Religious Trauma: Examples, Symptoms, & How to Heal

What Is Religious Trauma?

Religious trauma can stem from spiritual abuse and devastatingly affect self-esteem, sense of self-worth, and identity. Religion can impact how we see the world. Denying the existence of problems in the face of continual optimism and faith can be easy, but this toxic positivity can lead to lasting harm.²

Religious trauma can leave many believing they are inherently sinful or condemned, even after they leave the religion and previously held beliefs (especially after experiencing purity culture).

What Is Religious Trauma Syndrome?

Religious trauma syndrome is not officially included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5). However, religious and spiritual trauma exists and impacts millions of individuals. Religion can easily be weaponized, and people may twist teachings to fit their agendas. Shame, guilt, and condemnation are among many harmful messages, often leading to lasting and deep mental health wounds that damage the psyche.³

RTS often occurs when individuals in a like-minded community see their religious path as the only way, identifying outside others as inherently bad or misguided.⁴ These groups deliberately disconnect from mainstream society and traditions. For some, this behavior can include not observing holidays, visiting movie theaters, or dressing modestly. Others may live in more rural areas, avoiding the appearance or perception of ‘evil.’

While religious trauma syndrome is commonly used, many clinicians and researchers are shying away from the use of ‘syndrome.’

Darren M. Slade, PhD and President, Global Center for Religious Research, explains, “Use of the term ‘syndrome’ is an outdated label that can actually be more detrimental than helpful. When originally coined, this so-called ‘syndrome’ was part of a larger cultural fascination to pathologize everything without sufficient clinical or psychological justification. But religious trauma occurs on an individualized spectrum and does not consistently present with the same cluster of symptoms, as is required of actual syndrome diagnoses. The label ‘syndrome’ limits religious trauma by manufacturing arbitrary parameters on people’s lived experiences, thereby excluding them from treatment options or alienating them with feelings of being diseased and abnormal.”¹⁰

Religious Trauma Examples

RTS differs depending on religion, practices, or beliefs but typically has a standard component of fear and emotional manipulation. Individuals may be told they will be separated from God, face social ruin, or go to hell based on their adherence to specific traditions or beliefs.²

These experiences can create false narratives that absolute religious adherence is necessary to secure an afterlife.⁵ Because religious trauma can be prevalent in childhood, distancing from religion can sometimes mean individuals feel they are abandoning everything they know.

Slade adds, “While archetypal traumatic experiences exist, such as sexual assault, there are no predictable causes of overwhelming or disruptive adverse effects on individuals. For one person, trauma results from teachings about hellfire, damnation, original sin, or a belief in the rapture. For another person, it’s the act of public shaming or being ‘slain in the Spirit.’ For someone else, it’s the experience of repeated sexual, emotional, social, or physical stigmatization and isolation.”

Those leaving their religion or faith community may find themselves without a place to go. They may lose family, friends, or an extended network of support. On a deeper level, religious trauma may mean losing self-identity as people learn what they know about religion and faith is untrue. They may feel lost as they build a new support network outside their religion.⁷

Examples of religious trauma include:

• A child experiencing same-sex attraction is told their feelings are sinful and they must repent
• An adolescent expressing their thoughts is physically disciplined or beaten into submission by a parent or religious leader to “save their soul”
• A young woman becoming pregnant out of wedlock may be subject to sanctions and ostracized from the community or congregation⁶
• A person may be told the majority of their financial resources should go to the cause of furthering the message of the religion, causing financial hardship

Religious Trauma Symptoms

Religious trauma can significantly impact mental and emotional health. Breaking away from beliefs and traditions can be challenging for those raised in religiously abusive organizations or communities. They may experience cognitive dissonance between what they were taught in childhood and what they have learned through research and exploration. Many may find trusting themselves or others difficult due to experiencing a toxic religious environment or a manipulative faith leader, causing betrayal trauma.⁸

Some symptoms of religious trauma can overlap with other mental health disorders, such as bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, anxiety disorders, or clinical depression.

Symptoms of religious trauma include:⁴

• Poor critical thinking skills
• Difficulty making decisions
• Decreased sense of self-worth
• Difficulty building strong relationships
• Being unfamiliar with mainstream culture/isolation
• Struggling with fitting in and belonging
• Nightmares
• Sleeping issues
• Eating issues
• Sexual dysfunction
• Anxiety symptoms
• Depression symptoms
• Grief symptoms
• Loneliness

The Lasting Mental Health Effects of Religious Trauma

Religious trauma can astronomically impact mental health. Growing up with strict standards and beliefs can leave individuals ill-equipped to navigate a society with different rules. Many may experience guilt, depression, hopelessness, and fear as they distance themselves from a religiously abusive community or environment.⁴ They may be ostracized from a close-knit community and conflicted by feeling simultaneously liberated.⁹

8 Tips on How to Heal From Religious Trauma

Overcoming the effects of forced religion and trauma can be daunting. However, recognizing, separating yourself from, and learning from your experiences can be healing. Post-traumatic growth is possible for those living with religious trauma.

Below are eight helpful suggestions for healing from religious trauma:

1. Recognize Your Religious Trauma

When addressing religious trauma, making excuses for your childhood or thinking things were different is easy. Recognize that, despite good intentions, your community or caregivers were misguided. Their behavior may have indirectly contributed to harm, and you must accept this to heal from your childhood trauma.

2. Separate Your Personal Values From Your Religious Beliefs

Find examples of positive individuals who may not subscribe to religious or spiritual beliefs. Write down a list of your values and separate personal from religious-based ideas. This act can be healing when dealing with religious trauma.

3. Get Connected to Healthy Supports & Community

Get to know individuals outside of your religious community. For example, join a civic organization or club. Look for ways to connect and belong to a group where the commonality is not religion or spirituality.

4. Explore What You Believe

Take inventory of what religious authorities have taught you and what you know to be true. Identify areas where you may feel less sure and would like to explore. Overcoming religious trauma starts by recognizing your individual beliefs and ideas.

5. Create Healthy Boundaries in Relationships

Experiencing religious trauma may leave you unsure about setting healthy boundaries. Others may have made decisions for you without your informed consent, meaning you feel unfamiliar with establishing limits in relationships and life. Consider exploring healthy ways to establish boundaries with a mental health professional.

6. Identify Your Hopes for the Future

Be intentional about creating a life for yourself outside of childhood religious trauma. Make a bucket list and venture out of your comfort zone. Foster relationships with individuals who have different perspectives and backgrounds than you.

7. Seek Therapy for Religious Trauma

Finding a therapist can feel daunting, and locating a clinician specializing in religious trauma may seem unlikely. However, a trauma-informed therapist knowledgeable in complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) can help when healing from religious and spiritual trauma. A few therapy techniques to explore for recovering from trauma include EMDR and somatic therapy.

Slade suggests, “The most effective treatment options will, of course, depend on the individual and the type of religious trauma. However, at the Global Center for Religious Research 2021 International eConference on Religious Trauma, multiple speakers highlighted the effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, entheogenic (psychedelic) therapies, and somatic therapy. In each case, though, there was an emphasis on people connecting to a larger community of trauma survivors, as well as recognizing the link between traumatic experiences and their adverse effects on the physical body’s nervous system.”

8. Know That You Are Not Alone

Knowing you are not alone can monumentally impact your recovery from religious trauma. Consider reaching out to a community of individuals who have lived through similar events and experiences.

Slade adds, “We are coming to learn that religious trauma is much more pervasive and universal than previously thought. An important tip for someone working to heal from religious trauma is to remember that you’re not alone in your pain. The continued experience of trauma later in life is not a reflection of your coping skills or your strength to overcome the past. You are not your trauma.”

Final Thoughts

The process of leaving a religion can be complicated. You may doubt yourself and your actions. However, connecting with individuals who have had a similar experience and a therapist is an excellent step in making healthy decisions for your mental and emotional well-being and creating a new future for yourself.