Unpacking the Religious Trauma: A Journey Through Understanding

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Religion is a set of beliefs and practices that involve worshipping a divine power. It includes rituals, teachings, and moral guidelines for people to understand the world and universe. Religion means different to everyone. However, one common theme is that religion is known for its role in providing purpose to people and providing a way to connect with others. These contributions promote coping skills to people, for example, when they are challenged with difficulties in life, dealing with uncertainties such as death, and getting social support when needed. Therefore, religion has unique contributions to people’s lives. While religion can offer support, meaning, and a sense of belonging, it is also essential to recognize that it can sometimes lead to adverse outcomes, significantly when beliefs are misused or taken to extremes. These misused practices and extremes can cause a significant amount of distress to individuals that might lead to trauma in a religious context.

In a study that was conducted in 2023 with 1581 people, around %27-33 have experienced religious trauma at some point. Researchers are pointing out that %10-15 people in the US suffer from religious trauma at this time (Slade et al., 2023). These findings highlight the impact of religious trauma, revealing just how common it is, and yet it remains an underrecognized issue that affects many individuals’ mental health and well-being. When someone experiences religion in a way that is upsetting, demeaning, hazardous, abusive, or harmful, it can lead to religious trauma. Traumatic religious experiences may harm their physical, emotional, mental, sexual, or spiritual safety. Religious trauma isn’t just linked to specific incidents; it can develop over time as a result of damaging messages that the community promotes. It could also develop when a person leaves their unhealthy religious community. Even though it was a healthy choice to leave, this person can feel a sense of loss with family members, friends, and other support systems. In this therapy sketch, we will examine religious trauma and its effects.

What is religious trauma?

We can define it as a form of psychological and emotional distress caused by adverse religious experiences. This adverse religious experience might vary and occur in different ways, such as strict religious teachings, suppression by religious leaders or the community, or loss of community at all once leaving the religious group or not following the teachings of the religion. Religious trauma causes psychological distress because the person who experiences it can feel intense suppression, violation of boundaries, isolation, exposure to control, and manipulative behaviors that can lead to the feeling of lack of independence. Also, the adverse experiences can include intense negative emotions such as shame, guilt, or fear, depending on the content of beliefs, practices, or context. This can strongly impair a person’s mental health and relationship with self as well as others.

What’s the meaning of adverse religious experiences?

Irrelevant to seeing experiences about religion as good or bad, using “adverse religious experience” helps us focus on specific experiences within religion that may negatively affect a person’s physical, social, or mental well-being. It’s about recognizing that specific religious experiences can uplift some people but can be damaging or restrictive for others. From this perspective, adverse religious experiences are those parts of spiritual practices, beliefs, or structures that can make people feel unsafe, controlled, or emotionally harmed (Religious Trauma Institute, 2022). For example, at simplest, fear of going to “hell” can be an example of it because it reminds people that there will be punishment after committing certain behaviors. Examples like these can affect a person’s mental and social well-being because adverse religious experiences mainly include power and control dynamics within them.

Power and Control Dynamics in the Context of Religious Trauma

Power and control dynamics within religious trauma refer to situations related to spiritual experiences in ways that limit a person’s autonomy and enforce conformity. The control is not always explicit; it can be subtle, emerging through doctrine or cultural expectations that define acceptable behavior, enforce strict gender roles, or promote ideas of punishment for questioning or leaving the group. The Religious Trauma Institute published a religious power & control wheel that includes the following concepts (Religious Trauma Institute, 2022). Here are examples for each:

Loss of Autonomy: People may be discouraged from making personal life choices, like deciding on a career or marriage partner, without consulting the leader or community of the religion.
Isolation: People might be told that socializing with those outside their religious community is not beneficial. This isolates them from family or friends who do not share the same beliefs.
Minimizing, Denying, Blaming: For example, when people bring up concerns or confusion, they may be told they lack faith or other explanations that can make people feel like they are blamed, denied, or minimized.
Emotional Abuse: Emotional manipulation can occur by using fear, guilt, and shame to control behavior. For example, people might be told that some behavior will lead to eternal punishment.
Spiritual Abuse: This is related to the concept of authority. Since authority is “divine,” it is not questionable, but questioning it might cause some sort of betrayal.
Sexuality and Gender Defining: There might be some strict rules about sexuality and gender as well. For example, people expected to follow and diverge from these rules can be labeled negatively.
Economic Control: There might be some pressure to donate a part of the income, which can lead to financial control.
Threats, accusations, and intimidation: People who consider leaving or challenging the religious community might be warned of social rejection, threats of curses, or public humiliation

Effects on Mental Health

Religious trauma can show up with symptoms much like those found in other types of trauma, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). People affected might experience anxiety, depression, hypervigilance, or recurring distressing thoughts (Van der Kolk, 2014).

PTSD: Religious trauma often involves emotional, psychological, or even physical experiences that can be deeply distressing, leading to PTSD-like symptoms. Individuals may have flashbacks or nightmares related to traumatic events, such as instances of abuse or manipulation within religious settings.
Anxiety: Since the religious practices centered around power and control that causes fear, shame, or guilt in people, it can lead to intense anxiety in people who later leave or question their faith (Winell, 2011)
Depression: Depression can occur due to long-term emotional suppression or guilt. Dr Winell also notes that many people experience a profound loss of identity and purpose after leaving restrictive religious environments, which can lead to depression (Winell, 2011).
Hypervigilance: Trauma can cause people to be in fight or flight mode. According to Van der Kolk (2014), trauma itself can make individuals remain in a “fight or flight” state, which aligns with anxiety and PTSD. Control and the power-centered structure of religions can always lead a person to be alert.
Recurring Stressing Thoughts: These thoughts might be related to fear, punishment, guilt, and worthlessness. According to Winell (2011), individuals who leave or question the religious community may be haunted by these recurring and stressful thoughts for years, even after moving away from it.
Eating Disorders: Experiencing trauma, especially PTSD, has been linked to the development of eating disorders. Individuals may use unhealthy eating behaviors to cope with overwhelming emotions that come with traumatic experiences. This may be the case for individuals who have experienced religious trauma. Studies have shown that trauma can disrupt a person’s sense of control and self-worth, which are factors often associated with eating disorder symptoms (Brewerton, 2007).

Additionally, Dr. Marlene Winell, introduced the term “Religious Trauma Syndrome” (RTS) in 2011. Dr. Winell points out that those dealing with religious trauma often face issues like self-blame, feeling cut off from others, and negative self-perception. These struggles are frequently rooted in controlling or coercive practices in highly religious communities (Winell, 2011).

Effects on Relationships

Religious trauma also affects interpersonal relationships in several ways. These include trust issues, communication barriers, dependency or independence issues, feelings of guilt and shame, and cognitive distortions. Here are the explanations of each issue that might come up due to religious trauma:

Trust Issues: Individuals who have experienced religious trauma may struggle to build trust in new relationships due to adverse religious experience that include power and control dynamics. This cause lack of trust to others. It can lead to a skeptical approach toward others, making it challenging to establish emotional closeness (Doll, 2022).
Communication Issues: Traumatic religious experiences can make it hard for people to express themselves openly. Because of suppression and crossing of boundaries, they may feel hesitant to share their thoughts and emotions. These situations might lead to misunderstandings or emotional distance in relationships.
Boundary Issues: Religious trauma can impact a person’s confidence in making their own decisions. It can lead them to feel dependent on others. This dependency might cause difficulty for the individual to maintain interpersonal boundaries.
Guilt and Shame: Individuals who have experienced religious trauma may carry guilt or shame, which can lead to behaviors like over-sacrificing or prioritizing others’ needs. In the long term, this impact creates an imbalance in relationships.
Cognitive Distortions: Individuals who experience religious trauma may adopt cognitive distortions. These cognitive distortions make it hard to tolerate different perspectives from others (Beck, 2011). This often results in conflict and communication, as individuals perceive alternative viewpoints as a threat.

Core Beliefs and Negative Thoughts

Religious trauma can shape negative core beliefs, which align with Aaron Beck’s cognitive model. This cognitive model has three central negative beliefs: unloveable, worthlessness, and helplessness (Beck, 2011).

Being Unloveable: People who experience religious trauma may develop a belief that they are unlovable if they do not meet strict religious standards. This core belief can lead to feelings of isolation and a fear of rejection. As a result, it makes it difficult for them to form healthy relationships with others and themselves.

Being Worthless: People who experience religious trauma may be reinforced by teachings that emphasize sinfulness or inadequacy. This core belief can lead to guilt and shame, making it hard for them to accept themselves or believe they are worthy of love and happiness. These feelings can create a cycle of negative thoughts that affect their interpersonal relationships and overall well-being.

Being Helpless: People who experience religious trauma may believe they have no control over their spiritual or personal outcomes. This belief can lead them to feel trapped, which can cause depression or anxiety (or both).

How Can Therapy Help?

Various therapy modalities can help individuals overcome mental health issues and interpersonal problems experienced due to religious trauma:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A common treatment for trauma is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT helps individuals identify dysfunctional beliefs and develop new ways of thinking (Beck, 2011). It shows the interconnectedness between a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. CBT is an evidence-based practice and can help individuals experiencing religious trauma by identifying and challenging negative beliefs or thought patterns that may have developed as a result of abusive religious community leaders.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): ACT promotes psychological flexibility by encouraging individuals to accept their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting them, while also committing to value-driven actions (Hayes et al., 2006). This can help individuals with religious trauma to engage with their experiences and help them to foster acceptance and personal growth.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): DBT can help individuals with religious trauma from many perspectives. DBT helps individuals integrate mindfulness practices into daily life to relax the body and strengthen the mind and body connection. Additionally, DBT includes distress tolerance exercises, various emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness techniques to help individuals overcome personal and interpersonal difficulties (DBT,2024).

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR is a modality that is used to heal from trauma and other distressing life experiences through structured sessions (Shapiro, 2001). This helps alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories and can help those with religious trauma experience.

Takeaways:

Religious trauma is psychological and emotional distress caused by adverse religious experiences, often involving shame, guilt, and fear.
Religious trauma can include loss of autonomy, isolation, minimizing, denying, blaming, emotional and spiritual abuse, definition of sexuality and gender, economic control, and control through fear or manipulation.
Religious trauma may lead to mental health issues such as PTSD-like symptoms, anxiety, depression, hypervigilance, recurring thoughts, and interpersonal issues like trust issues, communication issues, boundary issues, and cognitive distortions.
CBT, ACT, DBT, and EMDR can help individuals overcome religious trauma and improve relational dynamics.

References:

Slade, D. M., Smell, A., Wilson, E., & Drumsta, R. (2023). Percentage of US adults suffering from religious trauma: A sociological study. Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry, 5(1), 1-28.
Religious Trauma Institute. (2022). Religious Trauma Institute. https://www.religioustraumainstitute.com/
Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books.
Winell, M. (2011). Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion. Apocryphile Press.
Doll, B. R. (2022). Therapeutic Considerations in the Treatment Religious Trauma. California Southern University.
Beck, J. S. (2011). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
Brewerton, T. D. (2007). “Eating Disorders, Trauma, and Comorbidity: Focus on PTSD.” Eating Disorders, 15(4), 285-304.
Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(1), 1-25.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy. (2024, September 14). Dialectical Behavior Therapy: DBT Skills, Worksheets, Videos. https://dialecticalbehaviortherapy.com/
Shapiro, F. (2001). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

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This page is also part of the Roamers Therapy Glossary; a collection of mental-health related definitions that are written by our therapists.

While our offices are currently located at the South Loop neighborhood of Downtown Chicago, Illinois, we also welcome and serve clients for online therapy from anywhere in Illinois and Washington, D.C. Clients from the Chicagoland area may choose in-office or online therapy and usually commute from surrounding areas such as River North, West Loop, Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lake View, Rogers Park, Logan Square, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Little Village, Bronzeville, South Shore, Hyde Park, Back of the Yards, Wicker Park, Bucktown and many more. You can visit our contact page to access detailed information on our office location.