Effects of a Wounded Spirit (Broken or Crushed Spirit)

The Original Wounds and their Byproducts (Secondary Wounds)

Spiritual wounds have their original or initial effects and also have their byproducts. Their byproducts are secondary wounds or effects from the original experience(s).

An individual may have effectively healed from being tormented by the bad past yet may behave in some way that could be linked to the experience(s). The original experience(s) are also no longer a preoccupation nor a source of pain. The individual may even have totally forgiven the wrong doers, if he had been holding bitter feelings.

You have probably heard of Dorothy Law Nolte's famous poem: Children Learn What They Live . It talks about the outcomes that result from parenting styles, good and bad styles. Here's the poem:

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn . . .
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight . . .
If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive . . .
If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself . . .
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy . . .
If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilt . . .

BUT

If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient . . .
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident . . .
If a child lives with, he learns to be appreciative . . .
If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love . . .
If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is . . .
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice . . .
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself and those about him . . .
If a child lives with friendliness, he learns the world is a nice place in which to live . . .

By the way we're all children no matter how old we get. We just learn to better deal with the negative matters in life as we grow. Some learn better than others. As believers we've the most solid foundation in life: God's word. We're expected to ignore the lies from demonic influence trying to exalt the bad past over God's word.

The above poem is a good illustration in showing spiritual wounds and their byproducts. In the poem the spiritual wounds are the negative factors the child experiences: criticism, hostility, fear, pity, ridicule, and jealousy. We can add much more to the list. Each factor can also result in more than one outcome.

Thus a spiritual wound inflicted on a person may result in one or more negative outcomes. It is a seed sown, albeit a bad seed, that produces its bigger harvest, albeit a sour harvest.

For example, a child that's under constant criticism may grow up being judgmental, hostile, fearful and so on. Most of these outcomes fall in the category of byproducts to spiritual wounds. They're not the original spiritual wounds themselves but are the consequence or effects of the original wounds.

A person may be totally be free from the torment of the past, holding no grudges against anyone that may have caused some bad past experiences. He has been healed from the pain of the original wounds.

However he may still need healing from the consequences or effects of the wounds. Healing from byproducts of spiritual wounds is exactly the same way as in healing from the original spiritual wounds. The effects are actually spiritual wounds only in a secondary or byproduct way. They're secondary spiritual wounds.

Below is a description of mainly the effects of the original spiritual wounds. A few factors are original spiritual wounds themselves. For instance, frequent recurring memories of a past hurt(s) is an aspect of the original spiritual wounds yet to be healed.

You may notice one or more effects below that describe you. No cause for fear. It's when one or more of these areas become barriers to leading a normal life that thorough healing is required. These barriers may manifest in spiritual areas, social, material or even physical health areas. Besides, you have this book with key principles on healing the wounded spirit, whether major or minor wounds.

Mental Effects from the Original Wounds and their Byproducts

*Recurring bad dreams

*Recurring memories of a past hurt(s)

*Prone to memory losses or distorted memories, exaggerating the negatives

*Focused on faults of others and shifting blame

*Easily critical of others

*Difficulty in forgiving some people

*Either extremely overconfident even when heading the wrong way, or on the opposite end extremely pessimistic

*Either obsessed with cleanliness (clean freak) & hygiene, or on the opposite end extremely dirty (skunk (as an adult, not a teenager)).

Emotional Effects from the Original Wounds and their Byproducts <a name="_Toc192885667"></a>

*Either exceptionally withdrawn (extreme introversion), or on the opposite end exceptionally outgoing & people pleaser (extreme extroversion)

*Inferiority complex

*Exceptionally fearful, suspicious and distrustful

*Easily controlled by habits and compulsions like alcohol, drugs, food, television, etc

*Overwhelming feelings of guilt of some harm done (e.g. military personnel returning from war)

*Easily offended and angered - very sensitive

*Difficulty to give and receive love, praise or approval,

*Either overprotective and possessive, or on the opposite end extremely permissive and indulgent.

Effects in the will from the Original Wounds and their Byproducts

*Either excessive workaholism, or on the opposite end complete unconcern for work, career or obligations (sluggard, couch potato, leisureholic, lazybones)

*Either excessive perfectionism (picky, fussy), or on the opposite end loose morals and inability to care on doing what's right (chaotic)

*Either extremely cautious to life, or on the opposite end extremely impulsive and reckless, prone to jumping from fire to fire

*Either extremely domineering personality (control freak, planet, godzilla, bridezilla), or the opposite end extremely weak-willed and easily manipulated (doormat or welcome mat, wimp)

*Exceptionally self-centered

*Exceptionally defensive (even where wrong) & easily shifting blame on others

*Either very stubborn & insensitive to correction (bullheaded, brain-dead), or on the opposite end easily influenced (flip-flop, spineless), preferring peace over integrity

*Either extremely self-driven & unhealthily independent, or on the opposite end extremely others-driven & helplessly dependent on others.

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