When Religion Hurts You – Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High–Control Religion

Drawing on clinical research, stories from clients, and her own experience, an expert on religious trauma shows how readers can live as healing individuals after leaving a high-demand, high-control religious system.

If you''ve experienced religious trauma, you''re not alone.

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

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 readers understand

● what religious trauma is and isn''t
● how high-control churches can be harmful and abusive
● how elements of fundamentalist church life cause psychological, relational, physical, and spiritual damage
● the growing phenomenon of religious trauma and spiritual abuse
● how to embark on a journey of living as healing individuals and to find a new foundation to stand on

Recognizing that healing from trauma is a lifelong rather than a linear process, Dr. Anderson offers markers of spiritual healing for those coming out of painful religious experiences and hope for finding wholeness after religious trauma.

"Anderson strikes a smart, balanced tone. An exemplary guide to an understudied issue."--Publishers Weekly

"An exposé of the dangers of high-control religions that makes it easier to recognize and resist religious abuse."--Foreword Reviews