On Religious Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Why does On Monsters and Phantoms matter?
Childhood trauma and exposure to prolonged toxic stress can—and often does—lead to physical, mental and behavioral health disorders in adults. Neuroscience around pediatric neural and brain development tells us why: the cortisol flood rewires our brains, as well as our nervous and endocrine systems. Physiologically speaking, we get messed up. Now, health practitioners are beginning to ask What happened to you? in addition to What are your symptoms? to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their patients afflicted with mental health and other disorders.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association have identified adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as a national epidemic we must better understand and face, because we now know that ACEs impact our perception of reality and herald other maladies later in life.
Current data tells us that depression, anxiety and suicide cases are on the rise. The question we need to ask is how many of these cases actually stem from ACEs? Likely a majority. We must urgently address ACEs by having broader and more regular conversations about them and their impact.
Though trauma-informed care is evolving, we don’t understand everything about how to truly help the traumatized lead resilient lives, nor do we completely understand how to determine who, after surviving ACEs, will be resilient and who won’t. Epigenetics, environment, education, personality and support systems play a role in resilience, but we don’t fully know exactly how and to what degree. One ACEs survivor may lead a normal and productive life, while a similar survivor may overdose on heroin or shoot up a grocery store.
When I sensed the first itch to write On Monsters and Phantoms, I immersed myself in the ACEs literature, beginning with Nadine Burke Harris’, Robert Anda, M.D. and Vincent J. Felitti’s, M.D., seminal work on linking childhood trauma to negative health outcomes in adults, which launched a national conversation on the topic in the early 2000s. I also researched the concept of scrupulosity—a form of obsessive compulsive disorder involving religious or moral obsessions—and how that condition could be born from ACEs. Since then, I have linked with nationally-renown ACEs thought leaders and University of Florida research juggernauts to glean more insight into ACEs and human behavior. I have also learned more about Religious Trauma Syndrome from noted psychiatrist and author Dr. Marlene Winell.
If this is your first foray into the world of ACEs and want to learn more, I recommend two immediate stops:
The ACEs-Too-High online community, where you can keep an eye on emerging trends, research, discoveries and personal testimonies. There you can learn your ACEs score. Per that site, there are 10 types of childhood trauma measured in the ACE Study. Five are personal:
physical abuse
verbal abuse
sexual abuse
physical neglect
emotional neglect
Five are related to other family members:
a parent who’s an alcoholic
a mother who’s a victim of domestic violence
a family member in jail
a family member diagnosed with a mental illness
and the disappearance of a parent through divorce, death or abandonment
Resilience: The Biology of Stress & The Science of Hope by KPJR Films
Here’s another excellent resource for ACEs and their impact on our life-long health.
Check Out My Video Series on Religious Trauma
In January 2025 I launched my H.G. Roberts YouTube channel and my 10-video series on religious trauma, specifically as that trauma pertains to protestant fundamental Christianity here in America … fundamental meaning a literal and conservative interpretation of the Bible. Some might also call this evangelical Christianity. That’s the world I came from and spent 25 years of my life in. But there are certainly other stripes of Christianity for which this topic is relevant.
In this series about religious trauma, I’m talking to the struggling Christian believer, the one who is wrestling with fear, anxiety, shame, guilt, depression or doubt as a result of their beliefs. I’m also talking to the Christian who may be on a path to critically deconstructing your faith in general. I’m talking to the Christians for whom this religion is causing harm but they’re not sure what to do about it. But I’m also talking to pastors, theists and apologists. Despite the proven benefits of religious and church affiliation, you and other Christians are likely unaware of the harm that’s happening under your watch by teaching the Bible literally, and that what you’re teaching is causing and perpetuating religious trauma in many of your congregants, without you even knowing it because very few if any people will openly talk about it. And maybe your congregants’ symptoms haven’t yet manifested, but soon will. So, my hope here is that I will tell you, pastors, what your congregants might either be too afraid to talk about, or they don’t yet have the best vocabulary to talk about. I promise you that many more congregants than you think are suffering from depression, anxiety, shame, guilt and other mental health conditions because of what the Bible and Christianity is making them believe about themselves and the world around them. For them, like me, Christianity and the Bible are creating a destructive self and world view. I’ll show you how and why based on my own experiences.
In these videos we’ll talk about what religious trauma is, how it forms, how Christianity, despite its beneficial claims, can rob us of our agency, self-esteem, self-worth and identity, which leads to trauma, how religious trauma ties into our personalities, mental temperaments and life experiences, and, more importantly, our adverse childhood experiences, and finally what you can do to overcome religious trauma if you’re suffering from it. Another way of saying that is how you can become resilient, perhaps even through receiving trauma-informed therapy and care.
Below is a link to Episode 1: Introduction to Religious Trauma. This video will avail you to my YouTube channel and the rest of the series. I look forward to your comments so that we can create a richer data set of religious trauma experiences to learn more about this critical issue.
Here’s a running bibliography for all the resources I use/cite in my videos.
Adverse childhood experiences, religious/spiritual struggles, and mental health symptoms: examination of mediation models. Wesley H. McCormick, Timothy D. Carroll, Brook M. Sims and Joseph Currier. MENTAL HEALTH, RELIGION & CULTURE, 2017. VOL. 20, NO. 10, 1042–1054. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2018.1440544
Associations of childhood trauma experiences with religious and spiritual struggles. Anna Janů , Klara Malinakova, Alice Kosarkova and Peter Tavel. Journal of Health Psychology 2022, Vol. 27(2) 292–304. © The Author(s) 2020. Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions. DOI: 10.1177/1359105320950793. journals.sagepub.com/home/hpq
Between pleasure, guilt, and dissociation: How trauma unfolds in the sexuality of childhood sexual abuse survivors. Gewirtz-Meydan A, Godbout N. Child Abuse Negl. 2023 Jul;141:106195. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106195. Epub 2023 Apr 26. PMID: 37116448.
Child Sexual Abuse and Compulsive Sexual Behavior: A Systematic Literature Review. Slavin MN, Scoglio AAJ, Blycker GR, Potenza MN, Kraus SW. Curr Addict Rep. 2020 Mar;7(1):76-88. doi: 10.1007/s40429-020-00298-9. Epub 2020 Jan 28. PMID: 33425653; PMCID: PMC7787260.
Child Sexual Abuse and Mental Health: The Role of Intrusive Thoughts and Spiritual Warfare. Sanchez, Sheriese S. (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6477. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6477
Demonic Influence: The Negative Mental Health Effects of Belief in Demons. Nie, F., & Olson, D. V. A. (2016). Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 55(3), 498–515. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26651593
Developing safeguarding policy and practice for Spiritual Abuse. Oakley, L. and Susan Kinmond, K. (2014). The Journal of Adult Protection, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 87-95. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAP-07-2013-0033
Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion (2024). Dr. Daryl Van Tongeren. https://a.co/d/bMZU4Zv
Freedom from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Personalized Recovery Program for Living with Uncertainty (2014). Jonathan Grayson. https://a.co/d/fFnGT8a
Guilt, discord, and alienation: the role of religious strain in depression and suicidality. Exline JJ, Yali AM, Sanderson WC. J Clin Psychol. 2000 Dec;56(12):1481-96. doi: 10.1002/1097-4679(200012)56:12<1481::AID-1>3.0.CO;2-A. PMID: 11132565.
Helplessness experience and intentional (un-)binding: Control deprivation disrupts the implicit sense of agency. Soral, W., Kofta, M., & Bukowski, M. (2021). Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 150(2), 289–305. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000791
I Kissed Shaming Goodbye: Mental Health Implications of Christian Purity Culture. Stillman, Danielle Miriam, (2022). Social Work Theses. 168. https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/socialwork_theses/168
Impact of Spiritual and Religious Coping on PTSD. Slater, C.L., Bordenave, J., Boyer, B.A. (2015). In: Martin, C., Preedy, V., Patel, V. (eds) Comprehensive Guide to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08613-2_49-1
Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion (2013). Dr. Marlene Winell. https://a.co/d/hzpEJCA
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Hallion, Lauren & Sockol, Laura & Wilhelm, Sabine. (2015). 10.1007/978-3-319-13060-6_4.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder with predominantly scrupulous symptoms: clinical and religious characteristics. Siev J, Baer L, Minichiello WE. J Clin Psychol. 2011 Dec;67(12):1188-96. doi: 10.1002/jclp.20843. Epub 2011 Oct 31. PMID: 22042580.
Percentage of U.S. Adults Suffering from Religious Trauma: A Sociological Study. Darren M. Slade, Global Center for Religious Research, Adrianna Smell, Case Western Reserve University, Elizabeth Wilson, Somatic Trauma Therapist, Rebekah Drumsta, The Vashti Initiative. Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry Volume 5, Issue 1, Summer 2023 shermjournal.org. Permissions: editor@shermjournal.org ISSN 2637‒7519 (print), ISSN 2637‒7500 (online) https://doi.org/10.33929/sherm.2023.vol5.no1.01 (article)
Purity Culture and Its Effect on Mental Health. John Loeppky. Published on August 02, 2023. https://www.verywellmind.com/purity-culture-impacts-mental-health-7564315
Religious obsessions and compulsions in a non-clinical sample: the Penn Inventory of Scrupulosity (PIOS). Abramowitz JS, Huppert JD, Cohen AB, Tolin DF, Cahill SP.. Behav Res Ther. 2002 Jul;40(7):825-38. doi: 10.1016/s0005-7967(01)00070-5. PMID: 12074376.
Religious Refugees: (De)Constructing Toward Spiritual and Emotional Healing (2020). Dr. Mark Karris. https://a.co/d/a7dKfLX
Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope by KPJR films https://kpjrfilms.co/resilience/
Sacred Wounds: A Path to Healing from Spiritual Trauma (2015). Teresa B. Pasquale. https://a.co/d/effmnVv
Scrupulosity disorder: An overview and introductory analysis.Miller, C. H., & Hedges, D. W. (2008). Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 22(6), 1042–1058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2007.11.004
Spiritual abuse in Christian faith settings: definition, policy and practice guidance. Oakley, L., Kinmond, K. and Humphreys, J. (2018). The Journal of Adult Protection, Vol. 20 No. 3/4, pp. 144-154. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAP-03-2018-0005
The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma and Adversity (2021). Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. https://a.co/d/b3djnPa
The Diabolical Trinity: Healing Religious Trauma from a Wrathful God, Tormenting Hell, and a Sinful Self (2023). Dr. Mark Karris. https://a.co/d/a1h7GKs
The Doubting Disease: Help for Scrupulosity and Religious Compulsions (Integration Books) (1995). Joseph W. Ciarrocchi. https://a.co/d/1lCACAd
The Effect of Trauma on Religious Beliefs: A Structured Literature Review and Meta-Analysis. Leo, D., Izadikhah, Z., Fein, E. C., & Forooshani, S. A. (2019). Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 22(1), 161-175. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838019834076 (Original work published 2021)
The Mind of the Bible-Believer (1988). Edmund D. Cohen. https://a.co/d/fInPNbe
The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics (1996). Dr. Elaine Pagels. https://a.co/d/j3w3p7a
The Relation Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adult Health: Turning Gold into Lead. Felitti VJ. Perm J. 2002 Winter;6(1):44-47. doi: 10.7812/TPP/02.994. PMID: 30313011; PMCID: PMC6220625.
The Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale: Development and initial validation. Exline, J. J., Pargament, K. I., Grubbs, J. B., & Yali, A. M. (2014). Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 6(3), 208–222. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036465
The Role of Religious Values and Beliefs in Shaping Mental Health and Disorders. Pastwa-Wojciechowska, B., Grzegorzewska, I., & Wojciechowska, M. (2021). Religions, 12(10), 840. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12100840
The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share, and Follow the Golden Rule (2005). Dr. Michael Shermer. https://a.co/d/d8GJBLQ
Therapeutic Considerations in the Treatment of Religious Trauma. Doctoral Project Presented to the Faculty School of Behavioral Sciences, California Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY by Brittney R. Doll, November 28, 2022. https://www.proquest.com/openview/daf34145aec6f5318b4eaa1d8df8e12c/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
Trauma and PTSD Symptoms: Does Spiritual Struggle Mediate the Link? Wortmann JH, Park CL, Edmondson D. Psychol Trauma. 2011;3(4):442-452. doi: 10.1037/a0021413. PMID: 22308201; PMCID: PMC3269830.
Trauma Bonding and Interpersonal Crimes (Psycho-Criminology of Crime, Mental Health, and the Law) 1st Edition (2024). Joan A. Reid. https://a.co/d/h6c5XPd
When Good People Have Bad Thoughts: Religiosity and the Emotional Regulation of Guilt-Inducing Intrusive Thoughts. Hale, M. A., & Clark, D. A. (2013). Journal of Psychology and Theology, 41(1), 24-35. https://doi.org/10.1177/009164711304100102 (Original work published 2013)
When religion and obsessive-compulsive disorder collide: treating scrupulosity in Ultra-Orthodox Jews. Huppert JD, Siev J, Kushner ES. J Clin Psychol. 2007 Oct;63(10):925-41. doi: 10.1002/jclp.20404. PMID: 17828763.
When Religion Hurts You: Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High-Control Religion (2023). Dr. Laura Anderon. https://a.co/d/cSFDJ9J
Who are the religious “dones?”: A cross-cultural latent profile analysis of formerly religious individuals. McLaughlin, A. T., Van Tongeren, D. R., Teahan, K., Davis, D. E., Rice, K. G., & DeWall, C. N. (2022. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 14(4), 512–524. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000376