What is Religious Trauma

Spiritual/religious trauma, deconstruction, deconversion, #churchtoo, and crisis of faith are terms that are coming up a lot lately both with my clients as well as in culture and social media. These terms are thrown around a lot, especially as there has been an increase in people speaking out about spiritual abuse and faith concerns. It is so important to give space for conversations about religious trauma and faith concerns, and it starts with understanding the issue. Religious trauma can be defined as a religious experience that may have caused harm to someone's physical, emotional, sexual, or spiritual health and safety. Religious trauma is often the result of spiritual abuse and can have a tremendous impact on a person’s self-esteem, identity, and relationships. 

This is such a hard thing to navigate as it can cause a crisis of faith, relational difficulties, feeling isolated, etc. It can be difficult to know where to turn because survivors often feel a lot of self -doubt and helplessness. Victims of spiritual abuse were often hurt by people they looked up to and trusted, so it is common for them to question who they can trust in trying to deal with the questions and feelings that come with this type of trauma. 

Unfortunately, the response to people dealing with this type of hurt is not always a kind one. People can often become defensive or even blame victims of abuse for what happened. I would urge friends and family members of those dealing with the impact of any type of trauma to remember that their loved ones are truly hurting and to respond with curiosity and compassion. I care deeply about providing a safe space for those who may have experienced religious trauma or feel that they need to process negative religious experiences. For those dealing with religious trauma, you are not alone, and you deserve a safe space to heal.