What is Religious Trauma and Spiritual Abuse?
Religion and spirituality can be a way for people to find community, interconnectedness, meaning, and identity. However, what happens when a religious or spiritual experience is traumatic?
The mental health world has recognized the impact that trauma has on an individual. Trauma sustained through physical and emotional abuse are commonly recognized, yet there are other types of abuse that occur as well. Spiritual abuse is described as what “happens when a leader with spiritual authority uses that authority to coerce, control, or exploit a follower, thus causing spiritual wounds” (Oakley, 2019). Aspects of spiritual abuse include coercion and control through a number of ways, such as:
Manipulation and exploitation
Expectation of excessive commitment and conformity
Enforced accountability
Censorship
Requirement for obedience
Implementation of fear isolation, rejection, humiliation, and fear tactics
Threats of spiritual consequences
Coercion through citing scripture
Religious trauma is unique in that it affects several aspects of an individual’s life: their support system, romantic relationships, interpersonal relationships, how they understand their own identity, and their spirituality. Religion is often used as a source of resilience and is offered by others for support, yet the survivor’s experience with religion itself is a trigger.
There is no clinical diagnosis for religious trauma, but Marlene Winell, Ph.D. coined “Religious Trauma Syndrome,” describing it as “the condition experienced by people who are struggling with leaving an authoritarian, dogmatic religion and coping with the damage of indoctrination. RTS is a function of both the chronic abuses of harmful religion as well as the impact of severing one’s connection with one’s faith” (Winell, 2016).
Religious trauma can affect interpersonally, emotionally, and cognitively. Interpersonal difficulties can arise due to tenets instilled in them from their religious experiences. Survivors may have experienced relationships that lack emotional intimacy or resilience, as portraying “positive” emotions are valued and “negative” feelings are not. Individuals are often taught the importance of forgiveness, servitude, and obedience. This could develop into questioning their own personal feelings and judgment. It is also common for those who experience spiritual abuse to operate from a perspective based in shame rather than acceptance. Spiritual bypassing, or avoiding uncomfortable emotions or mental health concerns through spirituality, can occur as well.
To be clear, religion and spirituality can often be ways for an individual to find deeper meaning, connect with others, establish a community, and further develop their sense of self. Not all who practice religion experience religious trauma or spiritual abuse. Further, religion can be a tool used in therapy to aid in reaching your goals! Key indicators for religious trauma and spiritual abuse include experiencing damaging indoctrination in which the religious culture is coercive, controlling, and exploitative.
Friedson, M. L. (2015). Psychotherapy and the Fundamentalist Client: The Aims and Challenges of Treating Jehovah’s Witnesses. Journal of Religion and Health, 54(2), 693–712. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24485364
Nica, A.A. (2020). Leaving My Religion: How Ex-Fundamentalists Reconstruct Identity Related to Well-Being. Journal of Religion and Health, 59, 2120–2134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00975-8
