this. I feel so much guilt and shame. It has messed me up so much spiritually.

I'm in so much pain for my participation. i cannot seem to forgive myself. He could care less and isn't asking ANYONE he's hurt for forgiveness. I've thought about this and it's HUGE for me.

He claimed to be such a huge christian. The image was one of devoted husband, father and church goer and I was having an affair with this dick head for TEN YEARS. I believe his lies. I believed it all. When he divorced, he just dated other women offline, found one and married her within five months and still attends church.

I pray for his victims everyday, which include his ex wife and children. I'm not sure she gets his personality disorder or not....but I can't believe that this sudden and quick marriage does not have a HUGE impact on this children as they are believers too, as is Mom.

But I was too. I thought because of his degree in theology and the tons of books he had on his shelf at home (thought he read them all, some he did, but they all collected dust), made him the know it all theologically.

I"m so messed up from all of that.

My relationship with God is so important to me, my faith, to which I keep very personal. I cannot bear to open a bible or to go to church.

Have any of you struggled with your spirituality in the aftermath? One of the things I'm seeing is how truly evil and extreme it is to proclaim personally and with image by going to church and playing piano every Sunday, that that person can literally attempt to suck the soul out of another they have wounded without a second thought. It is absolutely devastating to me on a spiritual level. I really believed in his pontificating about his beliefs. Just that he was caught up in a bad, abusive marriage.

All lies. The insurmountable amount of lies. A true wolf in sheeps clothing.

I pray for his victims everyday. He is truly evil amongst evil.

I would appreciate you sharing your stories and/or any encouragement if you've been through the healing process.

Thank you.

Aug 7 - 10PM
grace67
grace67's picture

I have a it of a "different"

I have a it of a "different" take on the spiritual side of all this. First, I definitely have a strong faith in a Greater Power, and that this power is made up of a God/Goddess combination. I also believe that our souls are eternal. That we've been here before, and more than likely will again (if we choose). There are lessons we need or want to learn, in order to advance our own spirituality. This is where this theory can get "tricky"..lol This is where a "spiritual/soul contract" comes into play. Believing that we are here to learn, grow, advance.. it makes sense that in some cases we will be the teacher, in some cases the student. Perhaps we're returning a favor done in a previous life? This in NO way makes less of the true honest to God anguish that we have felt/are feeling because of what has happened. That theory, for some reason, makes sense to me. Maybe because I NEED something to make sense of all of it. It makes me feel better to believe that there Is a reason, and that before we incarnated this time we actually participated in the choosing of this "lesson". I am in No way trying to presuade anyone here that this is the only, or even the best, way of looking at it. It just happens to make Me feel better than to imagine that there is a God that would just "allow" these things to happen to good people, or that it's all some big cosmic crapshoot with No meaning. I hope that made at least a Little bit of sense.. lol..I've done a Lot of reading on it and can give names of authors that I'm sure can put all this more eloquently than I.
Aug 7 - 2PM
58 and going strong
58 and going strong's picture

Positions of power

It is not your fault!! Check Sam Vaknin's video on professions with unusually high percentages of Ns in certain fields such as teachers, priests, doctors, etc. . . . We are all brought up believing in 'authority' figures, we have all been exposed to them, and that makes us such easy targets. . . You may want to check on your way of thinking - sounds a bit like by praying especially for his victims you stay connected to him and so stuck in your feelings of guilt somehow? Changing focus to yourself for a while and to what YOU want and need now may be a way to re-program your thinking and is perfectly fine. Remember that we cannot help others before we have helped ourselves. As for spirituality, I did not have it, only found it after separation from N, and am highly spiritual now. However, very critical of any man-made religious institution for several reasons, including the above (too many n-priests; cult/temple leaders who I believe are all Ns) The bible was before all man-made powers started abusing it. A truely devoted man and father does not have an OW. ". . . And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." Sun, you are long forgiven. So forgive yourself and it will be completed and can leave your head. Big hug
Aug 7 - 3PM (Reply to #2)
jen79
jen79's picture

same here

I am very spiritual now through the whole healing process, I wasnt at all before, and I believe it all happened to get me back on the right path and reconnect with my spirituality. First of all, being religious and a know it all in theology doesnt one make spiritual, religious yes, but not spiritual Big differnce, and I am also very suspicious of all men made religions, I also believe they are all narcs. If you have problems to reconnect with GOD, then it might be because this christian concept is so patriachial, the last thing you need now is reconnecting with something that is called the father or whatever. I recommend, that you reconnect with the devine mother, the female part of it, first, then later again also with the male part, but first concentrate on the devine mother. Cause, this is what I relialized lately, the devine mother is taking for fucking granted, just as mother earth, and this is expressed in the smallest microcosmos here too, in our relationships with men. Not only is she taking for granted but also abused, see the connection here, this topic we discuss here, is bigger than us, its universal, and we grown up in men's world, are also taught that the holy father is the one and all. Bullshit if you ask me, its just one aspect of it. So reconnect with that, I am pretty sure, if you think of devine mother, or mother earth, which is one expression of her, you immedialtely get a feeling dont you? You know how she feels. So forget all this crap of your narc, he is the devil disguised as religious church goer, who cares. And now to your guilt and shame part, it is also something that was told to all of us, that being loving and nurturing and forgiving and whatever is weak, or even sinful, you are a spiritual being, but you are also human, and you loved, no one can blame you for that, you believed his lies, you believed in the good and you wanted love. Forgive yourself for that, see mother earth, she is waking now up also, like we do too, earthquaqes, tsunamis, that shatter the whole patriarchial systems, money and econimic goes down the hill, I would say, she loved and gived and hoped, was taking for granted, abused and misued, and time is now up. Forgive yourself, cause see this is bigger than you, you are also part of the devine mother, and mother earth, we are all in this together, reconnect with her first, and feel her love, and maybe also her pain. It will be much much easier for you than praying to a god of men, in whose name horrible things have been done, especially to women. Big loving hugs to you. to help you I post a prayer with nice music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ0h1sb1IFI
Aug 7 - 3PM (Reply to #3)
Susan32
Susan32's picture

Going to the Divine Mother

That was one of the key points during the final D&D. There was this small field between the lower dorms&the library. For 3 years, it had been barren-sagebrush, tumbleweeds, NOTHING beautiful about it. Just emptiness. During the final D&D, I found at least a dozen different wildflowers growing there. It was this living bouquet, a Garden of Eden in an unexpected place. I picked some flowers, and took them to the Carmel near my college. There is a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel holding the Baby Jesus near the chapel. I laid the flowers at her feet, it was like those flower carpets they make in Guatemala during Holy Week, when they do the Way of the Cross. I RAN to her. The TRUE Madonna, not the one in the sick ex-Psych prof's head.