Take aways and understanding, April 2026
This past April, I had the privilege of attending the Religious Trauma Symposium at Harvard Divinity School — a gathering that brought together chaplains, academics, therapists, and survivors for a frank and necessary conversation. Religious trauma remains one of the least-discussed forms of psychological injury, often dismissed or minimized even by those experiencing it.
I left with my thinking sharpened and my commitment deepened. Below are the key insights I want to share — because confronting, correcting, and collaborating with those affected by religious trauma starts with understanding it.
Religion doesn’t just shape our spiritual life; it shapes our entire worldview, our place in community, and our sense of the cosmos, which is why confronting it and correcting it is imperative for the health of the community, and the church.
5 key takeaways from the symposium
TAKEAWAY 01
Religious and spiritual trauma has real, measurable effects. It impacts individuals socially, psychologically, mentally, and physically — and can be treated similarly to PTSD. Depending on the nature of the experience, survivors may move through a wide range of emotions as they process what happened. Types of trauma include psychological abuse, sexual abuse, theological abuse (hell, damnation, etc.), and gender and/or sexual orientation abuse.
TAKEAWAY 02
Religion shapes far more than faith. It constructs a person’s worldview, their sense of community belonging, and their understanding of their place in the universe. For many, this framework is embedded before they are old enough to consent to it — making its disruption or loss especially destabilizing.
TAKEAWAY 03
Leaving religion can feel like grief. Some survivors describe the experience as “God dying” — and with that, a wave of hopelessness, nihilism, and purposelessness that requires genuine mourning. This is not weakness; it is a natural response to a profound psychological and existential loss.
TAKEAWAY 04
Excusing harm causes further harm. When individuals or institutions refuse to confront or correct trauma — by maintaining broken systems, dismissing abuse, or protecting perpetrators over victims — they become part of the injury. Accountability is not optional if healing is the goal.
TAKEAWAY 05
Help and hope exist. Recovery is real and possible. Whether someone finds support through secular mental health resources or through spiritually-informed guides, a path forward exists — for those ready and willing to seek it.
These conversations are not easy — but they are essential. If any of this resonates with your own experience or your work, I’d encourage you to share this post, leave a comment, or reach out directly. Awareness is where healing begins.
Resources & Support
Secular Support from the Symposium
- Through Life After Dogma – combines survivor insight, scholarship, and trauma-informed psychotherapy to help clients unwind conditioning, heal shame, reclaim agency, and rebuild identity.
Faith-Guided Support from the Symposium
- Accountable Faith – is committed to breaking the cycle of clergy sexual abuse by equipping faith leaders and communities with the resources and support they need to prevent abuse, respond to harm in restorative ways, and create lasting cultural change.
- Religious Trauma Network – At the Religious Trauma Network, we understand the profound impact of spiritual abuse and religious trauma because each member of our team has navigated their own unique journeys through these experiences. This shared understanding is the foundation upon which we have built our community.
- Inner Compass Counseling & Consultation, a trauma-informed therapy practice serving clients in AZ and UT. Integrates EMDR, IFS, and DBT to support individuals navigating religious trauma, spiritual abuse, and the complex emotional and relational shifts that come with leaving high-demand belief systems.
Organizations & Support Communities
- Religious Trauma Institute (religioustraumainstitute.com) — offers free workshops on topics like religious trauma and the nervous system, race, and politics, plus clinical training for mental health professionals. Religioustraumainstitute
- Reclamation Collective (reclamationcollective.com) — a 501(c)3 nonprofit run by survivors that offers virtual support groups and a clinician directory to help people find a licensed therapist in their state or province who is informed on religious trauma. Reclamationcollective
- Tears of Eden (tearsofeden.org) — a community of artists, former ministry workers, and mental health professionals who are themselves survivors. They focus on two key pillars: community (“I believe you, I’ve been there”) and understanding (language and resources to name the experience). Tearsofeden
- Religious Trauma Network (religioustraumanetwork.com) — aggregates secular, non-religious, and trauma-awareness resources, including personal stories, scientific insights, and links to support organizations. Religioustraumanetwork
Finding a Therapist
- The Reclamation Collective hosts a therapist directory specifically for providers who understand and work with religious trauma. The Open Path Collective and Psychology Today directories are broader options, though listed therapists may or may not have specific religious trauma experience. Room to Thrive
- Evidence-based approaches like cognitive processing therapy can support recovery, and treatment can be tailored to the individual’s journey. Many therapists who specialize in this area focus first on building internal coping skills — like breathwork and mindfulness — before processing deeper experiences. APA
Books
- When Religion Hurts You by Laura Anderson (2023)
- Leaving the Fold by Marlene Winell (2024 edition)
Podcasts A few worth exploring: Bodies Behind the Bus (survivor stories), Sunday School Dropouts (experts and lived experience in recovery), and Surviving the Black Church (specifically addresses religious trauma within the Black church community). Michellefmoseley
For Clinicians Traumastery (traumastery.com) offers continuing education courses specifically on religious trauma and cult abuse for therapists and coaches — filling a gap that most graduate programs leave unaddressed. Traumastery
Reclamation Collective and Religious Trauma Institute are the most well-established starting points.
Laura farhy 
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