Religion can be a source of comfort and community for individuals, and it also has the potential to lead to religious trauma syndrome (RTS). Religious trauma syndrome is a term given to describe the psychological and emotional damage that can occur due to involvement in a religious organization or system especially to those who have been punished for their identity.
Marlene Winell introduced the term religious trauma syndrome to describe difficulties associated with harmful religious environments and leaving them. It is a descriptive term, rather than a separate diagnosis in DSM-5-TR. Experiences described under it can nevertheless be serious and deserve individual assessment. They may include guilt, shame, fear, and difficulties with trust or identity. (Winell, Journey Free)
A person may feel deep guilt and shame around an identity or desire that their community has condemned. It may be difficult to separate a personal sense of self from the expectations of that community.
Trusting people outside the belief system may feel dangerous. Questioning beliefs can bring intense anxiety, while religious reminders may be associated with depression, fear, or distressing memories.
It's essential to understand that RTS is not merely a personal failure or weakness and may follow religious abuse, coercion, or exclusion. Religious trauma syndrome can be especially challenging because it can take so many forms that are more challenging to recognize.
Support should address the person’s particular fears, doubts, relationships, and symptoms rather than assume that everyone has the same injury or diagnosis. People experiencing RTS may need psychotherapy, group therapy, or trauma-focused types of therapy to recover.
In conclusion, harmful religious experiences can have a lasting impact. However, therapy and support groups can help those affected recover and process their experiences. Therefore, mental health professionals and Religious organizations need to collaborate to create safe spaces for persons to negotiate their beliefs and disentangle abusive religious systems safely. This is why Lost Stories is actively against systemic prejudice which means we are gay allied and anti-racist, committed to confront our own biases and micro-aggressive behaviors. At the core of our work is to give excluded stories, which are often lost stories in the larger societal narrative, the space they deserve in coming to know a truth that may make us all more free to associate. Come share your stories with us.