You will hear this said so often, by religious trauma therapists – religious trauma is trauma. You will also hear us say – you heal trauma through the body – or somatically.
If you’re here, you might be feeling the heavy weight of your past experiences, wondering how to find peace within your own body. You’re not alone in this. Many of us who have faced religious trauma struggle with feeling disconnected from ourselves, our bodies, and our sense of safety.
However, you can begin to restore the connection through simple, yet powerful, practices. Whilst religious trauma can create a disconnect between mind and body. You can start to regulate your nervous system to foster a sense of calm and connection.
Understanding Religious Trauma
Religious trauma can leave deep, lasting scars that affect every part of your life. It’s more than just the emotional pain; it seeps into your thoughts, beliefs, and even how you experience your own body. If you’ve felt the intense fear, shame, or confusion that often comes with religious trauma, know that your experiences are valid and real.
This trauma often stems from harmful teachings, abusive practices, or toxic community dynamics that make you question your worth and safety. The symptoms can be wide-ranging and deeply impactful. Anxiety, depression, nightmares, and a pervasive sense of guilt or unworthiness. It can feel like you’re constantly battling an invisible enemy that’s lodged in your mind and heart.
Understanding the nature of religious trauma is the first step toward healing.
By recognising the source of your pain, you can start to unravel the complex web of thoughts and feelings that have been tied up with your traumatic experiences. This awareness is empowering. It’s the foundation upon which you can start to build a new, healthier relationship with yourself and your body.
The Disconnect
One of the most challenging aspects of religious trauma is the disconnect it can create between your mind and body.
You might find yourself feeling detached, almost as if you’re watching your life from the outside. This dissociation is a common response to trauma, especially when your experiences have taught you to mistrust your own feelings and instincts. It can make you doubt your body’s signals, leaving you feeling estranged from the very vessel that carries you through life.
This disconnect might manifest in several ways:
- Lack of Trust in Your Intuition: You might second-guess your gut feelings, unsure if you can rely on them. You may not even be able to recognise what your intuition sounds like.
- Difficulty Recognising Your Needs: It can be hard to know what you need or want, both physically and emotionally. Particularly if you where part of a church/family that taught you what to think, not how.
- Feeling Out of Sync: There’s often a pervasive sense of being out of sync with your body, as if it’s a stranger.
- Emotional Numbness: You might feel emotionally numb or have difficulty experiencing a full range of emotions.
- Physical Symptoms: Unexplained aches, pains, or chronic health issues can be your body’s way of expressing unresolved trauma.
- Hyper-vigilance: Constantly being on edge or feeling the need to be alert can be exhausting and disconnect you from your body’s natural rhythms.
- Difficulty with Physical Boundaries: You might struggle with setting or respecting physical boundaries, feeling either overly guarded or excessively vulnerable.
Understanding this disconnect is a crucial first step in your healing journey. By acknowledging that your mind and body have been impacted by trauma, you can begin to gently rebuild that lost connection. It’s a sign that you’re ready to start healing and reclaiming your sense of self.
Healing Through Your Nervous System
Healing from religious trauma involves a deep, mindful reconnection with your body and learning to regulate your nervous system.
When you experience trauma, your body can become a home for stress and tension. Your nervous system may be stuck in a state of fight, flight, or freeze. If you want to learn more about trauma responses, a previous blog.
Understanding how the nervous system works is crucial. It’s made up of the sympathetic nervous system, which activates the stress response, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms you down. Healing requires engaging both systems to bring balance.
Somatic healing, which focuses on the mind-body connection, can be particularly effective. Practices like mindful breathing, yoga, gentle movement, or even expressive dance help ground you in your body and in the present moment. These activities allow you to process and release stored trauma. You might also try more unconventional methods, like laughter yoga, which uses laughter to reduce stress and elevate mood. Or forest bathing, which involves immersing yourself in nature to soothe your senses and nervous system.
In addition, engaging in activities that stimulate your vagus nerve—the key player in your parasympathetic nervous system—can significantly help in calming your body. Cold exposure, like a splash of cold water on your face or a cold shower, can activate the vagus nerve and promote a state of calm. Singing, humming, or chanting can also stimulate the vagus nerve, helping to regulate your nervous system.
This takes time and is a gradual process. Each step you take toward reconnecting with your body and learning to regulate your nervous system is significant. Try to embrace it with self-kindness and patience.
Suggestions For Nervous System Regulation
Here are some creative and out-of-the-box suggestions to help regulate your nervous system and support your healing journey.
- Ecotherapy: Engage in ecotherapy practices, such as gardening, walking barefoot on grass, or spending time by the ocean. Connecting with the earth can have a grounding effect and support nervous system regulation.
- Sensory Play: Incorporate sensory play into your routine. Activities like playing with kinetic sand, using essential oils, or exploring tactile materials can help soothe your nervous system.
- Qi Gong or Tai Chi: Practice Qi Gong or Tai Chi, gentle martial arts that combine movement, breathing, and meditation to promote balance and relaxation.
- Art Therapy: Use creative expression as a form of therapy. Painting, drawing, or sculpting can help you process emotions and regulate your nervous system.
- Float Therapy: Experience deep relaxation and sensory deprivation in a float tank. Floating in saltwater can help reduce stress and promote a sense of calm.
- Sound Healing: Attend a sound bath or use sound healing instruments like Tibetan singing bowls or tuning forks. The vibrations can help calm your nervous system and create a meditative state.
- Pet Therapy: Spend time with animals, whether it’s playing with a pet, visiting a petting zoo, or volunteering at an animal shelter. Interaction with animals can provide comfort and help regulate your nervous system.
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Use progressive muscle relaxation techniques to systematically tense and then relax different muscle groups. This helps release physical tension and promotes a sense of calm.
- Breathing with a Straw: Try breathing exercises using a straw to slow down your breath and enhance relaxation. Breathing through a straw can help regulate your nervous system and improve focus.
Experiment with these suggestions and discover what works best for you. Each practice offers unique benefits and can support your journey toward healing and nervous system regulation.
Moving Forward
As you explore these practices, remember that healing from religious trauma is a deeply personal journey.
Each step you take toward understanding and nurturing yourself is significant and empowering. Embrace it with patience, compassion, and curiosity, and allow yourself the space to find what works best for you.
If you’re seeking additional support, feel free to reach out for professional help or explore further resources. You can contact me here!