Symptoms stemming from Spiritual Abuse and Religious Trauma can look many ways. The depth and reach religion has impacts many people, but to varying degrees. You may not recognize that what you’ve experienced could be contributing to your mental health. You may have come from a well-meaning family and community but only later branched out to begin making your spirituality your own, and have questions. No matter what your experience has been, you are welcome here.
Let’s differentiate between what Spiritual Abuse and Religious Trauma are, and recognize that this isn’t a one-size-fits-all definition.
Spiritual Abuse: This happens when a higher power has been used to manipulate, control, shame, or threaten your connection with God or a higher power, if you don’t comply or believe how they say you should.
Religious Trauma: The trauma response to what happened, not the event.
Here are some of the more common ways you may have encountered this in your life.
If you identify as LGBTQ+, you may have been told you have to choose between being Queer or Christian, you're unfit to serve in leadership, or even put into “conversion” therapy.
You may be coming from a relationship that used coercive control, had domestic violence, or enforced strict gender norms.
If you have previously experienced mental health symptoms, you may have been told you need more faith (just pray more!), it’s demonic, or aren’t a good enough Christian.
Anxiety and fear may be a feeling you’ve grown up with, due to topics like the rapture, being inherently sinful, or needing to publicly perform in church through forms of worship or prayer.
When managing all that comes with this trauma, you may deal with a harsh inner critic, low self-esteem, family shame or loss of family/community.
You may be wondering how to navigate political spaces or feel conflicted to call yourself a Christian in today's political scene, because being a Christian can bring many assumptions about your beliefs and values, beyond your faith.
You may not completely identify with having religious trauma, but have realized that things in your belief system and community have begun to feel incongruent with what feels right for you.
You might be wondering if you’ll ever be able to step back into a church again, regain a sense of community, or even questioning what happens after death.
If you’ve experienced any of these situations or things outside of these examples, there is hope for how to move forward. It is complex, may feel dangerous, and cause feelings of depression or anxiety. My goal is to create a safe place for you to process and find your new path, at your own pace.
This list is not exhaustive, but does include the most common types of experiences one could have experienced. If you connect with these topics and experiences, call or e-mail for a free 15-minute phone consultation to learn more about how we can work together.
