Table of Contents

An Introduction

Week 1: What Is Spiritual Abuse?

Week 2: Emotions Matter

Week 3: Safety and Identifying Triggers

Week 4: Caught in a Web (Part 1)

Week 5: Caught in a Web (Part 2)

Week 6: Coercive and Manipulative Control (Part 1)

Week 7: Coercive and Manipulative Control (Part 2)

Week 8: Identifying Holistic Harm

Week 9: Your Spiritual Timeline

Week 10: Understanding Spiritual Health

Week 11: When Forgiveness Is Weaponized

Week 12: Characteristics of a Safe Community

Final Thoughts

Appendix

Spiritual Abuse Recovery Workbook

Copyright © 2025 by Karen Roudkovski

Published by B&H Academic®

Brentwood, Tennessee

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4300-9157-8

Dewey Decimal Classification: 253.5

Subject Heading: CHRISTIANITY--PSYCHOLOGY

\ SPIRITUALITY \ SPIRITUAL LIFE

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The web addresses referenced in this book were live and correct at the time of the book’s publication but may be subject to change.

Cover design by Emily Keafer Lambright. Cover images by Larisa Rusina/iStock and LiuSol/iStock.

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This workbook does not replace professional therapy, nor

does the use of this workbook constitute a therapeutic

relationship with the author,

Karen Roudkovski.

An Introduction

When I began writing Understanding Spiritual Abuse, I quickly realized that I wanted the book to have a companion workbook for spiritual-abuse survivors. Thankfully, my publisher agreed. If you are a Christian who has experienced spiritual abuse in a Christian faith setting or relationship, or perhaps you are exploring whether or not you have experienced such abuse, I wrote this book for you. This workbook is a resource for Christians who want to engage their spirituality and faith as a resource.

I write this primarily from the perspective of a professional counselor and spiritual-abuse researcher. But I want you to know that I am also a survivor of spiritual abuse. I will share a small portion of my story in this workbook.

Recommendations

I have a few recommendations as you begin this workbook.

This workbook is only one step in your healing process, not the entire journey. I provide tools, insight, and an opportunity to process your experiences. I consider this workbook a launching point for healing or a continuation of a journey you have already begun. Healing does not happen in twelve weeks. Healing is a process that looks different for every survivor. And it takes time. For me, it took years, and there are times it still hurts, like an old injury that flares up again if hit in a certain way.

I encourage you to join with others to go through this workbook. While you can go through this workbook alone, I encourage you to consider going through it with others. For example, you ...

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About Spiritual Abuse Recovery Workbook: Engaging Faith in Healing

Recovering from spiritual abuse can be a difficult journey—but you don’t have to do it alone.
In Spiritual Abuse Recovery Workbook: Engaging Faith in Healing, Licensed Professional Counselor Karen Roudkovski offers practical therapeutic tools for recovery from a trauma-informed perspective, while incorporating faith and Scripture in a sensitive and caring manner.

Designed for use in therapy settings, support groups, or personal study, Spiritual Abuse Recovery Workbook guides survivors of spiritual abuse through 12 weeks of exercises and reflections to help them understand and process their experiences and begin the journey of healing. Each chapter provides a brief overview of the goals for the week, daily exercises and opportunities for reflection, space for journaling, and sensitive explorations of Christian Scripture.

The exercises are built from the research Roudkovski conducted for her book, Understanding Spiritual Abuse, to which this workbook is a companion. Spiritual Abuse Recovery Workbook includes the Spiritual Abuse Assessment in the first chapter so that survivors can take stock of their experience at the beginning of their healing journey. The appendix of this workbook includes additional resources and a leader’s guide for those leading a support group.

For survivors of spiritual abuse, the journey of recovery can feel unclear and treacherous. Through Spiritual Abuse Recovery Workbook, Karen Roudkovski provides a clear path forward through therapeutic practices and a grounded belief in God’s faithful goodness to his people.

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9781430091578

Table of Contents