Rainbows of Hope over my Land in Texas

As much as the stormy times during the Covid pandemic created confusion, and chaos, and uncertainty — leaving me stranded away from my then home near Brisbane, Queensland, Australia — new visions of hope began when I found a new landing place in rural Texas.  For example, this rainbow, going right over top my Texas property in August 2022, signaled a brand new beginning, a new era of hope, a promise of good things to come.  The unique opportunities provided and envisioned from this new chapter of time have been many. 

One of the bright new areas of change have happened in the areas of growth in the Discussing Dissociation Community Forum.  Not only have we added new members and new leadership, we’ve also added new areas of conversation.

Controversial Areas of Conversation  

I’ll give you a bit of background info.  For the first years of the DDCF Community Forum, we kept conversations about politics and religion as no-go zones. 

Politics.

1.  Obviously a peer support forum for trauma survivors who live with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID/MPD) doesn’t need the wildfires and explosive divisions that can erupt and explode over political differences.  Oh, no, no, no.  That’s a no-brainer!  There are many other places online to express popping political views, and everyone is, of course, more than welcome to go there, to wherever else that is, to express those hot-topic political opinions.

Political controversy can still stay somewhere else.  It’s still not welcome in DDCF.   

Community peace is desired far more than community politics! 

Spirituality and Faith-Based Issues.

2.  The second “No Go” area — speaking about spiritual issues, faith-based beliefs, religious trauma — was a bit different.  For years, these conversations were carefully allowed, to a certain point, sorta, gingerly, but with clear trigger warnings requested and required due to the delicate nature of these topics.

What is an important spiritual topic for one trauma survivor is a terrifying topic for another. Tip-toeing carefully seemed essential.

Spiritual issues are highly sensitive topics, and yet, all too many dissociative people have experienced spiritual trauma and spiritual abuse in their life.   This could come from the extremes of organized cult abuse, SRA / ritual abuse histories or from the simplicity of small neighborhood churches where deceitful pedophiles hid their disgusting behaviors towards children.  Or maybe spiritual abuse happened from violent parents claiming “God said” they could abuse their children and beat them into oblivion.  Or maybe there was some wild wacky weirdo claiming to be a Supernatural Spiritual Being who professed to have the power to destroy and harm to purge the land of evil by harming and destroying certain children.  The examples of spiritual abuse are many and varied.  Being purposefully abused in the name of God, by twisting up religions, or misrepresenting spiritual values, whether by individuals or family members or groups, creates spiritual harm. This spiritual trauma can happen in an unlimited number of ways. 

Spiritual abuse is a real thing.  It hurts, and it creates deep splits within the dissociative system. 

This very difficult area of trauma also needs time and space for healing conversations.

See the dilemma?  What was our DID peer support forum community to do?

Excluding or limiting conversations related to spiritual abuse as “too triggery” provided a protective safety measure in one way.  It also provided a more predictable boundary for those people who have zero interest, no willingness, too much fear, or too much PTSD to speak about such things.  Some dissociative systems are far too angry and far too disgusted to ever address faith-related topics.  It’s an absolute No-Go Zone.  For these folks, ‘No!’ or ‘No, not now’ are the best answers.

However, for other survivors of spiritual trauma, addressing spiritual abuse, and having these exact conversations are fully necessary because searching out spiritual healing is part of their overall healing process.  Even though they experienced damaging spiritual abuse, they find deep spiritual healing in doing the opposite from abuse.  Their spirituality is part of their healing, part of their values, part of their very essence.  For these trauma survivors, having healthy spiritual experiences, expressing their faith, and having freedom to live their faith, is essential. Spirituality can be the core of who they are.

Hmmmmm.  Two very different opposites.  Now what?!!

In a split community of dissociative trauma survivors, topics related to spirituality, cult-abuse, faith, spiritual fears, etc are still highly sensitive topics.  Of course.  However.  Excluding these conversations from everyone meant not including conversations that some folks needed.  Refusal and avoidance wasn’t always the preference.  Having peer-related, supportive conversations about specific areas of deep spiritual harm and trauma was requested. Ultimately, I believed it wasn’t okay to be preventing healing conversations from happening.  Someone else’s NO didn’t get to become everyone’s NO.

There had to be a way to address both sides of this fence. 

The dicey, spicy spiritual storm topic already existed.  How were we going to address it at the DD forums?  Were we gonna drive into that Texas-sized storm?!  Or avoid it longer?

The Spirit and Soul Forum. 

One morning, the answer came to me.  The dilemma of how to protect people on both sides of the fence was possible!  The inception of the Spirit and Soul Forum began. 

First, our tech gal created a whole new separate forum area.  We put in a few spiritually-titled sections, and started a few threads, and then left it for the the group to fill out. 

The beauty of this area is this.  By design, if a forum member doesn’t want to be part of the Spirit and Soul Community, they cannot even see it.  It is not there in their face, and they don’t have to read any of the posts.  They don’t have to think about it or put effort to block it out.  It’s just not part of their DD forum login access.

However, if someone wants to be part of the Spirit and Soul section, with their written permission and confirmed statement of interest, they are given access to see the Spirit and Soul Forum area.  They can share openly, and not have to worry about offending anyone. They are free to write about their spiritual experiences, struggles, questions, and concerns.  Trigger warnings are not necessary — freedom to speak openly exists.

Those who have eyes to see, can see.   Those who want to block it out, don’t see a thing.  Perfect! 

I used the famous idea:  “Build it and they will come.”  Or will they?!  I didn’t know. 

Quickly I found out.

Since early 2025, the Spirit and Soul forum has been active. There are well over 2000 posts in this area and nearly 200 topics.  Who says the dissociative community doesn’t need a place to discuss spiritually related topics?  It seems to me, this is actually very important!  Thousands of posts proves that.

If you’re talking about spiritual topics, does that make the DD forum a cult?

Absolutely not.

There are vast differences between the DD Forum Communities and a cult.  Not anywhere near the same.  Not even close to the same.  Different in a zillion ways and at some point, that topic will become a designated article, all of its own.   

Have you experienced what life is like in a cult?  If you have any genuine cult-life experiences, that reality in itself should already answer, address and decimate any gossip you may have heard.  Shake it off, and move on.  Keep the high road.  

Who knows why there are people in this world who feel the need to lie, defame, discredit, slander and troll around like a bad smell. Their behavior is about them.

The DD forum community rises far above and flies far beyond insidious allegations.  The truth about the forum community is in the forum.  Not on slander sites.

The quality of community and healthy connection shared in the DD forums is by far the best of the best of any DID peer support community out there.  We have amazingly powerful conversations — in the forum, during zoom groups, during retreats.  We build genuine connections and offer sincere support to each other.  The compassion, kindness, trust, and safety we’ve built together is not about control — it’s about having genuine relationships and honest connections with each other.  We are extremely proud and protective of what we’ve built together.  That is the truth about this community.

If you have any real and genuine questions for me, please contact me.   

We’re not offering this spirituality forum of great value or beauty to anyone who cannot understand, respect, cherish, treasure, or appreciate its worth.  If this faith-centered forum is not for you, then it’s not for you.  You’re free to go find your treasure elsewhere.

The Spirit and Soul Forum is a unique section of the DD forums in that genuine faith-based, spiritual conversations get to happen. We aren’t afraid to talk about the importance of true spirituality and accepting others who also carry a similar humble, compassionate spirit.  We do not belong to darkness.  We belong to the light.

“Your light may irritate a lot of unhealed people….  Shine anyway.”  ~ R.H.Sin

The Spirit and Soul Forum is active, alive, and well.

AND, it’s making a positive difference and allowing for some fantastic healing conversations.    

We work to help build each other up, and listen during times of pain and confusion.

Creating supportive spaces for connection, growth, and healing is what matters. Yep, its true:

Our lights are shining anyway.

What does happen in the Spirit and Soul Forum?  

In this area, we have a variety of conversations over a variety of issues.   We ask some of the hard questions.  For example:

• Why do bad things happen to good people? 
• What if your child parts feel more connected to God than some of your older insiders? 
• What do you do when your system is split and divided about their spiritual faiths and beliefs? 
• What if certain parts of your system believe in totally opposite religions / spiritualities? 
• How do you reconcile the trauma in your history with your need for grace, forgiveness, and peace? 
• What if you believe you have done something unforgivable? 
• What if you don’t believe that God could or would or should love you?

We share struggles and tears, grief and loss, heartache and pain.  Oh, but there are celebrations, and stories, and answered prayers as well.  We share great music, helpful messages, relatable sermons, and good books. Sometimes we share passages of scripture or spiritually based quotes. 

We have our own Zoom Groups, and yes, we say prayers out loud.  Yes, our faith is allowed to be real.  We share our pain and our gains.  We talk about our testimonies and our troubles.  And, we are free to include words and sentiments of faith.

When forum members participate in this area, they talk from their own life experience, from the place of their own beliefs. There is no proselytizing, and what you believe is what you believe.  No one is “converted” or pressured. Your spiritual path belongs to you.

Spirit and Soul forum members come from a variety of different spiritual / church / denominational backgrounds, and that’s totally okay.  As long as your spirituality isn’t based in darkness or harmful sociopathic beliefs and abusive behaviors, you are welcome. 

We come together to talk openly about faith-based questions and topics with the goal of helping the whole of the dissociative system find a healthy spiritual life that leads to genuine healing.  I’d bet your insiders have many many questions of their own!  After all the years of vile hurt and evil abuse, they can talk here, and explore their thoughts and feelings.

Yep, your system can find healthy spirituality.  And, find their own way to get there.

The Spirit and Soul Forum.

~ ~ ~ ~

That’s what we’ve got.  It’s worth thinking about.

I wish you genuine and true spiritual healing, here, or wherever you are.

Warmly, 

Kathy

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