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WHAT IS RELIGIOUS TRAUMA?

Religious trauma is an intense physical and psychological response to experiences in religious settings that provoke overwhelming fear and helplessness. New research indicates that religious trauma is very real and can be just as devastating as other forms of trauma. It can negatively impact a survivor's physical, emotional, cognitive, and social well-being, making it hard for them to cope, feel safe, and experience healthy spirituality afterward. ​

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF RELIGIOUS TRAUMA?

People who have been in abusive or high-control religious groups often notice symptoms of religious trauma afterward. Controlling group dynamics that emphasize conformity and exclusivity can lead to intense fear and anxiety, shame, rigid thinking, suppression, and social dysfunction. If not addressed, these symptoms can persist long after someone has left a high-control group. ​Read more about the common IMPACTS OF RELIGIOUS TRAUMA or take the RELIGIOUS TRAUMA INVENTORY.

WHAT MAKES A RELIGIOUS GROUP "HIGH-CONTROL"?

High-control religious or spiritual groups normalize a culture of conformity, submission, and total reliance on the group. The teachings, practices, and social norms of high-control religious groups can have some very harmful impacts on their members. Leaders of these groups may claim or even believe that their teachings and practices are in the best interest of their members, but they often focus on shaming or suppressing any beliefs or behaviors that would threaten their control. If you're not sure if you've been in a high-control religious group, take the HIGH CONTROL GROUP INVENTORY.

ARE ALL RELIGIOUS GROUPS HARMFUL?

No. Lots of people have positive, non-traumatic experiences in faith communities. Recognizing and addressing religious trauma isn't an indictment against all religious beliefs and practices. When someone is harmed in a religious setting, it doesn't necessarily mean that the group is toxic or that harm was intended. It is, however, cause for concern, curiosity, and accountability.

IMPACTS OF RELIGIOUS TRAUMA

FEAR + ANXIETY

​The fears and anxieties listed below are often caused by a religious group's explicit or implicit threats about spiritual danger, worldly danger, eternal consequences, and divine punishment.​

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  • Spiritual Anxiety​​

    • Afterlife Anxiety: Questioning salvation, feeling responsible for others' salvation, fear of death, hell, the rapture/end times, eternal separation from loved ones, etc.

    • Spiritual Hypervigilance: Difficulty relaxing or feeling safe from spiritual threats; intense fear or paranoia about sin, temptation, persecution, spiritual warfare, demon possession, secular influences, etc.

    • Existential Dread: Feelings of doom or powerlessness to control your life, feeling trapped in preordained circumstances, fear of being "called" to do things you don't want to do, etc.

  • Obsessions + Compulsions

    • Superstitions: Magical thinking and compulsive rituals aimed at preventing spiritual harm and earning safety (praying, scripture reading, witnessing, confessing, etc.)

    • Scrupulosity: Obsessive rule-following, intrusive thoughts of being punished or accused of wrongdoing, constant behavior monitoring, obsession with determining right from wrong, etc.

    • Compulsive Risk-Taking: Feeling obligated to put yourself (or loved ones) in danger for the sake of your faith, trying to prove your devotion through sacrifice to earn God's favor/protection.

  • Spiritual Dissociation

    • Avoidance: Checking out mentally during spiritual practices, finding distractions to keep your mind off anxiety (ex. always serving instead of attending a service), etc.  

    • Spiritual Bypassing: Repeating comforting religious phrases that minimize your anxiety and focus on total trust and acceptance (ex. "God's in control" or "I just need to lay it down at his feet."). Learn more about SPIRITUAL BYPASSING.​​​

SHAME

These forms of shame can be caused by religious teachings that emphasize unrealistic spiritual expectations, sin nature doctrine, confession of sin/failure, and the glorification of suffering and self-sacrifice for the sake of the faith.

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  • Low Self-Worth

    • Shame-Based Core Beliefs: Viewing yourself as fundamentally "bad" or inadequate, believing you deserve to be punished or need to apologize for being who you are, etc.

    • Self-Neglect: Not valuing your own needs and comfort, believing God wants you to forgo personal satisfaction, pleasure, or freedom, not addressing your physical/mental health issues, viewing self-care as a sign of pride or selfishness.

    • Self-Distrust: Believing that you can't trust your own instincts and desires, assuming you'll fail or do bad things if you don't rely on others for guidance.

    • Learned Helplessness: Believing you're too weak/broken to succeed, feeling a sense of defeat and cynicism about the future.

  • Compensation

    • Critical Self-Talk: Being verbally abusive to yourself internally to keep yourself in check, calling yourself names ("lazy", "prideful", "selfish", etc.)

    • Perfectionism: Trying to make up for your perceived spiritual inadequacy by being excellent in other ways, pushing yourself too hard, and not tolerating any mistakes or imperfections.

    • Overworking: Compulsively serving and volunteering, placing the mission and needs of others above your own, feeling obligated to help or rescue others, feeling like you're never doing "enough", worrying that if you relax you'll let people down.

    • Over-Apologizing: Constantly apologizing and feeling responsible for things that are out of your control.

RIGID THINKING

Rigid thinking or cognitive inflexibility can be caused by controlling religious doctrine, spiritual hierarchy, black-and-white belief systems, and authoritarian leaders.

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  • ​Moralizing: Viewing the world in black-and-white moral categories; making moral judgments about subjective ideas, behaviors, or emotions; frequently using terms like "good", "bad", "right", and "wrong".

  • Absolutism: Thinking in all-or-nothing extremes; feeling obligated to determine the absolute truth; ignoring nuances because you think you should have absolute certainty about your beliefs and opinions.

  • Impaired Curiosity: Intense discomfort about asking questions, acknowledging doubts, challenging beliefs, or changing your mind.

  • Confirmation Bias: Misinterpreting events in your life as confirmation of your previous beliefs; assuming you don't need to question your beliefs because you're confident that they're correct.

  • ​Reliance on Rules and Authority: Intense devotion to following rules and being loyal; difficulty making decisions without instructions and/or permission from authority figures.

  • Impaired Empathy: Struggling to have empathy or respect for people with different values, beliefs, or lifestyles.

SUPPRESSION

The following types of self-suppression are often linked to high-control groups and belief systems that emphasize purity, conformity, and total unity among their members.​​​

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  • Low Personal Autonomy: Feeling like you don't deserve independence, privacy, or respect from other people; feeling incapable of making decisions on your own; feeling like you need permission before doing things; ignoring your own discomfort.

  • Emotional Suppression: Hiding, shutting down, or invalidating your emotions; judging your emotions as "wrong"; feeling guilty or ashamed for being angry, hurt, or sad. Long term, this can cause depression and feeling emotionally numb or detached.

  • Identity Confusion: Not knowing who you are, what you like, or what you want; viewing parts of your identity as bad or deviant; trying to hide or change your identity or personality; feeling like you're always playing a part; constantly trying to live up to other people's goals for you. Long-term, this can lead to anger issues, poor self-awareness, depression, and suicidal ideation.

  • Sexual Dysfunction: Having extreme shame and anxiety about normal sexual expression; frequently worrying about sexual purity; viewing sex or masturbation as deviant or disgusting; experiencing pain during sex; not enjoying sex; denying or hiding your sexual attractions.

  • ​Somatic Symptoms: Suppressed feelings and needs can eventually show up as unexplained chronic physical pain or illness (ex. fibromyalgia, headaches, tension, etc.)

RELATIONSHIP DYSFUNCTION

The following types of social dysfunction can come from religious or spiritual groups that normalize unhealthy relationship dynamics that benefit the group but not the individual. If not addressed, these patterns can keep showing up in your relationships long after you've left an abusive group.

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  • Social Anxiety & Avoidance: Feeling constantly on edge in social situations; fearing or predicting that you'll be judged, humiliated, misunderstood, excluded, or rejected by others; withdrawing or avoiding social interactions; not allowing yourself to be vulnerable; loneliness.​

  • Enmeshment: Having trouble separating your own thoughts, needs, and goals from those of the group; feeling guilty for wanting to have privacy or autonomy; expecting everything (feelings, possessions, money) to be shared in relationships. 

  • Codependency: Feeling guilty and obligated to serve/help others even if they're capable of helping themselves; feeling resentful when others don't drop everything to help you; feeling obligated to dismiss your feelings and forgive someone who hurts you; avoiding conflict at all costs to maintain unity.

  • ​Oversharing & Overstepping: Sharing overly personal or vulnerable information before trust has been established; using trauma dumping as a means of bonding with people; feeling obligated to give others advice even when they haven't asked for it. 

  • Reactions To Authority Figures 

    • Authority Fawning: Constantly trying to please authorities to earn safety and protection from punishment; seeking approval by always obeying, helping, complementing, apologizing, or asking permission.

    • Authority Defiance: Attempting to protect yourself by refusing to comply with authorities; feeling contempt and distrust toward authority figures; suspecting or assuming they all have bad intentions.

  • Trauma Bonding: Feeling obligated to defend and be loyal to the people who experienced trauma with you; excusing someone's dysfunction or abusive behavior because of what you've been through together.

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