Group Therapy

If you feel stuck after leaving your religion, unable to figure out what parts of you are truly you and what about you is simply a result of what was done to you, you are not alone. There is hope. You can begin to recover parts of yourself that were stunted or stolen by restrictive and controlling religious environments. Religious trauma syndrome is a form of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD).

If you want to learn more about religious trauma and whether you might benefit from one-one-one therapy or group therapy to deal with the effects of your strict religious upbringing or indoctrination into Christianity, schedule a discovery call with me or send me a message.

C-PTSD is PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) with three distinct additional symptoms: emotional dysregulations, negative self-beliefs (e.g., feelings of shame, guilt, failure for wrong reasons), and interpersonal difficulties. If you find yourself unable to regulate your emotions, feeling guilty for things that you were told you did that were wrong, or having challenges in your interpersonal relationships and you were raised in a fundamentalist or evangelical Christian environment, you might very well have religious trauma syndrome, or complex PTSD.

Religious Trauma

The term Religious Trauma Syndrome (RTS) was coined by Dr. Marlene Winell in 2011, and classified as a set of symptoms, ranging in severity, experienced by those who have participated in or left behind authoritarian, dogmatic, and controlling religious groups and belief systems. It is not present in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5 TR) or the ICD-10 as a diagnosable condition but is included in Other Conditions that May Be a Focus of Clinical Attention. Symptoms include cognitive, affective, functional, and social/cultural issues as well as developmental delays.

“Religious indoctrination does not cause psychological damage in isolation; there are multiple influences at work, including individual temperaments, family dysfunctions, social pressures, external events, and other challenges.” (Winell, 2007).

As symptoms of religious trauma syndrome, psychologists have recognized dysfunctions that vary in number and severity from person to person.

Symptoms of Religious Trauma Syndrome

Cognitive: Confusion, difficulty with decision-making and critical thinking, dissociation, identity confusion

Affective: Anxiety, panic attacks, depression, suicidal ideation, anger, grief, guilt, loneliness, lack of meaning

Functional: Sleep and eating disorders, nightmares, sexual dysfunction, substance abuse, somatization

Social/cultural: Rupture of family and social network, employment issues, financial stress, problems acculturating into society, interpersonal dysfunction

Developmental delay: emotional, intellectual, social, and sexual immaturity resulting from the control of information and discouragement of critical thinking within the religious environment.

Book a FREE 15-Minute
Introductory Phone Call

If you feel ready for therapy and would like
to meet with me to discuss how you can start
working with me as a client, schedule below.

SCHEDULE NOW

Interested in
Group Therapy?

1 Step 1

Rebecca N. Ward, MSW

Rebecca N. Ward, MSW, LLMSW
Trauma-informed Therapist
Specialization: Trauma across the lifespan

VanderWeel & Associates Counseling
4341 South Westnedge Ave., Suite 1203
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
Ph: 269-823-2675
Hours: M-F 9:00 - 5:00PM EDT

RebeccaWardMSW.com