Religious Trauma Syndrome: How Some Organized Religion Leads to Mental Health Problems

Sundays, I the girl and I like to go get a delicious bowl of Pho.

As we drive down a particular road to our Pho spot, we pass about 5-6 large churches. Every Sunday I turn and say:

"Wow, look at all the people who feel guilty"

And that, I have found (after being raised religious and around VERY religious people my whole life) really is the core issue. Organized, Abrahamic religions prey on guilt and shame to keep those collection plates full. Of all the kids I grew up with, the ones who had the most "religious" parents were the most abused (physically and sexually).

So, as long as you go to church -- it's OK to do horrible things to people, and it's all good with God.

Cross around the neck, dice in the hand.

reply to post by Daughter2

I'm sure you won't be respective to this comment but this is just another push to try to outlaw most religions.

You mean "respectful toward", I assume.
No, this is not "another push to try to outlaw most religions."
It's about education and the abolishing of 'fear-based' religion, in which people only act with kindness because they fear going to hell, and are basing their lives on that rather than Humanitarian principles of compassion and empathy and mutual assistance.

reply to post by MystikMushroom


Thanks for chiming in.
This thread has taken a turn I didn't expect at all, but it's GREAT!!

reply to post by logical7

If i become a source of that acceptance and validation for a person and once by the fact that i am human do something or say something to him/her that is wrong/hurting, i will shatter their world!!

That may be the cause of RTS if i was a priest.

EXACTLY!!
That's the entire issue. On the other hand, some people's 'worldview' might be opened up. Yes, people who leave extremist religions do become shattered.....but, they can recover and get on with their lives.

Same with any 'mental illness'. Face the scary, negative thing, DEAL WITH IT, and reclaim your life.

Try having to deal with chronic nightmares as a kid because of all the talk of demon possession, Satan, people burning in hell and men being tortured and nailed to a cross. As a kid, it screws with your mind just a bit. Especially when adults are telling you the big bad evil is real and wants to steal your soul.
Of course you don't dare say anything because the adults only want to hear you say things that show what a positive effect their beliefs have had on you.

reply to post by calstorm


Did you read the thread about "My Take:" above? Talks about exactly that.
She even discusses getting stomach-aches, nightmares, screaming bouts, headaches, and nausea...even hives! And puking in the church restrooms due to her stress and imposed 'self-loathing' when she realized her 'faith' was based on falsities....and trying to overcome it..
Thanks for posting

reply to post by Murgatroid

Good thread Wild...

I would only add that God and Religion are enemies and opposites.

I believe this is the root cause behind all the damage that Religion causes.

Murgatroid,
thank you. I was following Akragon's recent thread re Paul and Christianity's compatablity. I looked at your links, and read the included stories of the people who were 'pronounced dead', and all that....from 'blood being drained' to 'maggots eating limbs'...yet recovered - even under the knife - or put in freezers or whatever.....
this actually shores up my belief that Jesus was not 'resurrected', but survived the ordeal. It happens.

Never mind that, thank you for posting in the thread.

reply to post by wildtimes


It is so close to my story it is frighting.

reply to post by calstorm

It is so close to my story it is frighting.

Yeah, it is frightening.....and it's a reality for people like the woman who wrote that article, and yourself, and many other people I have met and talked to.

Peace. Namaste. I'm sorry that you've suffered.

Here's a bit from a 'Breaking Their Will' summary (see above threads for the link):

After speaking with dozens of victims, perpetrators, and experts, and reviewing a myriad of court cases and studies, Ms. Heimlich explains how religious child maltreatment happens.

She then takes an in-depth look at the many forms of child maltreatment found in religious contexts, including biblically-prescribed corporal punishment and beliefs about the necessity of “breaking the wills” of children; scaring kids into faith and other types of emotional maltreatment such as spurning, isolating, and withholding love; pedophilic abuse by religious authorities and the failure of religious organizations to support the victims and punish the perpetrators; and religiously-motivated medical neglect in cases of serious health problems. In a concluding chapter, Ms. Heimlich proposes changes in societal attitudes and improved legislation to protect children from harm and pushes for more people to recognize and acknowledge children rights.

Now, think about that for a sec, then read the next statement:

While fully acknowledging that religion can be a source of comfort, strength, and inspiration to many young people, Ms. Heimlich makes a compelling case that, regardless of one’s religious or secular orientation, maltreatment of children under the cloak of religion can never be justified and should not be tolerated.

reply to post by wildtimes


Dear OP, I love you and thank you for sharing this.

I wish the title wasn't so intimidating for believers, because this is exactly what God wants those believers to hear.
Control is the root cause of all of it, it seems.
Men resented God for not giving them control over life and death.
God was only testing us to see whether fear of ourselves or control of OUR SELVES would win... =/
Jesus said we should not fear death of the body, for God's love is great.
He said that we would be resurrected after death and judged.
I wonder, does God ever judge that someone is not good enough for heaven but not bad enough for hell?
What happens to them?
Do they come back to try again?
To learn something new?
Or is it already too late once they die?

Here's a question. Did Jesus ever sin?
We'll take the most innocuous commandment, remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.

Jews thought that meant "always rest on the sabbath."
But what it really meant was "never sin on the sabbath, because god hates working on his day off."

Now something harder. Thou shalt not kill. If Jesus is the only person who gets to live forever because he is the only one who died "perfect," before he sinned, then how is it not murder to us who have sinned before we knew Jesus?

If, however, it was true that he had the keys to death and hades and would give them freely to anyone who asked for them, then there IS NO SIN.

reply to post by wildtimes



Actually, it is about trying to outlaw religion. When other countries outlawed religion, the first step was to accuse believers of having a mental illness.

Once you start to call it an official illness, you open the door for custody of children to be taken away. Then you could move to commit people to mental institutions.

People have a right to believe in hell or in authoritarian religions.



BTW: The word I mistyped was "Respective". But thanks for pointing out my typo... How very compassionate and humanitarian of you. Those counseling sessions worked great.

reply to post by wildtimes


Hidden in your comment was the ultimate goal.

Here is one of your abuses - hidden between physical and sexual abuse.

"scaring kids into faith and other types of emotional maltreatment such as spurning, isolating, and withholding love"

The real goal is to make this vague "scaring kids into faith" a crime or at least a reason to remove children from the home. This means any religion that speaks of hell or punishment would be illegal.

It's fine that you no longer believe in religion but you want to FORCE your belief system on others.

This is obvious. Reports of cult suicides have been ongoing for decades. Please advise how atheists are all mentally on track.

reply to post by wildtimes


Religions crafted by man are a Mental Disorder.

You define mental disorder as religion created my man. Please advise who created man.

reply to post by wildtimes

. . . in recovery from various forms of fundamentalist religion including the Assemblies of God denomination . . .

I would leave too if I went to a church like that.
There are people like that, when I see them preach, you might as well have a sign saying, fraud, on their forehead.
There is a small section of society that have a need to be conned, and enjoy it in some sad sort of way.
They should not subject their children to the same thing when normal people are only bound to sooner or later see it for what it is, not having the same psychological need for it as their parents.

No one likes to be conned. They likebto feel justified in whatever they do despite their true Protestant religion of their grandparents. Instead they enjoy mega church feel good sessions.

I'm on a I pad so can't type as articulate as I would like, so I may have to keep this short. But this is One issue that I can speak about from YEARS of experience, and I can pre warn you that Neither the religious, nor the mental sorcerers or occult types will like what I have to say,

But oh we'll, boo hoo.

Yep, I'm a bitter old hag who frankly, doesn't care much anymore about appeasing status quo...I am also a Victim, of both religious/occult crimes OD ritual generational abuse and Psychiatric abuse, I add the latter because why, don't ya know, they Both cone from the very same source! Ah yes, Psyche-aka SOUL and the master Manipulation of and Control of and Both, be they a religious Shamens high priest murderer or a scientist dr Mengele Wanna be or equivalent, they Both are guilty, of Behavior Modification and GROOMING of SLAVES,

Especially sex slaves.

Politics uses BOTH methodologies, just depends on which one is more beneficial to control the masses.

I say Victim, because the Term Survivor comes from surviving natural caused catastrophes such as tornados and earthquakes, the horrors I endured we're not caused by natural disasters, hardly, they were caused by a Deliberate and Systematic Engineering that was Criminal in their abuses of HUMAN RIGHTS. So, therefore I refuse to aid I the covering up of Human Right Crimes by calling myself a survivor, no, victim of crime. So, on that note...

Yes religion causes major mind trauma, as does the use of behavior controls under Other methods such as psychology and psychiatry, etc. and more than nought the two work hand in hand, against victims especially...especially with those who are victims of Ritual Abuse (aka gov, military, political oppression, etc). FACT, those aren't baseless accusations, those are Facts, so trusting either, really is a form of soul suicide. but sadly, sometimes one has to learn the hard way. but the truth of the matter is, religion does not work in a vacuum, it is a system that is run under a Systematic political and economical order, aka why I term both sorcery, the co trol of slaves, for the maintaining of the Power Apparatus.

reply to post by ThreeBears


Continued, Anyhoo, Both methodologies use similar cult methods to Erase ones true Authentic self and replacing with an Altar self, and the horrific part is both, rely on methods of Fear, Terror, Mind Erasure, Pain, Causing self doubt, rehashing of terror (those sessions, beware of them, they are actually used to glean weak areas where they can further seep deeper into your psyche and do more damage), love bombing (big one there) and Guilting. oh yes, both are Notorious for this #...both are also, Extremely Narcissist. Be they pastors, psychologists, dr Mengele god wanna be's, revolutionaries leaders of cults, or cult of personalities, bishops, etc etc, even husbands who think they are entitled soul creators and gods over their subject property, wives.

both rely on Stupifying, either through emotional sensationalism, a type of endorphin drugging (Bacchus cult anyone?) and Especially using sexuality, to manipulate, and Both use violence and terror, Erasure by force if you Dare to defy their god like control over YOU.

The Tricky part, is that as a whole, these characteristics want be obvious, why it all appears so innocent and good, charitable even. And they accomplish this by cherry picking through "tests" the types of follower type of individuals who won't Question authority. Both are by the way, Extremely Patriarchal and Misogynist. Don't let the "painted birds" fool you...Mary Daly. I suggest women read her books, she gets into this a lot. Also exposed the LIES of both religion and psychiatry and the dangers Especialy to Women. But back to topic, both appear to be just good ole average folk who have Your best interest at heart. But That's not the ENGINEERING behind them both, that Comes from the same Elite power structures, from days of old. Why people Realy ought to read more, history and especially social engineering. It's amazing at what one finds out. but if reading isn't your thing,

Just ask the Thousands of us victims, what many term Survivors, of being orphans, children in both Religious AND State Psychiatric modeled and controlled Care! WE will tell you, those of us not so Permantly brain damaged, how BOTH are Serial Murderers of Genocide and Death. Ask the children of Romania, for example, or the children of El Salvador, or the many children in CPS care, or the children under CHURCH care,

Believe me, they are all one in the same.

You'd be better off, living among hyenas, at least they show their true selves, fangs and all. It's the Friendly face, with the poison death that you had better watch for...and oh yes why BOTH always flock to those prisons, warring over how many lab rats they can HARVEST, for further....

Studies.

To better Control those stupid commoners, they term as citizens. Yes be very aware...if you thus say anything, they'll distract and label you paranoid, or...demon inspired. Same damn thing people,

As for Trauma, T RA U MA, or UMA, is in itself a form of brain control, as to How to break it? well thing I do know, Both use repetition of traumatic images or the REHASHING of trauma, those talk sessions, Especially beware if they have used Any brain weakening Drugs or foods, sleep deprivation, etc., that weakens o es ability to discern and think logically with reason, which Should include Critical thinking. If you don't think critically, watch out, you already brainwashed. This method further entrenches trauma into your mental center, causing CONFUSION, which yes sorcerers love to do, brain washers, etc., all sorcery is, to where you'll Doubt your authentic self. you literally have to purge your mind of all the tick rock orange repetitions, be they scriptures, images or Catch Phrases with rewards and Punishments. See the similarities,

Because both are the same. They TWINS, good cop bad cop, angel demon, virgin whore, Dichotomy,

They always want to keep you Unbalanced, either all right or all left. Singular vision, especially self focused in that you get sucked in more and more into the black spiral where the Altars control you...and you think it's your self. it isn't, it's what the ABUSERS/criminals have Molded you into believing. this is why by the way, BOTH science Dr Mengele's, Political occultists and Religious Occultists, have an extreme hatred of Nature and Animals, primitive ness. because its those Instincts (why they extremely misogynist and erased female power, replaced it with their kaka sex slave garbage) that see through their lies and manipulations. evidence of this, is how female animals will rip off the heads of Any male animal that messes with them or their offspring, where as Female animals, mammals have Beene divined through centuries of being Demonized by both Psychiatry and Religion into being self harm, internalized misogyny, powerless and submissive even to the point of their child's death. ...