When the person who harmed you was also someone you trusted, depended on, or looked to for spiritual guidance, the injury goes deeper than fear. This article explains betrayal trauma, betrayal blindness, institutional betrayal and DARVO in the context of spiritual abuse and adult clergy sexual abuse. It looks at how they show up in churches and religious communities, especially where grooming or clergy sexual abuse has occurred.

Understand how grooming operates in adult, faith, and professional settings. A faith-sensitive psychologist explains the psychology of grooming across contexts, manipulation, power imbalance, and recovery after spiritual or relational betrayal.