How to Identify & Manage Triggers from Religious Trauma

Even though I stepped away from Evangelical Christianity almost a decade ago, I still deal with quite a few triggers related to religious trauma.

This is because any type of trauma alters your nervous system, making you hyper-aware of potential threats in your environment — and it’s no different for religious trauma!

While I left the environment that created the trauma (and I cognitively know I’m safe) my nervous system hasn’t caught up yet.

This is because I was born and raised in an environment that intentionally cultivated fear as a tool of coercive control.

Outside of my own personal experience, I’ve found in my clinical work that people who were indoctrinated into high control religions often have intense, ongoing psychological triggers.

These triggers can be very upsetting and, at times, even debilitating.

So I wanted to take a deeper dive into this topic to hopefully provide you with some clarity about what’s going on, and to also provide some tools for dealing with triggers when they do arise.

High control religions exert a tremendous amount of control over their members, often using fear tactics, isolation, and emotional abuse to maintain their power and influence.

{If you’re wondering what classifies a group as “high control,” check out this article: What is a High Control Religion?}

All of these things can lead to religious trauma.

And along with trauma comes “triggers.”

What Religious Trauma Looks Like

Religious trauma, from a psychological perspective, refers to the psychological wounds that develop in people who have been subjected to controlling and/or fear-based religious environments.

As noted above, this type of religious group would probably meet the criteria for a “high control religion” and may also be used interchangeably with the term “religious cult.”

If you have religious trauma, you’ll probably experience both emotional AND physiological responses as a result of trauma’s impact on your nervous system.

Religious Trauma & Your Nervous System

You see, our nervous systems are designed to respond to perceived threats by initiating a fight, flight, or freeze response.

In high control religious environments where fear and coercion prevail, you are repeatedly exposed to perceived threats, causing your nervous system to frequently engage this response.

Over time, this heightened state of alertness can become your new norm , leading to a hyperactive nervous system even after you leave the traumatic environment.

This is why triggers related to religious trauma can persist -> your nervous system continues to react to perceived threats based on past experiences.

This constant state of high alert can lead to a host of psychological issues including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Essentially, a trigger develops when an association is created between a certain stimuli and an intense emotion (or trauma response).

These associations then become the “triggers,” causing a similar emotional reaction whenever you’re exposed to the association again.

There are numerous ways that religious trauma can create triggers.

1.) Use of Fear Tactics

One common way is through the use of fear and phobia indoctrination in high control religious groups.

{If you’re wondering what “phobia indoctrination” is, check out this article: What You Need to Know About Phobia Indoctrination & Religious Cults}

For example, if you were constantly told that questioning your faith or leaving the group would result in eternal damnation, this message may become associated with intense feelings of fear and guilt.

Even after leaving the group, simply hearing or seeing something related to your past religious experience can trigger these feelings and cause a traumatic response in your nervous system.

2.) Use of Coercion & Mind Control

Another way that religious trauma creates triggers is through coercion and mind control tactics often used in religious cults.

Religious cults will use repetitive messaging and thought-stopping techniques to instill certain beliefs and behaviors in their members.

As a result, certain words, phrases, or actions can become triggers for those who have experienced religious trauma.

For example, if you were taught that doubting your faith was a sin and constantly told to “have faith” despite any doubts or questions you may have had, the phrase “just have faith” may now be a trigger for you.

We often hear the term “trigger” used in the mainstream vernacular to indicate everything from mild annoyance at something a friend did to an extreme panic attack that happened when a dog suddenly lunged at you.

Unfortunately, this is one of the psychological terms appropriated by pop culture that has now become a bit watered down and has therefore lost some of the potency of its original meaning.

So before moving forward, I’d like to provide a clearer understanding of what “triggers” are from a psychological perspective.

What Are “Triggers?”

As noted in the last section, a trigger develops when an association forms between a particular stimulus and an emotional response.

Therefore, triggers are the events that generate an emotional and/or physiological response.

These responses can range from mild discomfort (like and upset stomach) to severe anxiety, panic attacks, and even flashbacks.

Triggers are a common symptom of trauma and can be caused by a variety of experiences, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, combat, or, in the context of this discussion, high control religion and religious trauma.

What Are Religious Trauma Triggers?

Religious trauma triggers are specific stimuli, such as words, phrases, images, or situations, that elicit an emotional response related to past religious experiences.

These can be things like hearing a certain prayer or song, seeing a religious symbol, or being in a church setting.

For people who have experienced religious trauma, these triggers can bring about intense feelings of fear, anxiety, shame, or guilt.

They can also lead to flashbacks or disturbing thoughts about past religious experiences.

Types of Religious Trauma Triggers

There are various types of religious trauma triggers that you may experience, depending on your specific religious background and trauma history.

Some common types of religious trauma triggers include:

• Verbal triggers: Words or phrases that were commonly used in your religious community
  
  
• Visual triggers: Images or symbols associated with your former religion
  
  
• Environmental triggers: Specific places or situations connected to your religious trauma
  
  
• Social triggers: Interactions with people who were part of your religious community or interactions with new people who are currently indoctrinated into a high control religion
  
  
• Cognitive triggers: Thoughts or beliefs instilled in you by your former religion

Examples of Religious Trauma Triggers:

Here are some examples of religious trauma triggers based on the types listed above:

Verbal Religious Trauma Triggers:

Hearing terms like “sinner,” “modesty,” or “repentance”

Vocal cadence, rhythm or flexion that is reminiscent of some charismatic preaching styles

Hearing religious quotes, scripture verses or religious songs

Visual Religious Trauma Triggers:

Seeing religious symbols such as crosses, statues, or other religious icons

Encountering religious attire or uniforms, such as a clergy’s collar or a nun’s habit

Observing rituals like prayer circles, candle lighting, or communion ceremonies

Environmental Religious Trauma Triggers:

Places of worship, such as a church, mosque, synagogue, or temple

Events or gatherings, such as a wedding or funeral, that contains religious messaging

Geographical locations, such as a specific town or city, where you once attended church or did outreach work

Particular times of year, such as religious holidays or anniversaries of significant events in your religious past

Encountering a former church member or religious leader

Being involved in a discussion where religious topics or beliefs are brought up

Seeing posts or images on social media shared by friends or family that contain religious symbolism or messages tied to your previous religious affiliation

Experiencing guilt or shame when thinking about “sinful” behavior as defined by your former religion.

Feeling a sense of fear or dread when considering topics like the afterlife

Recalling a deeply ingrained teaching or doctrine that no longer aligns with your current beliefs, which then creates cognitive dissonance

Here’s the good news.

Even if you have a bunch of religious trauma triggers which are causing a great deal of distress in your life, I want to reassure you that it doesn’t have to be this way.

There are ways to manage triggers while you work to heal from the underlying religious trauma.

Although you may always have some triggers (as I expect that I will), figuring out what they are and coming up with a good plan for navigating them will prevent religious trauma triggers from ruling your life.

Here are a few steps to get you started.

1.) Identify Your Specific Religious Trauma Triggers:

Being able to recognize the things that trigger you is the first step in developing a plan to manage religious trauma triggers.

When you notice you’re having a response that seems disproportionate to either the situation or setting, you’ve likely just been triggered by something.

Now it’s time to get curious and identify what it was that triggered that response.

Some triggers are very subtle, and it can sometimes take time and persistent curiosity to figure out what exactly it was that triggered you.

Once you identify a religious trauma trigger, write it down, and start keeping a log.

2.) Create a Plan to Manage Religious Trauma Triggers:

Once you’ve identified your religious trauma triggers, it’s time to come up with a plan for managing them.

The low-hanging fruit around this is to avoid triggers when it’s possible to do so {and when it won’t disrupt other parts of your life…}.

Next, you’ll want to develop a menu of coping strategies that you can easily go to when a trigger occurs.

This may include strategies such as deep breathing exercises, grounding techniques, or engaging nervous system regulating activities like going for a walk.

Third, you may want to consider seeking professional support from a therapist who can help you navigate these triggers and the emotions they bring up.

A skilled therapist can also help you recover from the original trauma.

3.) Maintain a Stable Baseline

You are much more vulnerable to triggers when you’re tired, hungry or generally overwhelmed.

One of the best things you can do to reduce the impact of a trigger is tending to your basic needs, so you’re starting from a stable baseline.

Make sure to prioritize getting enough rest, eating a healthy diet, and getting regular exercise.

These things will help keep your nervous system regulated in general, which should help reduce the intensity of triggers when they do occur.

If you’re dealing with religious trauma triggers from your time in a high control religion, I feel your pain and frustration.

I really do.

But please remember, there is a path forward here.

Healing from the original trauma is possible.

And, in the meantime, following the above plan to identify and manage your religious trauma triggers can provide a LOT of relief.

I practice the strategies listed above all the time, and I coach my clients through this process as well.