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Religious Trauma - Coggle Diagram
Religious Trauma
Impacts on Individuals
Disrupted faith
Skewed perception of God
Always being overly concerned with meeting spiritual expectations
Struggling with accepting grace
Lacking basic life skills
Finding it hard to trust others
Anxiety Disorders
Struggling with setting boundaries
Effect on sexual and gender identity
understanding teachings about self-sacrifice and relinquishing rights
Symptoms
Cognitive Impairments
Confusion
Excessive perfectionism
Diminished self-confidence/self worth
Struggles with decision making
PTSD
Nightmares
Panic Attacks
Disassociation
Intense fear
Flashbacks
Emotional + Social Challenges
Anhedonia
Anger
Guilt/shame
Lethargy
Depression/anxiety
Feelings of isolation
Hindered social growth
Sexual problems
Loss of social support
Difficulty establishing healthy relationships
Causes & Manifestations
Manifestations of Abuse
Characteristics of an Abusive Religious System
Power Posturing - manipulation or exploitation of authority
Unspoken rules - implicit expectations that aren't explicitly said but instead enforced through social pressure and manipulation
Performance Preoccupation - excessive focus on adhering to religious expectations and punishment if one fails to meet them
Types of Abuse (Within the Church)
Abuse
Physical or sexual abuse - The abuser depends on privacy to abuse someone and they justify this behavior as “what God wants.”
Coercion - abuse that threatens someone to do something.
Emotional manipulation - Emotional manipulation is trying to influence someone else through exploiting them or tricking them, for example, guilt-tripping or gaslighting someone would be considered emotional manipulation.
Fear-mongering - Fear-mongering is scaring people into obedience or agreement. It works well for large groups of people. Fear-mongering can have traumatic effects when people believe that God will punish them for not doing everything perfectly