How to Rebuild Trust in Yourself After Spiritual Manipulation

It’s a strange kind of theft when someone convinces you your inner compass is broken. Growing up, it was instilled in me that “discernment” was one of the greatest spiritual gifts you could receive. Spiritual manipulation doesn’t just wound your faith - it leaves you suspicious of your own instincts. You stop trusting the small voice inside that says, something isn’t right here. You second-guess every feeling. You wonder if maybe they were right all along, and you really can’t be trusted with your own life.

I lived there for a long time. I didn’t know what I now believe… that maybe “discernment”, being in tune with the Spirit, is maybe something we are all already equipped with. Even after walking away from the systems that harmed me, the echo of control stayed lodged inside me. It wasn’t the leaving that was hardest - it was the learning to trust myself again.

I remember having this discussion with a dear friend in the divorce trenches with me. We were specifically discussing the ways we were currently gaslighting ourselves in the thick of divorce, parallel parenting and spiritual healing. And the census was this - how do you teach yourself to trust yourself, when you’ve been taught you’re untrustworthy for so long…