Cults, Culture & Coercion with Dr. Steve Hassan When Religion Hurts You: Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High Control Religion with Dr. Laura E. Anderson
11 snips
Jan 15, 2024 
Dr. Laura E. Anderson, a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery, shares her journey from a strict Christian upbringing to healing from religious trauma. She discusses her experiences with spiritual abuse and explores how political figures can trigger deconstruction. Laura emphasizes the unique aspects of religious trauma, the importance of grief in rebuilding relationships, and cautions against viewing atheism as a one-size-fits-all solution. Her insights provide a valuable perspective on navigating the complexities of faith and trauma.
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Raised Inside A High‑Control Camp
- Laura Anderson grew up in a fundamentalist Christian camp environment with strict rules and isolation.
- She describes being steered into roles by spiritual authority and taught not to question leaders or her bodily knowing.
Spiritual Abuse And Blacklisting
- Laura recounts being hired by her church and experiencing spiritual abuse, public screaming, and gaslighting by a pastor.
- Leaders then blacklisted her applications, blocking her escape and forcing her to find other work to regain autonomy.
Abusive Partner Echoed Religious Messages
- Laura discovered overlap between abusive partner messages and spiritual teachings when reviewing her journals after leaving.
- That realization launched her clinical interest in parallels between domestic abuse and high‑control religion.
