Cults and Religious Trauma

Religion is often looked upon as an uplifting source of support and personal growth. Religion and spirituality can provide a sense of belonging for individuals, families and communities and provides a sense of meaning to those who practice. According to the Pew Research Center a majority of the world’s population reports being spiritual or belonging to a religious sect. Religion and spirituality is often seen as a source of resilience and coping, when individuals, families, and communities experience hardship it is customary practice across the world to turn to religion as a source of hope. There is still much debate over among experts and religious leaders regarding how exactly to define religion and spirituality, which makes defining religious trauma and religious trauma syndrome (RTS) difficult. Since this is a rather new phenomenon being discussed among respective fields of social science, the definition of religious trauma remains ambiguous. Initial research around religion and spirituality focused predominantly on coping and resilience among other mental health benefits. Recent research has gone in the other direction and has explored ways religion and religious groups may lead to and amplify health concerns.  
One of the definitions of religious abuse provided by the American Psychological Association is “mistreatment of a person who is in need of help, support, or greater spiritual empowerment, with the result of weakening, undermining, or decreasing that person’s empowerment.” This definition alludes to a person’s vulnerability and/or autonomy and brings attention to the needs of the people who indulge in religious or spiritual practice. Religious abuse also results from religious leaders taking advantage of their spiritual position by narcissistically reminding followers of their power, eventually leading to fear and paranoia among community members. The American Psychological Association presents several effects that religious trauma can have on victims including distorting the image of God or a higher power, creating barriers to setting healthy boundaries, as well as barriers to forming trusting and compassionate relationships in the future. The effects can also lead to hermeneutical injustice, which occurs when the victim’s harm results from a lack of knowledge which prevents them from acting in accordance with their own values. These effects can lead to severe cycles where, in many cases, victims suffer from cognitive dissonance and are unable to recognize, or simply refuse to acknowledge, the faults in their leaders and abusers.  
The recent discourse surrounding religious/spiritual abuse has brought attention to the aspect of cultural competence and cultural humility. Cultural competence relies more heavily on knowledge of distinct cultures, while cultural humility relies on knowledge but also emphasizes the need for critical self-reflection. Religious/spiritual trauma is not universal, not everyone suffers from abuse, and it is the duty of social workers to display humility when working with someone who has endured religious or spiritual abuse. According to the Industrial Psychiatry Journal, RTS was first termed by American Psychologist Marlene Winell. One area of study that has influenced has healthcare providers treat RTS is the amount of research on trauma or traumatology in the last 20 years. Research in traumatology has shown that people react differently, and this could be because of personal or any contextual factors. When victims who have experienced RTS are re-introduced to certain factors or triggers, their nervous systems can be mistakenly aroused and often the victim re-experiences the event. Dr. Marlene Winell outlined 3 stages of RTS which are as follows: 1) Pre-deconversion Trauma- harm done by religious beliefs and practices during the time a person is religious, 2) Deconversion- Acute period of leaving a religion, 3) post-deconversion adaptation- long-term mental health issues, delayed development, and cultural adjustment in the “world.” Treating RTS requires a holistic approach and an understanding of every aspect of the individual.  
 
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