I have just recently left a particular church but still remain in the faith and are perhaps searching for ways to navigate my faith in a different way.

I'm quickly learning that religious trauma is quite insidious and it only seems to hit you like a tonne of bricks when you actually leave the environment that's caused that trauma.

Once you're hit with the full force of it, you're left to pick up the pieces and try to work out or pray for an answer as to where to go from there.

Anyway here are some of the most common signs of religious trauma.

📍Perfectionism: A strong fear of making mistakes or doing/saying the wrong thing.

📍Black and white thinking: Judging every thought, feeling, word or action as "good/right" or "bad/wrong" 

📍Spiritual bypassing: Denying the validity of mental and physical health health issues or disability or neurodivergence.

📍Low self-esteem: Feelings of self-loathing, disgust, shame, guilt, or self-hatred.

📍Hypervigilance: A state of heightened awareness and not feeling like you can or should relax or the feeling of walking on eggshells, etc.

📍Identity confusion: Especially among women, LGBTQIA+, religious minority members and those with mental and physical health issues or disabilities, neurodivergence, etc

📍 Sexual dysfunction: Making sex taboo or lacking education about healthy sexual practices.

📍Acquired mental illnesses: Anxiety, PTSD, depression, or eating disorders, etc.

📍Loss of church community or family: Leaving a church due to hostility, unsafe conditions or due to rejection, social isolation and unrighteous criticism, judgement or condemnation from others.

📍Emotional, sexual, or physical abuse: From church leaders, family members or other congregation members.

📍Poor or impaired critical thinking skills: Difficulty making decisions and/or feeling guilty for making a certain decision, etc.

📍Difficulty building strong relationships: This could include not trusting others, difficulties with keeping existing relationships or building new ones.

📍Being unfamiliar with mainstream culture/isolation: Struggling with fitting in and belonging.

📍Sleeping issues: Nightmares, having difficulties in falling or staying asleep.

📍Grief symptoms such as sadness, anger, denial, depression and a sense of loss when one leaves a church community.

📍Loneliness: Feeling isolated once they leave a particular church community and fighting the temptation to go back to what is familiar even though they know it's unhealthy and/or wrong.

📍 Confusion over one's relationship with God: Searching for God's help or words on this situation, etc.

📍 Believing that something is "sinful" when it isn't: This could see someone deny a mental health condition because they've been told it's a demon or it's a sin to be mentally ill (I personally experienced this awful scenario recently)

📍 Experiencing ongoing struggle to unlearn and relearn things: Still sometimes following the unhealthy or toxic ways of the church one has left or still seeking approval or validation from the church community they've left.

❓What can one do to address religious trauma❓

❤️‍🩹 Talk with a trusted safe person such as a family member, friend or spouse, etc.

❤️‍🩹 Attend counselling with a professional trained Therapist.

❤️‍🩹 Take some time and space away from church and church activities.

❤️‍🩹 Stop following that particular church's social media pages and avoid tuning into their online services.

❤️‍🩹 Pray and stay in God's word often in a quiet space (this is more for those who have remained in the faith or want to remain in it) 

❤️‍🩹 Take up a new hobby and/or resume an old one.

❤️‍🩹 Be kind to yourself and practice self-care often.

❤️‍🩹 Get into nature more.

❤️‍🩹 Know that everything will eventually be okay.

❤️‍🩹 Know that it's okay to keep smiling and shining.

I really hope this helps someone 🌻✨