Date

8-20-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Diane Pearce

Keywords

spiritual abuse, Attachment to God, Attachment Theory, interpretative phenomenological analysis, IPA, Christian survivors

Disciplines

Counseling | Psychology

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Christian survivors of spiritual abuse and their relationship with God. The study also examined whether participants described those experiences using language comparable to Attachment Theory. Ten adult Christian survivors participated in semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using Smith et al.'s (2022) interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) framework. Six Group Experiential Themes (GETs) emerged from the analysis: (a) wondering whether God was safe after sacred harm; (b) keeping God close enough to need Him and distant enough to survive; (c) trying to separate God's heart from the voices that harmed them; (d) discovering a God who sees, wants, and welcomes them; (e) turning toward God in the middle of pain; and (f) rebuilding faith with caution, honesty, and hope. Across participants, descriptions of their relationship with God frequently reflected Attachment Theory constructs, including internal working models, proximity seeking, distress at separation, safe haven, secure base, and attachment security and insecurity. Together, these findings demonstrated that Attachment Theory provided a meaningful framework for understanding the varied ways survivors related to God after spiritual abuse. These findings also offer practical implications for counselors, counselor educators, pastors, and Christian communities seeking to support survivors as they navigate their relationship with God following spiritual abuse.

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