Chances are you are here because of a concern about religious harm, recovering from an authoritarian religion, or suffering from religious trauma. You may have heard of Religious Trauma Syndrome (“RTS”), which is comparable to post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD but specifically induced by Toxic Religious Experiences. RTS is a result of 1) toxic teachings and practices within the religion and 2) the trauma of leaving the religion. You can read more about it here.
Recovering from religious harm is multi-faceted and a relatively new field of study. There is a range of harm done by religion, (despite the positive contributions of healthy religion) and various levels of suffering and coping, depending on individual differences. While some people are able to walk away and most report feelings of relief and liberation, many people are deeply damaged and can carry scars for decades. Now we have a name for this damaged condition and we need to take it seriously.
The types of problems or symptoms of Religious Trauma Syndrome can be categorized in the following areas:
Mental/Emotional – anxiety, depression, grief, anger, lack of purpose, cognitive issues, negative self-regard
Relational – problems with family and friends due to religion, loss of social support system
Developmental – delayed areas of human development due to religious isolation and conformity, including critical thinking, decision-making, identity formation, emotional regulation, healthy sexuality, social skills, creativity, self-efficacy, and meaning in life
Cultural – “fish-out-of-water” experience in the world
Many people leaving religion have had enough Toxic Religious Experience (TRE) to produce symptoms of complex PTSD, which is “trauma” in the more clinical sense. Like other trauma, religious trauma can produce anxiety in the form of “emotional flashbacks,” which can look like panic attacks, among other responses.
Related to all of these issues is the fact that authoritarian religions teach two basic and powerfully toxic messages: “You are not okay” and “You are not safe.” Recovery from religious harm involves healing from these deep assumptions, often indoctrinated from birth, and reconstructing a whole new worldview. This is a huge, multidimensional task since religion can seem to define all of reality, but help is available.
Support at Journey Free
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, you may want to avail yourself of assistance offered on this site.
The approach at JourneyFree is one of empowerment, in the broad context of Human Development. As a matter of context, the field of human development is the study of human change over the lifespan and includes all domains: psychological, physical, social, and environmental. In working with individual problems, the emphasis is on building strengths rather than diagnosing pathology. The Director of Journey Free, Marlene Winell, earned a Ph.D in Human Development and wrote her thesis on Personal Goal Hierarchies.
The help at Journey Free is designed to help you:
– Understand what you are dealing with by learning about religious indoctrination, thereby developing self-compassion and reducing self-blame
– Tell your story in a way that is coherent and healing
– Understand trauma, the mind-body connection, and develop a “Trigger Management System”
– Clarify areas of delayed development and take steps forward
– Develop strategies for dealing with RTS symptoms
– Improve relationships with family and find social support
The professionals and lay facilitators at Journey Free all have personal experience with recovering from religion so they understand what you are going through. They are also “trauma informed” in that they understand concepts and strategies for handling religious trauma in the framework of trauma treatment. Our approach is one of compassion and listening, but also providing substantial psycho-education about the recovery process.
Self-Help
On this website, you will find resources to help you learn more about what you are going through, including:
– Articles explaining Religious Trauma Syndrome
– Messages of hope and videos from former believers
– Full articles and chapters on recovery
– Recommended books and videos
– Link to Journey Free’s YouTube channel
– Internet resources for recovery
– Links to Winell’s book, Leaving the Fold
– Free download of the workbook that accompanies Leaving the Fold
Individual Consultation
– Private consulting sessions with Dr. Winell or interns who are helping professionals experienced with recovery from religion. “Consulting” is similar to coaching but with a strong educational component; clients in religious recovery usually need information and strategies.
Group Support
– Online support group on a private website with forums and member stories as well as bimonthly video conference calls. (In-person weekend retreats are on hiatus until the pandemic has safely passed.)
– Upcoming class: “Religious Recovery Boot Camp” – a 20 week intensive program for rapid recovery from religious harm
Professional Development
– Support group for helping-professionals to learn about religious recovery. Includes monthly case conferences, professional materials, and access to session videos. Open to psychotherapists, life coaches, social workers, psychologists, and educators.
– Internship program
– Individual supervision sessions
– Upcoming class with Dr Winell: “Working with Clients in Religious Recovery”
Summary
Leaving one’s religion is a huge life transition, requiring a lot of adjustment and adaptation. Because a belief system can be deeply entrenched and partly unconscious, the mere passage of time does not necessarily produce healing and personal growth. Helping-professionals can provide needed information and support for recovery tasks. Self-help strategies and group support can also be effective with appropriate materials and guidance.
Religious harm or Toxic Religious Experience is rarely a single event, although many sufferers may focus on singular horrifying events such as watching a movie about the End Times. More often it is an accumulation of exposure to teachings (e.g. hellfire, original sin) and practices (e.g. severe corporal punishment, isolation) that create the damage. There appear to be stages of religious harm:
- Predeconversion trauma – the harm done by religious beliefs and practices during the time a person is religious or in a religious context.
- Deconversion – the acute period of stress while leaving a religion.
- Postdeconversion adaptation – a) the long-term mental health issues, b) delayed development, c) cultural adjustment in the secular world.
The good news is that people do recover and go on to new lives of joy and meaning. Dr. Winell has been doing this work for thirty years with many clients, resulting in concrete knowledge about effective strategies. Recognition of RTS is increasing in fields of human services, more help is available, and research is being conducted. We encourage you to have hope as you embark on your own journey of healing and reclaiming your life.