How can something that feels holy also be harmful? What does grooming look like when it happens to adults?

In Episode Two of Descent Into Light, “Bride Grooming,” Sr. Danielle Victoria shares the confusion and inner turmoil she experienced under the direction of a trusted priest. What seemed like guidance and intimacy with God gradually became a space where boundaries blurred and spiritual authority was misused.

This episode explores:

* How denial can protect us and keep us from facing abuse

* The subtle ways grooming—of both individuals and communities—can appear in adult spiritual settings

* The danger of spiritual bypassing: using faith to move past warning signs

* How vulnerability, devotion, and trust, all things necessary and good in the spiritual life, can also be exploited by predatory leaders

Attribution:

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/

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