Religious Trauma
Religious trauma is a specialized type of trauma. Trauma overwhelms a person’s sense of safety and control, making them feel helpless. Religious trauma results in a person feeling overwhelmed, unsafe, and helpless with “God.” Specific symptoms of religious trauma might include self-hatred, anxiety about being spiritually “good enough,” fear relating to going to hell or other eternal punishment, strong feelings of guilt and shame, difficulty making decisions, isolation, problems or shame with sexuality, marginalization, and problems in adult relationships. Religious trauma can happen in churches, synagogues, mosques, families, communities, social media, or in any place where people in control use “God” as a justification to hurt people.
Religious Trauma Therapy
Religious trauma therapy considers your spiritual upbringing and how it shaped your current beliefs. We will explore spiritual development, as well as research about religious abuse, power, and control. We can pull from lots of techniques like EMDR, parts work, workbooks, talk therapy, and more to help you process your past. We will work together to connect you to your spiritual goals, if any, as you move forward. Religious trauma often includes isolation from the religious community, so we will look at connecting you with people who have similar values and beliefs.