Religious Trauma and Spiritual Abuse

Amelia Amen

Religious trauma and spiritual abuse can have a profound impact on a person’s well-being and sense of self. It occurs when religious beliefs, practices, or leaders are used in harmful ways, causing emotional, psychological, or even physical harm. This can include manipulation, exploitation, guilt, fear, or shame tactics, as well as the imposition of strict rules and expectations. Leaving an abusive religious environment can lead to feelings of disorientation and loss of self-identity in an individual, both can result in developing religious trauma.  It is important to acknowledge that not all dogmatic religious experiences are traumatic, but when it does happen, it can be deeply distressing.

               Enduring long-term spiritual abuse births religious trauma. The exertion of control and mistreatment from religious members over a person is one of the main reasons why spiritual abuse occurs. It can be difficult to see the signs of spiritual abuse when a community has been integrated in their faith over a long period of time. Spiritual abuse tactics include lack of freedom to make decisions, justify abuse by usage of religious beliefs or scriptures, coerced into having sexual relations with religious leader or community member, fear and isolation as weapons, humiliation, intimidation into conformity, and more. Experiencing abuse in a spiritual community can leave lasting scars on people and cause them to lose their faith as a whole. Mental health issues such as depression, isolation, sexual dysfunction, PTSD, and emotional dysregulation can all develop from religious trauma. Healing from religious trauma often involves seeking support, therapy, and finding a safe space to explore and redefine one’s spirituality on their terms. It is important to remind yourself that you deserve a journey of healing and growth that aligns with your own beliefs and values.

If you or someone you know is seeking therapy for religious trauma or general trauma, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Psychotherapy & Psychiatric Services. Contact our Manhattan, NY or Paramus, NJ offices respectively at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit https://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com

Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3269830/