What is Religious Trauma?

Religious and spiritual traditions can offer deep connection, meaning, and comfort. However, when those same systems become sources of judgment, exclusion, or abuse, they can leave emotional and spiritual wounds. When the religion we rely on for support and strength actually causes us harm, we can experience trauma. Religious trauma is real, and affects more than most people realize.

As a therapist who specializes in helping those heal from religious trauma and connect with a sense of spirituality, if they choose, I have seen the strength and courage it takes to heal from such a burden. My approach honors one's personal experiences, emotional wellbeing, and the desire many people feel to reconnect with a Higher Power on their own terms.

What is Religious Trauma?

When we use the word trauma in a therapeutic context, we are discussing an emotional response to a terrible event. When we talk about trauma, most people think of things like war, a car accident, or a natural disaster. The reality is that many life experiences can cause a trauma reaction. 

Religious trauma can come from a wide range of experiences: authoritarian teachings, purity culture, spiritual abuse, exclusion based on identity, or fear-based doctrines. These experiences can shape how we view ourselves, our place in the world, and our connection to a Higher Power. 

Religious trauma isn’t rare. It’s just often hidden.

In recent studies, 32% of Americans report leaving their religion due to negative impacts on their mental health, including emotional harm, toxic teachings, stress, and anxiety. Among LGBTQ+ individuals, those most commonly hurt by the church, the Trevor Project reports, “LGBTQ youth who had not heard their parents use religion to say negative things about being LGBTQ were at half the risk for attempting suicide in the past year than those who had.” In a 2023 report, according to the Religious Research Center, nearly 1 in 3 people who seek therapy for anxiety or identity issues report a history of religious or spiritual abuse.

Religious trauma can have similar traits as traditional trauma. It can manifest in intrusive symptoms, such as nightmares, intrusive memories, dissociation, and distress around triggers. We also can see avoidance behaviors around reminders of the traumatic event.

People with a history of religious trauma can also experience changes in mood and cognition changes, such as inability to remember aspects of the trauma, negative moods, increased negative beliefs about self or the world, and withdrawal from the world. Additionally, religious trauma can cause reactivity and increased arousal, such as irritability, hypervigilance, sleep and concentration challenges, increased startle response, and reckless behavior.

Religious trauma also may show up in more specific ways due to the nature of the trauma. People experiencing religious trauma may feel;

• Chronic guilt or shame

• Fear of punishment or hell

• Difficulty trusting themselves

• Avoidance of spiritual spaces or practices

• Loss of identity or community after leaving a faith

Religious trauma can be one of the deepest wounds. It can shake your foundational sense of self and the world and disconnect you from your greatest source of support. If you’ve experienced trauma connected to your religion. You are not alone. Remember, these symptoms aren’t character flaws, they’re signs of deep spiritual and psychological injury.

If some of these symptoms feel familiar, it might be time to seek help. Therapy can be a huge resource in helping those heal from religious wounds and build a new sense of connection to yourself or a Higher Power. If you’d like to start your healing journey, I would be honored to help you. 

Written by Em Johnston

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Calm Mind Therapy is a boutique mental health practice located in Ardmore, PA, specializing in the care of children, adolescents, and adults. Our mission is to provide the Main Line with high-quality mental health services for all ages. Our goal is to help our clients achieve emotional well-being and build a life worth living. Serving clients in Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, Wynnewood, Narberth, Radnor, Lower Merion, Haverford, Havertown, Villanova, Swarthmore, Devon, Berwyn, Malvern, Bala Cynwyd, and more.