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

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

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!

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!

Just phenomenal

Truly invaluable resource for people leaving HRCs & deconstructing and reconstructing. Thank you Laura. Will read over and over again.

Insightful

This book is helpful for anyone wanting to better understand religious trauma, its relationship with cptsd and also anyone experiencing it. Thanks to this author for taking the time to write this book. Articulate, non-shaming and useful. Two thumbs up!

Compassion & Clarity

What happened to you? High Control Religion raised me. I’m well on my way to healing but this book felt like a complete Birds Eye view to what happened and hope for the freedom forward.

Acknowledging self

I am so grateful to have found that my journey is not one that I have walked alone. For years I have struggled with the doubts and shame that I have carried for feeling like something was fundamentally wrong with the way I felt deep inside. As an MK I was raised within the an HCR that taught me I was flawed, untrustworthy, and that to identify as any thing other than a Christian would be to seal my fate to an eternity of suffering and loneliness. This book has allowed me to realize that within me there is an innate being of goodness that has been starved and ignored for years. There is not enough space here to share how deeply this book touched me and the hope that I now have to cling to. Thank you!

So healing

Such an eye opening account of so many things I’ve been through. Anderson gave me words for my experiences in a well written, credible and researched way. Highly recommend to anyone questioning if what they experienced in a religious environment was detrimental, or know they have had trauma but don’t know where to start.

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.

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