Safeguarding against abuse in spiritual, wellness and religious settings.

In the last two weeks I’ve been sharing reading, research and recommendations around the need for training, external regulation and safeguarding policy and procedures to protect women against grooming, coercive control and abuse within spiritual, wellness, religious, personal development and community settings.
I take a feminist, nervous system informed and neuroinclusive lens.
In this newsletter I’m sharing the links to the videos and also the Neurodiverse Connection blogs I’ve written, alongside the free downloadable PDF curated resource, Safeguarding Neurodivergent Individuals form Spiritual Abuse, which I authored for this week’s inaugural NdC Grooming and Coercive 2023 Summit.
Whilst this resource focuses on neurodivergent individuals, if we implement neurodivergent safeguarding strategies, policy and procedure this would of course safeguard all neurotypes.
These are must reads for anyone who teaches, facilitates, space holds or is a practitioner or leader in these settings - spiritual, wellness, personal development.
This includes sister circles, meditation, breathwork or yoga classes.
More about work I'm doing with friend and mentor Dr Lynne Sedgmore CBE in Glastonbury next May about these topics and issues in spiritual and Goddess circles coming in January.
Hope the information is useful for you personally, your work or someone you know.

​Video series

Unpacking the grooming & coercive control in spiritual & wellness settings.

We turn to spiritual and wellness forums, teachings & communities after trauma or when distressed, & are groomed & coerced by them to believe in a 'just world' which can further reinforce survival responses (particularly freeze & fawn), victim blame & embed a hyper individualistic, privileged & elitist mindset.

I mention & reference the Victim Focus Indicative Trauma Impact Manual & Belief in Just World Tool Dr Jess Taylor and Jaimi Shrive


People pleasing, fawning & the increased risk of grooming & coercive control of neurodivergent girls & women.

I quote & reference Dr Carly Jones’ brilliant book Safeguarding Autistic Girls in the video.


Spiritual bypassing is 'using spiritual beliefs & practices to hide or repress emotions & avoid conflict'

And as Lissa Rankin also writes in her book Sacred Medicine (which I reference in the video) I was also stunned as she was that 'the suppression of anger & exaggerated tolerance I had developed for abusive people was not a sign of spiritual maturity but a side effect of developmental trauma'

And the fawn nervous system response due to grooming & coercive control & neurodivergent masking.


Trauma, spiritualising connection survival styles & neurodivergence.

Why we need safeguarding in spiritual, wellness & religious settings.

I reference NARM & the book Healing Developmental Trauma by Heller & LaPierre.


Interpersonal Victimisation (IPV), Neurodivergence & Spiritual & Wellness Communities.

I explore the prevalence of IPV & the need for safeguarding, trauma & nervous system informed training & external regulation in these settings.

I reference the book Autistic Masking in the video by Dr Amy Pearson & Kieran Rose.


Safeguarding Neurodivergent Individuals from Spiritual Abuse.

To mark the publication of our new NdC Original resource: Safeguarding Neurodivergent Individuals from Spiritual Abuse, I read aloud my blog, sharing my experience of spiritual abuse and offer two suggested applications for the resource I’ve authored - deconstructing Andrew Tate as predator and online wellness influencers and courses.

All videos can be watched in full on my
Instagram page click here or LinkedIn page click here

Watch any of the videos here