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spiritual issues in therapy
- For many, organized religion, faith and/or spirituality is an important part of finding purpose and meaning in life, as they inform one's values and beliefs. Hence, many individuals find incredible fulfillment and support in engaging in spiritual practices and being part of a faith community, especially when coping with grief, loss, or hardship. For some, this may include a church, parish, synagogue, mosque, or temple. Having a safe faith community with emotionally healthy spiritual leaders/guides/mentors where they can ask and wrestle with hard questions is important (i.e. religious support). Additionally, having a space in which to emotionally process and understand the implications spirituality has on one's thriving and mental health (i.e. religious coping) can be important, as well (Johnston, 2021).
- Unfortunately, many individuals have negative experiences with organized religion and/or their faith community at some point in their life. In the United States, roughly one third (33%) of adults (18-65) endorsed experiencing religious trauma (Slade, 2023). Religious trauma (RT) is any trauma (psychologically, emotionally, physical, sexual...) that takes place in a religious setting by a spiritual leader, a faith community at large, in one's household, in an educational setting, or all of the above. One of the most devastating consequences of RT is that it takes what was once a protective factor and turns it into a source of distress, pain, and destabilization (Panchuk, 2020).
- Unhealthy or toxic churches or religious organizations/communities can come in many forms. Some potential signs:
- Common Traits Seen in Unhealthy Faith Communities
- Focus on punishment, damnation, guilt, shame, and other negative beliefs about oneself
- Strict, authoritarian, and absolute rules
- Individuals feeling belittled, or as if their personal worth is less than that of the culture of the church or community
- Exhibiting signs of religious indoctrination
- Compromises to a person's sense of personal identity or causing an individual to feel shameful about their identity, especially among members of the LGBTQIA+ community, women, and BIPOC
- A culture of punishment and external forgiveness rather than personal development or personal spiritual exploration
- Focus on personal or financial sacrifice to maintain good standing with God or the church
- Religious trauma may look like...
- Using guilt and shame to control behavior. This often occurs in organizations that have strict moral codes and rules.
- Strict gender roles. This is especially harmful when it is used to justify discrimination, shaming, or power imbalances between different genders.
- Fear-based teaching. This often occurs through threats of eternal punishment, impending apocalypse, or some kind of spiritual damnation.
- Excommunication and shunning. This occurs when "disobedient" members of a faith are isolated from their religious community. Their family and friends may be instructed by religious leaders to cut off contact with them.
- Repression of critical thinking. This occurs when religious leaders discourage discussions of questions or critiques.
- Physical, emotional, sexual, or financial abuse. This is often caused by religious leaders taking advantage of their positions of authority and power. This can be leaders being the perpetrators of the abuse, as well as enabling abusive behaviors by others.
- Religious trauma syndrome often manifests over a long period, with religious settings slowly affecting a person's mental health, decision-making, critical thinking, and more. Statistics and studies around religious trauma are relatively new so religious trauma is not yet represented in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5). That said, symptoms of religious trauma can form alongside post-traumatic stress disorder and complex PTSD, or c-PTSD (Jones, 2022).
- Individuals, their friends, and families, should all be aware of potential signs of religious trauma. By identifying symptoms of a toxic religious community, people can feel empowered to address RT with a mental health professional. Below are some common symptoms associated with religious trauma and ways to support the healing process (Slade, 2023).
- Potential symptoms of religious trauma
- Forming other mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance use disorders or eating disorders
- Perfectionism
- Faith crisis or becoming disillusioned with spirituality
- Constant feelings of shame or guilt
- Self-hatred, low self-esteem, or compromised self-worth
- Struggling with a sense of belonging
- Belief that God or one's image of "the divine" hates them and causes bad things (suffering) to happen to self and others
- Hyper-vigilance
- A distinct lack of boundaries between personal life and religious communities
- Sleeping issues
- Difficulty building strong relationships
- Poor critical thinking skills
- Being unfamiliar with mainstream culture or feelings of isolation
- Identity confusion, especially among women, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC
- Sexual health and sexual dysfunction due to internalized negative beliefs about sexuality
- Difficulty making decisions
- Nightmares
- Loneliness
- Grief symptoms
- Ways to Support Healing from Religious Trauma
- Recognize/validate the religious trauma you experienced
- Get connected to healthy supports and community
- Explore what you believe and why
- Create healthy boundaries in relationships
- Identify your hopes for the future
- Seek therapy for religious trauma
- Know that you are not alone
- I have extensive experience and education in the fields of psychology and spirituality. I have had the great privilege of working with many clients seeking the support of therapy due to painful experiences with organized religion, including those who identify as ex-evangelical, former Catholic, and/or LGBTQIA+. I am proud to be an LGBTQ-affirming mental health care provider. I am also committed to working from a place of cultural humility. From that commitment, I own and believe I am accountable for my own privileged identity markers. If you or someone you know is looking for a therapist who specializes in helping individuals cope and heal from religious trauma, I encourage you to reach out to me to see if we may be a good fit.
- Michelle Morlock, Psy.D. 847-413-9700, ext. 415
- Below are additional resources that may be helpful:
- Books
- When Religion Hurts You (2023) by Anderson
- Leaving the Fold (2024) by Winell
- White Jesus (2023) by Jun
- White Evangelical Racism (2021) by Butler
- Sacred Wounds (2015) by Rohr
- Heavy Burdens (2021) by Rivera
- Uneducated (2022) by Westover
- Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (2017) by Scazzero
- Podcasts
- Life Beyond Religious Trauma
- Short Skirts and A Long Scripture
- Unchurching
- Surviving the Black Church Podcast
- Freedom from Spiritual Abuse The Podcast
- The Mindful Muslim Podcast
- Siblings of Zion
- That's So Hindu Podcast
- Embracing Apostasy with Jordan and McKay
- A soulful Rebellion
- Films/Documentaries
- Spotlight (2015)
- Pray Away (2021)
- Philomena (2013)
- One of Us (2017)
- Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene (2011)
- Hala (2019)
- Going Clear (2015)
- Boy Erased (2018)
- Higher Ground (2011)
- Minyan (2020)
- Women Talking (2022)
- White Savior (2019)