Do you feel guilty much of the time for doing and thinking things that others have told you are ‘bad?’  Have you been taught repeatedly that what you do and think can lead to eternal damnation and that you need to continually ‘make up’ for all the things you do?  Has the name of God been invoked as a source of judgment against you?  If your answer to most of these questions is ‘yes,’ then you need to read more below…

What is Religious Trauma and How Widespread Is It

Religious trauma comes from something called spiritual abuse, and anyone who was raised with a cult-like experience of religion probably suffers from it.  Any rigidly defined religious belief system can cause religious trauma in people who have grown up in it or spent much time in it.  It comes from the belief that God or the Almighty has deemed you as inherently sinful and need to continually and unconditionally atone for your misdeeds.  You’re basically always somehow less than because of this, and there’s no way to get out of it.  Many people these days have suffered from spiritual abuse and wind up suffering religious trauma.  Some of them stay in the communities that reinforce this, and others don’t.  People who suffer in these situations report strong feelings of guilt and shame, often have low self-esteem and decreased feelings of self-worth.  They often feel inhibited and tentative about doing things that most other people feel comfortable with due to having heavy religious prohibitions against certain behaviors.  They may even have feelings of self-hate due to feeling judged by God or another supreme being.  

What Can You Do To Overcome Religious Trauma

First, you do need to get out of whatever spiritual community is reinforcing these ideas.  This may include distancing yourself from friends and family members who reinforce this as well.  This can be a very difficult task, but finding social support from others who have suffered similarly can be key to getting yourself safe from this situation.  Second, finding a supportive community for healing can be critical.  One possible resource for this is Dare to Doubt, but there are others that may be just as helpful.  Finding another community that doesn’t include the shaming and guilt-inducing messages of the one you leave is important, no matter what you choose.  Third, you may also need therapy because the nature of trauma is that it doesn’t leave you without some type of therapy intervention like EMDR or Image Transformation Therapy (ImTT), which is another trauma therapy I do.  Regardless of this, making sure you aren’t ‘shoulding’ on yourself or giving yourself shaming messages is important.

Therapy Help for Religious Trauma

Many people who have suffered for years from religious trauma often need professional help in recovering from it.  If the abuse has been severe, trauma therapy can be necessary to help overcome it.  I have been helping people overcome the effects of trauma for the entirety of my 12 year social work career and can help you as well.  As I mentioned above, I practice both EMDR and ImTT, which are very effective methods to help root out and neutralize the effects of trauma in people’s lives.  If you want to find out whether I would be a good fit for helping you with your own situation, please call the number at the top of the page or fill out a contact form at the bottom of this page.  There’s no reason to stay shackled by religious trauma because you were meant to be free, but need to let others help you who aren’t going to abuse you anymore in the name of the Almighty. 

Visit our page on trauma therapy to find out how Scott can help you with religious trauma.   

About the author:  Scott Kampschaefer, LCSW is a private practice therapist in Frederick, Maryland.  He has an extensive background in working with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder at a clinic for older adults with these disorders in Austin.  He now works with adults and adolescents 14 and up in private practice in both Austin and Frederick, Maryland. His latest book is entitled The 5 Pillars of Addiction Recovery and is available for purchase on Amazon and in paperback on this website.