When Religion Hurts You

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

By: Laura E. Anderson PhD

Narrated by: Laura E. Anderson PhD

Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

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

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.

Personal and Professional

Laura brings so much knowledge, both personal and professional, to the topic. Reading her book made me feel validated in my experiences while also offering a valuable perspective on opportunities for healing. I enjoyed her reading of the book as well. I've been listening to her podcasts and the book felt like another conversation rather than a performance. Thank you for the work you're doing!

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!

The BEST

The MOST compassionate, good, useful, helpful book I have listened to in a long time! Wow! I am speechless! Aside from the sexual issues, I could relate 100%.

Very insightful !

As someone who is recovering from
Spiritual abuse and ARE’s I am so grateful for this book! It covers many helpful topics, and helped guide my in my journey!

Exposing

This book shocked me with its ability to expose ingrained assumptions and values I’d made a part of my identity from my high control religious experience. As a person who had severely underestimated the profound impact my religious experience had on me, this book was life changing. I have identified so many ideologies I’d held were based on disordered thinking, indoctrination and fear. I was further surprised to realize how every decision and behavior I have made on a daily basis has been dictated by this disordered thinking. This has started a new journey for me in my therapy. After 15 plus years in therapy I believe this may be the most impactful pivot I’ll make. So glad I gave it a try even though I had minimize its relevance to me initially.

Powerful.

As someone who struggles with C-PTSD, PTSD, and depression, this has been the most helpful book I have come across understanding trauma. Illuminating and hopeful, I have a better understanding of why my brain does what it does.

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.

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.

Important and helpful book

If you are recovering from a high-control religion or any type of authoritarian and abusive group, you will find something helpful in this book.

I think the author’s most important contribution is clearly linking PTSD and CPTSD symptoms to the experience of those recovering from high-control religions. Often, these two conditions are linked with destructive cults, sexual abuse, and one-time traumatic events, but they rightly correspond to the symptoms people experience after leaving groups or situations that, at first, seem much less “dramatic” than the situations I listed.

The author has written a very accessible and gracious book that is easy-to-read, gentle, and encouraging. The narration and production of the audiobook is excellent.