Dealing with the long term effects of childhood religious indoctrination

March 18, 2006 10:12 AM

I was raised as a christian scientist, meaning no medicine, no doctors and I was not even allowed to believe that any physical symptom of illness or injury I might have was real. Needless to say such beliefs have not promoted a healthy self awareness, self image or even much of an instinct for self-preservation. I also had some persistent medical problems as a child that went untreated.

I guess my question is if there are any other people out there who have had similar experiences and how did they deal with it? I've done a lot of web searches and most of the groups dealing with this do so from the point of view of evangelical rescue, meaning they go from the extreme of christian science to another philosophical extreme in an attempt to "save souls". I don't need more dogma, just practical advice on how somebody who has been conditioned since infancy to ignore their own physical and emotional needs can get support. I'm not concerned about life in the hereafter, just being able to function in the real world. Specifically I'm interested in the effects of a child being raised without any awareness of 20th century medicine, and dealing with the consequences as an adult.

p.s. i've done a fair amount of therapy, and while helpful I suspect that my instincts have not been great for finding someone who can really deal with these issues or bring about lasting results.

posted by gallois to health & fitness (8 comments total)

Yoga, if it interests you at all, might actually be fairly helpful if you have sensitive teachers (that is: probably not at a gym; with a fair amount of training; etc.). A lot of the emphasis is on "tuning in" and learning to listen to your body, which can be helpful with both emotional and physical issues.

If you're in Boston or San Francisco, I can recommend caring teachers for you. Otherwise, Yoga Journal's directory has some great recommendations. Actually, Yoga Journal also has some great articles about listening to yourself; they're a little New Age-y, but in a generally good way (that is, no crystals or astrology; much emphasis on opening your heart).

I would also of course urge you to find a good doctor (getting recommendations from friends has always worked pretty well for me) and just getting physicals once a year. It'll help with your general comfort around doctors, I think, if you don't wait till something's wrong to see one; and it'll help you feel more in control of your health.
posted by occhiblu at 10:23 AM on March 18, 2006

I won't speak to your mental health, but for your physical health, take comfort in the fact that the human body is pretty tough. Unless you were abused, malnourished or have a specific medical condition (which should be obvious when you go for a full check-up), there isn't much you have to worry about about. A good general practioner should uncover any major medical problem.

If you want to take your body to the next level, the best thing to do is to enroll in some sort of fitness program. Start off slowly, find an activity that you enjoy, and work away at it. Once you start pushing your body, any lesser problems you have will then become apparent. At that point see a sports doctor and/or a nutritionist. These people are good at suggesting practical solutions free of meta-physical mumbo jumbo, and they are often the most in-touch with the forefront of medical technology. However they do cost money.

Physically speaking, I don't think you have much to worry about unless you grew up in third-world conditions (e.g. without access to clean water).
posted by randomstriker at 11:04 AM on March 18, 2006

I don't need more dogma, just practical advice on how somebody who has been conditioned since infancy to ignore their own physical and emotional needs can get support.

You don't need to be a christian scientist to reach this spot. A large number of the men I know fit this description exactly.

That said, I am not aware of any specific support groups for the issue. Yoga is a good suggestion, if for no other reason than it will help you start exploring your body in detail, and you'll be in the company of other people who are doing the same thing. Depending on who you practice it with there can be a spiritual aspect, but there are plenty of Yoga studios out there that don't have that if it bothers you.

For different reasons than your own, I reached my early twenties with an almost complete lack of awareness about my own body. It has definitely been slow going to convince myself that I have a physical body and that it is worth my time to take care of it If you find the magic bullet, please let us all know...
posted by tkolar at 11:32 AM on March 18, 2006

It gets into the yoga category, but long distance running is largely about getting used to having your mind & body come together. Its more of your body complaining to your mind to the extreme, instead of working with it, but the result is the same. Plus, when you're out on 10+ mile runs, you don't have much else to do than feel your body.
posted by devilsbrigade at 12:45 PM on March 18, 2006

I wonder if you would benefit from reading about children of narcissistic parents? I ask because you say you were conditioned to ignore your own physical needs which is what it's like to have a narcissistic parent.

There is a yahoo group.
posted by 9000.68 at 3:29 PM on March 18, 2006

You should probably check out the recovery info and msg. board on Rick Ross' site. I think you'll find some resources/like minded people to help point you in the right direction.
posted by necessitas at 3:55 PM on March 18, 2006

Smoke some cannabis and go for a long bicycle ride through the countryside.

Take a trusted friend to a beautiful and peaceful outdoor spot far from civilization, and drop some acid.

Then find an MD you're really comfortable with, and put this same question to them.
posted by flabdablet at 12:10 AM on March 19, 2006

If you're looking for people to talk to who've been there, so to speak, have you looking into "ex-christian" (often called "ex-tian" after the common "xtian" for "christian") groups & lists? Some of them may be too hard-core atheistic for you, but there are surely ex-christian scientists among them. Just google for "ex-tian" if that seems of interest.

As for better body-awareness, that's something pretty much any modern person could do with - we spend so much time sitting around looking at screens & so little aware of our physical nature... yoga & martial arts are good examples of activities that emphasize the mental element of the physical and the physical element of the mental.
posted by mdn at 8:20 AM on March 19, 2006