IV: Bargaining with the Storm

How do we face the truth about spiritual abuse when it comes at a cost?

In Episode Four of Descent Into Light, “Bargaining with the Storm,” Sr. Danielle Victoria takes listeners into the turbulence of the bargaining stage of grief, confronting not only the abuse she experienced but the culture and systems that allowed it. During the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, the storm outside mirrored the storm within—forcing Sr. Danielle to reckon with the full complexity of spiritual abuse.

This episode explores:

* How survivors can wrestle with conflicting versions of reality, holding onto what was safe while confronting what was harmful

* The subtle ways spiritual authority and obedience can be misused to manipulate conscience

* How institutional culture and vices can enable abuse, even when intentions are good

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Nick and Corynne Staresinic for their invaluable help in producing this project.

Concluding Song by Kevin Heider, "The Body," 2018. https://kevinheider.com/thebody/

This episode uses sounds from various sources, including:

distant_storm_04.wav by matucha -- https://freesound.org/s/115249/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

06.End-of-the-Storm.wav by LolitaPerdurabo -- https://freesound.org/s/208710/ -- License: Attribution 4.0