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	Reclaiming Spirituality after Abuse Billie Mazzei's Survival Kit November 14, 2009 http://web.me.com/virginiajones/Compsassionate_Gathering/Billie_Mazzeis_Survival_Kit.html •Beware of the five sterile choices that lead nowhere – revenge, denial, cynicism, self-betrayal and paranoia. Make choices that lead to life •Begin to reclaim your innocence. You can do that through your senses and the arts. •Practice hearing seeing, smelling and touching. •Look for ways to express your creativity. It isn't a contest, and you won't be graded. Draw, paint, write, garden, cook, work with clay, take photographs, arrange flowers, build something. •Congratulate yourself time every time you create something….even if it is making your dinner plate look attractive. •Spend time with children. If you can't do that, go to the children's section of the library and read children's books. •Exercise makes you aware of your body and helps you stay in your body. Develop as many kinds of physical activities as you can...anything that gets you into your whole body and gives you pleasure...from walking to dancing, to swimming, to Tai Chi and yoga, gardening, kite flying, etc. Check out InterPlay.org to see if there is something in your area. •Cultivate gratitude and wonder. •See how many things you can be thankful for during the day. •Tell your experiences only when necessary. Remember you had a life before abuse and a life after. •Professionals can be helpful. You may have worn out your friends. They can only help you so far. A trusted spiritual director can help you find new images of the Divine and reclaim your spiritual life. A good counselor can help you through stuck spots. You are not alone. Look for the help you need and you will find it. •Healing comes in patches. In between patches, live your life and don't let your abuse continue to dominate your thoughts and feelings. •Pray as you can, not as you can't. •Laugh as much as you can and cry when you need to. •Don't let your abuser steal any more of your life. Take it back and live it well. A well-lived life is the best revenge! Books I've found helpful Good Goats: Healing Our Image of God by Dennis Linn, Sheila Fabricant Linn, and Francisco Miranda. If you have felt judges by God or others, this book is for you. This book can be fundamental to healing. Is Nothing Sacred? The Story of a Pastor, the Women he Sexually Abused, and the Congregation he Nearly Destroyed by Marie M. Fortune (paperback). Helps explain what happened and why it was so wrong. Keeping the Faith: Guidance for Christian Women Facing Abuse by Marie Fortune (paperback). This provides good information for those from Bible based religions. A God Who Looks Like Me by Patricia Reilly. This book offers new ways for women to look at our old images of God and the patriarchal system we live in. Don't Forgive Too Soon: Extending the Two Hands that Heal by Dennis Linn, Sheila Fabricant Linn, and Matthew Linn. This book looks at scriptural injunctions to forgive in a new and healing way. Simple Ways to Pray for Healing by Matthew Linn, Sheila Fabricant Linn, and Dennis Linn. Offers simple and easy ways to pray for yourself and others. Sleeping with Bread: Holding What Life Gives You by Dennis Linn, Sheila Fabricant Linn, and Matthew Linn. This is an excellent tool for discerning what's next in your life. Use alone or with others. Loving What Is….by Byron Katie. Practical, easy process for centering your life in the truth and living in peace. The Places that Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chodron. And any other book by this author.
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