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Definition of Religious Trauma
Religious trauma results from an event, series of events, relationships, or circumstances within or connected to religious beliefs, practices, or structures that is experienced by an individual as overwhelming or disruptive and has lasting adverse effects on a person’s physical, mental, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.
[Slade, Darren M., Adrianna Smell, Elizabeth Wilson, and Rebekah Drumsta. "Percentage of U.S. Adults Suffering From Religious Trauma: A Sociological Study." Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry 5, no. 1 (2023): 1–28.]
Religion can be complicated, with many of us experiencing some hurt because of it. Whether from a family, faith community, or worldview, religious trauma can look like:
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feelings of shame, unworthiness, being unlovable, or bad in some way
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fear of making mistakes or being rejected by God or a faith community
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lack of self-compassion or personal autonomy
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perfectionism and hypervigilance
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extreme dualistic thinking - judging every individual, thought and action as "good" or "bad"
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difficulty experiencing pleasure
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spiritual bypassing - denying the presence and validity of mental health issues due to a belief that those feelings come from Satan or a lack of faith and if they pray enough or are favored then God will take it away
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growing up with chronic fear or anxiety around salvation, rapture, Hell, Satan, or demons
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superstitious beliefs
If you can relate to any of the above experiences, or they brought up similar thoughts and memories, you may have experienced religious hurt or trauma.
The good news is that it's possible to heal and not let such experiences impact you in the same ways, in the future.
Contact me today for an initial phone consultation.