Religious Trauma Syndrome: Escaping Toxic Religion

Author: Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 30 Sep 2022 - Updated: 11 Sep 2026
Publication Type: Informative

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - Overview - FAQs - Insights, Updates - Related Content

Synopsis

This article discusses Religious Trauma Syndrome (RTS), a term introduced by psychologist Dr. Marlene Winell to describe the psychological distress experienced by individuals leaving authoritarian and dogmatic religious groups. RTS encompasses a range of symptoms, including cognitive confusion, anxiety, depression, and social isolation, which can mirror those of complex post-traumatic stress disorder. The article highlights that such trauma often stems from toxic religious environments that instill beliefs of inherent personal inadequacy and fear, enforced through doctrines like original sin and eternal damnation. Understanding RTS is crucial for mental health professionals and support networks to provide appropriate care for those affected, including individuals with disabilities and seniors who may be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of religious indoctrination and subsequent trauma.

At a Glance

• 1 - RTS is not listed in the DSM-5 and is not yet an official diagnosis. Research on the condition remains in its early stages.
• 2 - The term was coined in 2011 by psychologist Dr. Marlene Winell. It has since circulated among psychotherapists and former fundamentalists.
• 3 - RTS often begins in toxic environments built on two narratives: you are not okay and you are not safe. These are frequently reinforced through doctrines of original sin and hell.
• 4 - Symptoms span emotional, functional, social, cultural, and cognitive categories, and can resemble complex post-traumatic stress disorder. No two people affected will share the exact same experience.

Topic Definition

Religious Trauma Syndrome (RTS)

Religious Trauma Syndrome, often shortened to RTS, describes the psychological distress people can experience while leaving an authoritarian, dogmatic religion and coping with the lasting effects of indoctrination. Psychologist Dr. Marlene Winell coined the term in 2011, though the underlying phenomenon was recognized well before then. Recognized in psychology and psychotherapy as a set of symptoms that vary in severity, RTS affects those who have participated in or walked away from controlling religious groups and belief systems. Its effects can touch emotional, functional, social, cultural, and cognitive areas of life, and in some cases the signs closely mirror those of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). While it is not currently an official diagnosis in the DSM-5, that absence does not lessen its real and often profound impact on the people who live through it.

Overview

Religion presents itself as the way to contentment, spiritual health, and salvation. But is this really true?

Religious trauma has been defined as "pervasive psychological damage resulting from religious messages, beliefs, and experiences." Religious Trauma Syndrome (RTS) is the clinical term Dr. Marlene Winell gave for the condition experienced by many who leave an authoritarian indoctrination. Religious trauma syndrome is recognized in psychology and psychotherapy as a set of symptoms, ranging in severity, experienced by those who have participated in or left behind authoritarian, dogmatic, and controlling religious groups and belief systems. Symptoms include cognitive, affective, functional, and social/cultural issues and developmental delays. In some cases, the signs of religious trauma can be similar to that of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD).

Religious Trauma Syndrome is currently not an actual diagnosis and is not included in the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5). However, this does not mean that it is non-existent or doesn't impact millions of individuals every year.

In Bible-believing Christianity, psychological mind-control mechanisms are coupled with beliefs from the Iron Age, including the belief that women and children are possessions of men, that children who are not hit become spoiled, and that each of us is born "utterly depraved," and that a supernatural being demands unquestioning obedience.

The problem with Christian groups, religions, or sects is they believe they have the truth. Belief is not fact. Faith is not evidence. To them, facts only muddy the waters; if you bring in those facts or that confusion, what they stand on would be washed away. These groups cannot effectively mount an argument with any true logic, but it doesn't matter. All they need is their faith. It conquers all. Talk about mind control! Religious trauma can lead to individuals believing that they are inherently bad or condemned - especially if they have experienced a purity culture - even after they have left the religion and their previously held beliefs.

Toxic Religious Environments

We assume that religion is, for the most part, benign or good for you. However, RTS begins in toxic religious environments centered around two basic narratives: "You are not okay" and "You are not safe." These ideas are often enforced with theology, such as the Christian doctrines of original sin and hell. Religion is a human-manufactured institution that has always been constructed by those who intend to control others by controlling their beliefs, including their worldview. In her research on child maltreatment in religious communities, journalist Janet Heimlich identified the most damaging groups as having a Bible belief system that creates an authoritarian, isolative, threat-based model of reality.

In this book, Winell officially coined the term "Religious Trauma Syndrome." Winell explains that often, RTS goes unnoticed because many people overlook the fact that turning away from one's religion can be, in reality, a very traumatic experience. Winell states:

"The development of RTS as a diagnosable and treatable set of symptoms relies on several psychological theories that provide an academic framework to understand it. Therapists, like others, expect that if you stop believing, you just quit attending church, putting it in the same category as not believing in Santa Claus. Some people consider religious beliefs childish, so you grow out of them. Therapists often don't understand fundamentalism and even recommend spiritual practices as part of therapy. In general, people who have not survived an authoritarian fundamentalist indoctrination do not realize what a complete mind-rape it is."

LGBTQ+ : Religion and Conversion

Disagreements on where church doctrine stands on specific issues remain a struggle for many younger generations. Religion-based LGBTQ+ conversion practices frame all people as potential heterosexuals whose gender aligns with their birth sex (in a cisgender binary model of male and female sexes). Deviation from this heterosexual, cisgender social identity model is cast as curable "sexual brokenness". However, research shows conversion practices are harmful and particularly associated with increased experiences of abuse, mental health diagnoses, and suicidality.

Christian communities are teaching traditional theology and ethics, which treat diverse sexualities and gender expansive identities as sinful can be places where faithful LGBTQ + people are subject to spiritual abuse. Christian communities teaching traditional theology and ethics, which treat diverse sexualities and gender expansive identities as sinful, can be places where faithful LGBTQ+ people are subject to spiritual abuse. Gay, lesbian, and trans people are often told that God condemns them, unwed mothers are told that they live in sin, and many natural human desires are deemed evil.

Experiences LGBT+ people may have experienced:

• Being told that you can not serve in leadership because of your LGBTQIA+ identity.
• Religious leaders refusing to officiate your wedding or acknowledge your marriage.
• People tell you that your LGBTQIA+ identity results from demon possession.
• Hearing from leadership in your community that LGBTQIA+ individuals will be "eternally condemned".
• Guardians or religious leaders force you to attend conversion "therapy" to change your sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Church leaders stating that "it was a tragedy that other teens were assaulted, but you deserved to be sexually assaulted because of your sexual orientation."

Psychological Harm

Religious Trauma Syndrome is in the early stages of research and is gaining traction as a legitimate diagnosis. Religious trauma is difficult to see because the respectability of religion camouflages it in culture. To date, parents are afforded the right to teach their children whatever doctrines they like, no matter how heinous, degrading, or mentally unhealthy.

The psychological harm caused by authoritarian religion has been addressed by authors before the naming of religious trauma syndrome. These writings have included work by psychologists and therapists (Tarico, Ray, Winell, Kramer & Alstad, Hassan, Cohen, Watters, Greven, Moyers) and many memoirs from former believers, including former pastors (Babinski, Loftus, Barker, DeWitt).

RTS is a function of both the chronic abuses of harmful religion and the impact of severing one's connection with one's faith. It can be compared to a combination of PTSD and Complex PTSD (C-PTSD).

There is a common misconception that members of organized religion or fundamentalism always have a choice of leaving  -  they often cannot do so without paying the price. Not only are many traumatized by this existence, those leaving, or even just contemplating leaving, for whatever reason, more often than not experience tremendous psychological, emotional, financial, logistical, educational, legal, familial, social, and sometimes life-threatening challenges.

Those leaving, or attempting to leave, organized religion or fundamentalism are often mocked, misunderstood, ostracized, gaslit, belittled, pathologized, shunned, fired, alienated from their children, and, in the most extreme cases, even killed or driven to suicide  - often at the hands of their flesh and blood. Even after people leave religions where they have suffered abuse, they can still harbor the emotional conviction that they are "basically sinful and wrong," says Marlene Winell, a human development expert who coined the term "religious trauma syndrome" in a series of articles in 2011.

Symptoms of Religious Trauma Syndrome Include:

While these signs and symptoms are typical in those who have experienced religious trauma, it is important to note that religious trauma can manifest in many ways. No two people will have the same experience.

• Emotional: Depression, anxiety, anger, grief, loneliness, difficulty with pleasure, loss of meaning.
• Functional: Sleep and eating disorders, nightmares, sexual dysfunction, substance abuse, somatization.
• Social: Loss of social network, family rupture, social awkwardness, sexual difficulty, behind schedule on developmental tasks.
• Cultural: Unfamiliarity with the secular world; "fish out of water" feelings; difficulty belonging; information gaps (e.g., evolution, art, astronomy, science, music).
• Cognitive: Confusion, poor critical thinking ability, negative beliefs about self-ability and self-worth, black and white thinking, perfectionism, difficulty with decision-making.

Causes of Religious Trauma Syndrome

Authoritarianism coupled with toxic theology, which is received and reinforced at church, school, and home, can result in

• Suppression of normal child development: Cognitive, social, emotional, and moral stages are arrested.
• Physical and sexual abuse: Patriarchal power; unhealthy sexual views; punishment used for discipline.
• External locus of control: Knowledge is revealed, not discovered; hierarchy of authority enforced; self, not a reliable or good source.
• Damage to normal thinking and feeling abilities: Information is limited and controlled; dysfunctional beliefs taught; independent thinking condemned; feelings condemned.
• Terror: People indoctrinated into fundamentalist Christianity, or other religions, as small children sometimes have memories of being terrified by images of hell and apocalypse before their brains begin to make sense of such ideas.

Examples of Religious Trauma Syndrome Include:

• A child experiencing same-sex attraction may be told their feelings are sinful and must repent.
• Adolescents expressing their thoughts may be physically disciplined or beaten into submission by a parent or religious leader to "save their soul."
• A person may be told that most of their financial resources should go to the cause of furthering the message of the religion, causing financial hardship.
• A young woman who finds herself pregnant out of wedlock may be subjected to sanctions and ostracized from the community or congregation. She may feel shame, confusion, guilt, or depression due to religious indoctrination or beliefs that she is bad.

The Steady Decline of Religion in America

Americans are less religious than ever. A third of American adults under 30 and a fifth of all Americans don't identify with any religion, according to a 2012 study by Pew Research (an increase from 15 percent in 2007).

Which religion is declining the most? People who identified as Catholic declined from 81% in 1986 to 47% in 2020, while the number of people who identified as not religious rose from 16% to 40%.

A Pew Research Center survey, released in December 2021, found that 29% of U.S. adults said they had no religious affiliation, an increase of 6 percentage points from 2016. A growing number of Americans said they are also praying less often. About 32% of those polled by Pew Research from May 29 to Aug. 25 said they seldom or never pray. That's up from 18% of those polled by the group in 2007. According to the survey, millennials are leading the shift away from organized religion.

"The secularizing shifts evident in American society so far in the 21st century shows no signs of slowing," said Gregory Smith, associate director of research at Pew Research Center.

Regarding identity, Generation Z is the least religious generation yet. More than one-third (34 percent) of Generation Z are religiously unaffiliated, a significantly larger proportion than among millennials (29 percent) and Generation X (25 percent).

Leaving Religion

Deciding to leave your faith is a complicated process. While it can feel freeing, it can leave you confused, depressed, guilty, angry... the list goes on. When you've been a part of a religious group (i.e., a church, a gathering, a community) for most of your life, leaving is not just a life transition - it is a decision that shakes the foundation of who you are and who you've always believed you were supposed to be. You may lose friends, family, and others in your community. In many ways, it can feel like starting over. People transitioning out of faith usually feel overwhelmed and unsure of what is next. Therapy can help untangle some of these confusing feelings.

"People who leave or are left by their faith lose a lot more than a place to go on Sunday morning. They lose relationships with family and friends, social status, tribal approval, and self-esteem. They lose their God, their identity, their certainty, their gravity." - Reba Riley, author of the forthcoming Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome: A Memoir of Humor and Healing.

RTS remains largely invisible because there are pressures from friends or family to return to the repressive system that victims attempt to escape. Instead of being seen as something that does not leave a feeling of trauma in individuals who have gone through such a life change, religious trauma needs to be taken as seriously as PTSD.

• Seek out licensed and ethical mental health professionals.
• Join helping organizations that cater specifically to those with your lived experience.
• Connect with others who have gone through or are currently going through what you are experiencing.

It's tough when people come out of an authoritarian church or cult or another religious group, and are completely on their own with it, don't even realize what they were in, or try to get help from people who don't know this kind of trauma. The more knowledgeable support that is out there, the better!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Religious Trauma Syndrome recognized in the DSM-5

No, RTS is not currently included in the DSM-5 and is not yet an official clinical diagnosis. However, it is increasingly discussed in psychology and gaining traction as a legitimate area of study.

Who can be affected by Religious Trauma Syndrome

Anyone who has participated in or left an authoritarian, dogmatic religious group can be affected, regardless of age or background. The article notes that people with disabilities and seniors may be particularly vulnerable.

How is RTS different from ordinary doubt about faith

Ordinary doubt is a shift in belief, while RTS involves pervasive psychological damage from religious messages, beliefs, and experiences. It can resemble PTSD and complex PTSD rather than a simple change of opinion.

Can someone develop RTS while still part of a religion

Yes, the trauma can stem from chronic exposure to harmful, controlling religious environments, not only from leaving. The distress often grows from ongoing messages that a person is not okay and not safe.

What kind of professional helps with Religious Trauma Syndrome

Licensed and ethical mental health professionals who understand fundamentalism and authoritarian indoctrination are best suited to help. The article cautions that some therapists may not fully grasp this specific type of trauma.

Why does Religious Trauma Syndrome often go unnoticed

The respectability of religion in society can camouflage the harm, making the trauma difficult to see. Pressure from family or community to return can also keep the experience hidden.

Are there support options beyond individual therapy

Yes, connecting with others who share similar lived experiences and joining organizations built for that purpose can help. Peer support and knowledgeable community can complement professional care.

Does leaving a religion cause practical challenges as well as emotional ones

Yes, people leaving often face financial, logistical, educational, legal, familial, and social difficulties. These practical pressures can add to the emotional weight of the transition.

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Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Editorial Note: This article highlighted an often-overlooked form of psychological distress, offering a critical perspective on the long-term effects of religious indoctrination. Religious Trauma Syndrome is a serious issue that can disrupt lives, relationships, and overall well-being, yet it remains under-recognized in mainstream mental health discussions. By providing insight into the symptoms and causes of RTS, the article encourages both professionals and individuals to acknowledge the complexity of religious deconstruction and the need for compassionate, informed support. Addressing RTS with the same level of care as other forms of trauma is essential for those seeking to rebuild their lives outside of harmful belief systems.

Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability, a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.