In religious gatherings, people often hear stories about how they are all like one big family. But as in any family, here one can encounter different worldviews and not always they are identical to such a controlling model of behavior in society. When a person decides to leave such communities, he/she gets stressed, because he/she separates from the way of behavior he/she is used to. This situation is called religious trauma syndrome and is often similar to PTSD.
Not enough attention has been paid to this condition. Therefore, it is worth understanding it in more detail.
The concept of religious trauma
Before dealing with processing spiritual abuse experiences it is necessary to understand what religious trauma is in principle. It is the destruction of a person's self-esteem and identity in cases of spiritual abuse. As religion has a strong impact on the world, it has an equally strong impact on people's individuality.
As a result of the manifestation of religious trauma, people may believe that they are exceptionally sinful and experience constant judgment from people. Especially after they leave religious groups due to their own beliefs. One of the most common manifestations of religious trauma is considered to be familiarity with purity culture.
Symptoms
Learning how coping with spiritual abuse recovery one must understand the symptoms of such a complex syndrome. Religious trauma significantly affects the well-being and emotional state of people. They have to give up traditions and beliefs that are familiar to them. The most common symptoms of a religious problem after leaving the community include:
- lack of critical thinking;
- problem making judgments;
- problem construction connections;
- trouble resting and eating;
- anxiety;
- depression;
- grief;
- feeling alone;
- difficulty accepting popular culture;
- a desire to isolate oneself from other people.
If you know someone who has left such religious communities, it is worth paying attention to them and making sure that these symptoms are not present in their daily lives.
How to Overcome the Effects of Religious Trauma
Working for rebuilding identity after religious trauma is important to explore forms to overcome the challenges of this type of trauma. People who have suffered such a concussion and experts advise:
- recognize the existence of such a trauma;
- divide your matters from your religious ideas;
- finding support for faith-based trauma;
- exploring your personal beliefs;
- creating reasonable boundaries in relationships;
- planning your future outside of your comfort zone;
- connecting with people with different views;
- seeking therapy for such a trauma.
These actions will not only help one to recognize the reality of religious trauma but also to understand how to overcome it. After therapy, it will be possible to see the world in a new way and begin to make plans separate from the religious community, but without ceasing to be a person of faith.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that therapy for religious trauma survivors is an extremely important step for someone who is leaving the community. But it is equally important to find people to support you after this step. These can be both relevant professionals and close friends. Remember that it's not the first or the last to suffer from such a concussion, and finding the courage to carry such a step is a big deal. But try to help yourself or your loved ones if they are suffering from religious emotional problems. Supporting and observing their behavior already means a lot to them.
