Pulled from the Shoreline in Search of Spacious Spirituality

Journeys of Spiritual Distress, Resilience, and Posttraumatic Growth for Women of Evangelical Christian Backgrounds in a Canadian Context

Bibliographic Data

ID4313422
AuthorsEmma De Vynck (University of Calgary, corresponding author), Heather Marie Boynton (0000-0002-1681-1735, University of Calgary), Victoria Frances Burns (University of Calgary)
Year2023
Volume14
Issue9
Pages1193
Publication date2023-09-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel14091193
OpenAlexW4386848625
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited29

Religion and spirituality (R/S) provide possibilities for healing, resilience, meaning making, and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in the aftermath of trauma. Still, R/S may also be the precursors and/or sources of harm, resulting in experiences of spiritual distress (SD). While extensive research has examined the positive mental health impacts of R/S, its potential harms are under-investigated. Addressing this gap, this article draws on findings from an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study with four women of evangelical Christian (EC) backgrounds who have experienced SD. The women's stories revealed SD as an isolating and profoundly tension-filled experience characterized by painful relational loss, fraught belonging, existential uncertainty, and acute spiritual pain. Several women used the term "trauma" to describe their experiences. This study evidences the tender and isolating complexity of SD. For the women, spirituality served as both a cause and a perpetuator of trauma, and as a vehicle for transcendent meaning making in response to wounding. Ultimately, spirituality is tangled in the women's distress while also playing a role in their posttraumatic growth. Implications include a call for increased awareness and advocacy regarding SD, as well as a trauma-informed, spiritually sensitive, curious posture from practitioners supporting clients with SD to foster posttraumatic growth

Distress · Interpretative phenomenological analysis · Meaning-making · Mental health · Posttraumatic growth · Psychological resilience · Psychotherapist · Qualitative research · Religious experience · Sociology · Spirituality · Theology · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · History · Medicine · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Resilience and Mental Health

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