A Port Jefferson Station, New York, teaching ministry, Living Epistles Ministries offers many freely available educational materials written and recorded by its founder, Sheila R. Vitale. One of her teachings, drawn from reviewing the movie Tender is the Night, based on a book by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about soul ties and how a strong person can lose themself to the tyranny of a weak person.

The movie is about a woman whose mind was shattered after her father, whom she had idolized, molested her. She was later taken to a sanatorium where she met a psychiatrist who helped her heal her mind. The two later fall in love and get married. However, the psychiatrist eventually gives up his career to be with the wife.

Pastor Vitale warns against idolizing an authority figure when in a weakened state or an authority figure creating emotional ties with a person who is weak, as the weak tend to draw strength from the strong person. Once the weak person gets healed, they no longer need the strong person, and precautions should be taken to avoid the roles being reversed. This is especially so if the strong person compromised their principles for the sake of helping the weak person.

The teaching further points out that it’s not possible to avoid emotional connections with people in need of help. Therefore, the teaching advises to arm oneself with Christ to avoid losing one’s strength, regardless of the situation.