U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Spiritual Framework in Incest Survivors Treatment

NCJ Number
207459
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: 2004 Pages: 105-120
Author(s)
Kelli Beveridge; Monit Cheung
Date Published
2004
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Using a case study for illustration, this article describes the use of a psycho-spiritual framework for treating adult survivors of childhood incest.
Abstract
The integrative treatment process described in this article emphasizes safety, self-awareness, and self-development. In the first phase of treatment, called safety and alliance building, the therapist uses client-centered and cognitive restructuring techniques to begin the discussion of personal safety. In the second phase, called self-awareness and resolution, the focus of therapeutic conversations is on the existing strengths of the client, which are used to develop a positive self-image and communication skills that serve the client as she/he challenges distorted assumptions and mental processes that have stemmed from the childhood trauma of incest. In the third phase of treatment, called self-development and reconnection, the client is guided in the integration of positive views of self by focusing on daily healing processes and reconnection with a supportive environment. The "lost-self" concept is used to explore disturbances in body image, self-perception, self-worth, and reality association. The case study presented in this article involves a 29-year-old woman who was molested at age 10 by her stepfather. As an adult she struggled with ingrained religious beliefs and distorted body perception that obstructed the development of a positive self-concept. Part of her therapy in developing a positive sense of herself was to use cognitive restructuring in examining various religious and social messages promoted by her church. Her healing involved a sense of forgiveness in the spiritual dimension and an ongoing experience of spiritual support for the emergence of her new self-awareness. 2 tables and 70 references