RELIGIOUS & SPIRITUAL ABUSE
(Religious Trauma Syndrome)
Religious Trauma Syndrome (RTS) is group of symptoms that arise in response to traumatic or stressful religious experiences. While Religious Trauma Syndrome is not an official diagnosis in the DSM-5, it is a common experience shared among many who have escaped cults, fundamentalist religious groups, abusive religious settings, or other painful experiences with religion. The symptoms of Religious Trauma Syndrome are comparable to the symptoms of complex PTSD.
Religious Trauma Syndrome is often caused for different reasons for different people. Many people experience RTS as a result from an authoritarian, legalistic religion, cults or faith community.
Religious Trauma Syndrome is in the early stages of research and is gaining traction as a legitimate diagnosis. Below are some symptoms commonly experienced by people suffering from Religious Trauma Syndrome.
Black and white thinking
Irrational beliefs
Nightmares of spiritual nature
Flashbacks
Dissociation
Skewed views of sex
Numerous patterns of broken relationships
Emotional Regulation
Negative beliefs about self, others, and the world
Difficulty trusting oneself
Low self-esteem
Feeling indebted to a group of people
Confusing thoughts and reduced ability to think critically
Feelings of depression, anxiety, grief, anger, lethargy
A sense of feeling lost, directionless, and alone
A loss of a community (family, friends, romantic relationships)
Feeling isolated or a sense that you don’t belong
If you think you may be struggling with Religious Trauma Syndrome. You are not alone. There are many out there struggling with the same feelings you are, and there is hope for healing. You can regain power over who you are, what you believe and who you want to be. You can move past hurtful emotions and memories that are too painful to think about and begin creating the life you want to live.
RECOGNIZING ABUSE
Spiritual abuse can happen when a spiritual/religious leader or system attempts to control or manipulate others. It can be hard to recognize, and many don’t realize that it is happening. Abuse in a religious setting may be happening intentionally or unintentionally. When you begin to feel like a person in your religious community or the system of religion itself is crushing your spirit, you may be experiencing spiritual or religious abuse.
SPIRITUAL ABUSE IN RELATIONSHIPS
You may find yourself in a relationship where spiritual abuse is occurring. If you wonder whether or not spiritual abuse is happening in your relationship, ask yourself if you are feeling shame regularly. Some questions to consider if you are worried spiritual abuse in your relationship are the following:
Have you felt silenced by your partner when challenging or disagreeing about a religious idea? Do they call your thoughts stupid or wrong? Do you feel foolish for having a new idea?
Do you feel shamed by your partner when you disagree about certain religious or spiritual ideas? Is it safe for you to challenge their ideas about religion?
Does your partner force you to attend religious gatherings against your will
Have you been shamed or punished by your partner for not obeying certain rules outlined by the religion? Punishment can be physical, or emotional (like receiving the silent treatment).
Do you notice your partner using scripture, religious texts, or certain beliefs/rules to justify their harmful or abuse behavior?
Does your partner isolate you from others outside of the faith tradition, against your will?
Many churches and religions teach that men are above women in heterosexual relationships. This may be how you prefer to structure your relationship - but the most important thing to consider is choice. If you feel that you have no choice other than being submissive to your husband or dominant over your wife, it might be time to reconsider the structure of your relationship to find something that works for you and your spouse.
ABUSE WITHIN CHURCHES, TEMPLES, CULTS, AND OTHER GATHERINGS
It is no secret that the church (Catholic and otherwise) has been exposed for serious cases of sexual abuse. Unfortunately, sexual, physical, and emotional abuse occurs regularly within religious groups. It is not normal and it is not okay. Due to power dynamics in these religions, leaders can often enact abuse on others and never be reported. When a leader holds the authority to tell you that you can be kicked out of your religious group, that God may be angry with you, or that you deserve hell, there is a complicated power dynamic at play. This often silences survivors of abuse and makes it harder to come forward to report abuse. If this has happened to you, you don’t have to deal with this alone. You can heal and untangle the complicated feelings that come from experiencing abuse from a religious leader.
Sometimes it is difficult to see abuse in a religious setting. In larger and mainstream religious organizations, it becomes more challenging. Here are a few questions to ask yourself in order to identify if your religious community has abusive dynamics:
Do the leaders hold all the authority?
Do they avoid distributing power to other members of the congregation?
Does your religious community discourage free thinking, critical thinking, or opinions about their messages?
Do they put down other religions and belief systems in order to uphold their own?
Do you find yourself feeling more guilt and shame instead of love and belonging?
If you’re answering yes to many of these questions, it might be worth closely examining how your religious community is impacting you and your mental health.
It is important to note that when religious abuse occurs, it is occurring from a very skewed perspective and a misrepresentation of God and the Bible. Religious abuse is NOT who God is. People who practice control and manipulation are actually operating in witchcraft. The Bible is very clear about that.
If you have negative feelings about God due to being raised in a religious environment, it’s possible you experienced religious abuse. Please call or email and make an appointment.