This section is about those crisis pregnancies that are a temptation to commit the mortal sin of abortion and end with the baby’s death. This book is about healing the post-abortive mom’s heart and soul. It also presents steps to recover or bounce back from abortion generated disorders. It is about God’s healing mercy to these hurting souls. Hopefully, a post-abortive will progress from victim to survivor, to thriver, to full functioning child of God. You can reconcile your abortion loss with God, your aborted children, and others complicit in your abortion experience. God is not mad at you, and your aborted children pray for you to be healed.
It isn’t wise counsel that heals the sick soul, purifies the impure heart, illuminates darkened minds, or cleans a guilty conscience, but God Himself, through the Sacraments and ascetic practices of the Catholic Church. This begins with the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Christian counselors who include the Holy Spirit can also minister grace.
Healing the soul is beyond the secular counselor’s scope of work. Here is why! The “spirit of the world” has installed itself into many secular mental health licensing boards, organizations, associations, and practitioners. The spirit of the world says, “Abortion is not traumatic for the mentally healthy, but only to those who are more unstable, especially those with pre-existing psychiatric disorders.” It says post abortive persons are overreacting, making mountains out of molehills. The “spirit of the world” also strips abortion of its intrinsic spiritual realities. This creates a terrible situation for the post-abortive because they can’t even go to God, The Divine Physician, the source of healing, and get help. Secular counselors also don’t perceive the cause-and-effect connection between abortion, and its consequent psychiatric disorders, spiritual disorders, marriage problems, emotional disorders, and cognitive-behavioral disorders. There are so many stories of secular counselors meeting with patients and making little progress with diagnoses like depression or anxiety because the counselors don’t understand this connection. Even worse, some counselors encourage their patients to get an abortion.
There is an algebraic formula to calculate the damage to a post-abortive soul. The formula is: (type of crisis pregnancy) + (type of abortion) + (individual differences) = degree of trauma.
The damaging effect of the crisis pregnancy, independent of the abortion, had a negative value of three. Likewise, the abortion itself, independent of the crisis pregnancy, also had a destructive value of three. When we do the math, 3 + 3 = 6. But when combined, there is a synergy of 3 * 3 = 9. Because of individual differences, in some cases, it exceeds 9 and skyrockets to 70. When you plant a tomato seed, you get a tomato. When you plant a grain of wheat, you get wheat. When you plant the seed of abortion’s destruction in your life, you get destruction in your life. God will not be mocked. We reap what we sow. So without God’s intervention, some post-abortive persons harvest destruction 10, 30, and 100 fold. Through Jesus’ Divine Mercy, healing miracles can sweep a soul clean.
They come to counseling depressed and anxious. Their marriages are falling apart, and they haven't been to confession in 5 or 10 years. How can they expect counseling to be effective if they have separated themselves from God, the source of all healing grace?
It is imperative to impress upon your patients to go to confession as soon as possible. The best practice is to explain that going to confession is in their best interest in saving their marriage, being delivered from depression, etc. Post abortive people can do themselves a great benefit by going to confession about the abortion. If they are looking for a healing, and God is the source of grace and healing, it would be prudent to avail themselves of that grace by removing any impediments. This isn't the time to be judgmental and legalistic, but a time to gently draw them into closer union with God.
It's not a time to question them about why they haven't gone to confession but a time to tell them all the advantages they get from the sacrament. We know it's best to do things because of the love of God, but God, in His love for us, allows, appreciates, and accepts less pure motives, like fear of the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell. Use extrinsic motivation to activate their intrinsic motivation.
What would happen if God showed down 100 gallons of healing grace, but you only used one gallon? You would only reap minimal benefits since you reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7). Therefore, the more gallons of grace you use, the better. It is said, "Seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall open" (Matthew 7:7). When a soul doesn't seek or knock and expects to be healed, it is an absurdity. When you put extra effort into being improved, God notices and responds. As a living sacrifice, you need to offer focused interior work toward your healing. Remember, faith without works is dead.