When Religion Hurts You

Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High-Control Religion

De: Laura E. Anderson PhD

Narrado por: Laura E. Anderson PhD

Religious trauma is something that happens far more often than most people realize. But religious trauma is trauma.

In When Religion Hurts You, Dr. Laura Anderson takes an honest look at a side of religion that few like to talk about. Drawing from her own life and therapy practice, she helps listeners understand what religious trauma is and isn't, and how high-control churches can be harmful and abusive, often resulting in trauma. She shows how elements of fundamentalist church life—such as fear of hell, purity culture, corporal punishment, and authoritarian leaders—can cause psychological, relational, physical, and spiritual damage.

As she explores the growing phenomenon of religious trauma, Dr. Anderson helps listeners embark on a journey of living as healing individuals and finding a new foundation to stand on. Recognizing that healing is a lifelong rather than a linear process, she offers markers of healing for those coming out of painful religious experiences and hope for finding wholeness after religious trauma.

©2023 Laura E. Anderson (P)2023 eChristian

Outstanding

A Revelation and a Gift to Humanity
“When Religion Hurts You” is a profound and necessary book. Honest, compassionate, and grounded in science, it offers validation and insight for those harmed by religious environments. A true gift to anyone seeking understanding and healing—I hope it reaches everyone who needs it.

A must read if this is your jam…

I’m grateful to have this book for my own healing journey and to recommend to anyone dealing with religious trauma. I’ve done a lot of reading in this area and this is perhaps the most thorough yet accessible treatment I’ve come across yet - certainly one of the first books I’ll think of when asked for a recommendation. Excellent performance by the author - if you like Dr Laura Anderson’s content on social media, you’ll love this book!

A Must Read for Those Exiting Religion

It’s been almost two decades since I’ve left evangelical Christianity and realized after countless hours researching religion that I am an atheist. I wish I had this book back then. It provides clarity of the emotions and struggles a person goes through when leaving a highly structured religion.

When I was leaving religion, I didn’t know that what I was experiencing was trauma, and how to deal with that. I spent hours with therapists who didn’t know why I was feeling what I was feeling, and didn’t know how to help me. This book helped me understand what I went through during that difficult time and why I experienced it, and why I still experience shadows of my evangelical upbringing today.

If you’re leaving a high-control religion (HCR), or have left an HCR, this is a must read to help support you and make sense of what you’re experiencing.

Harmed by Church of Christ beliefs

It’s good to know there are people who understand the religious trauma that I have felt for a very long time.

I feel so seen!

This book put into words what I was feeling and processing but couldn’t articulate. I feel validated.

Personal but generally helpful

The author very comprehensive, perhaps a bit too technical, but has a lot of helpful insights and does not promise a quick fix. Helpful

So helpful

If you grew up in a Christian church/community/home. This book will give you clarity. Even if you don’t think you have been harmed, read this book.

So much helpful information

I could not stop listening as there were so many things that connected dots and helped me understand what I’ve been dealing with a little better. I’m so appreciative of this work.

Amazing- this has helped

From the first chapter to the end, it was so detailed and it completely gave me all the information I was seeking

Very Informative!

As someone that recently left a high control religion and is trying to figure out all the emotions that I'm currently going thru and have dealt with in the past, this book shed so much light on things that I never made connections to before! 10/10 would recommend even if you aren't a religious person just so you can better understand what the people in your day to day life might be dealing with!