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Adverse Religious Experiences (AREs) vs. Religious Trauma (RT): An Important Distinction
Updated: Mar 10
It's important to recognize that "religious trauma" (RT) does not refer to the situation or event that caused someone's lasting adverse effects on their nervous system. The term that has been adopted for those events is "Adverse Religious Experiences" (AREs). So, what's the difference?
Adverse Religious Experiences
Briefly stated, AREs are any experience of a religious belief, practice, or structure that undermines an individual's sense of safety or autonomy and/or negatively impacts their physical, social, emotional, relational, sexual, or psychological well-being. These experiences have the potential of resulting in religious trauma.
While there are no set parameters for constituting an ARE, they are typically categorized into three generalized headings: Abuse, neglect, and communal practices. Below is a list of some common ARE examples, but the list is not exhaustive:
ABUSE
Emotional
Verbal
Physical
Sexual
NEGLECT
Emotional
Verbal
Physical
Sexual
COMMUNAL PRACTICES
Community Violence
Bullying / Threats / Intimidation
Terrorism
Public Outing / Stigmatizing / Branding
Forced Confessions
Shunning / Excommunication
Brainwashing / Forced Indoctrination
Social / Familial Isolation
Information Privation
Scapegoating / Othering
Identity Disruption
Emotional Manipulation
Phobia Induction
Dress / Behavioral Control
Segregation
Love Bombing / Trauma Bonding
Stalking / Harassment
Forced Conversion
Conversion Therapy
Forced Ritual Performance
Substance Abuse
Financial Fraud
Financial, Sexual, or Other Exploitation
Religious Trauma
The term "religious trauma" refers to the lasting adverse effects on a person’s physical, mental, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being after an Adverse Religious Experience has occurred. While there is significant overlap and influence between the two terms, AREs are not the same thing as religious trauma.
It is also important to note that not all AREs will result in RT for every person. But for many, an ARE may result in various trauma responses, such as:
Chronic Anxiety
Depression
Suicidal Ideations
Nightmares
Self-Harm
Chronic Shame
Chronic Fear
Chronic Stress
Chronic Health Conditions
Mental Health Challenges
Risky Behaviors
Social / Relationship Challenges
Terminology Matters
Knowing the distinction between AREs and RT will help people unpack the tangled webs of their experiences so they can identify the source of complex thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Precise and nuanced definitions help people better understand how certain faith doctrines and belief systems can cause an ingrained trauma response loop in the nervous system.
From this distinction, people can learn best practices for treating religious trauma so they can then advocate for informed therapy and discover whether or not to remain in their faith tradition.
