When Religion Hurts You: Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High-Control Religion Paperback -

From the rear cover

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 draws on clinical research, stories from clients, and her own experience to show how individuals can embark on a journey of healing after leaving a high-demand, high-control religious system. She offers markers of healing for those coming out of painful religious experiences and hope for finding wholeness after religious trauma.

"A must-have for anyone in the muddy aftermath of their exit from high-control or extreme religious groups."
--Sarah Edmondson, author of Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult That Bound My Life

"The most comprehensive, reflective, and helpful book about recovering from religious trauma and church abuse that I've ever read."
--Matthew Paul Turner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Is God Like?

"A must-read for those who want to deconstruct the complexity of religious trauma through a lens that is not only scientific but also compassionate."
--Yolanda Renteria, licensed professional counselor

"Both compassionate and wise, When Religion Hurts You is the informative guide needed when making sense of and healing from the disorienting and painful experience of religious trauma."
--Hillary L. McBride, PhD, psychologist, author, speaker, and podcaster

"A welcome home for those struggling to leave the emotional terrain of adverse religious experiences and abuse."
--Dr. Jennifer Mullan, founder of Decolonizing Therapy, LLC

"A valuable resource that will help people not only to understand what religious trauma is but also to find a holistic path of healing beyond it."
--David Hayward, a.k.a. NakedPastor

"A valuable addition to the robust literature on helping people recover from trauma due to either being born into a religious group that isn't healthy or being deceptively recruited into a religious cult."
--Steven Hassan, PhD, MEd, LMHC, NCC, founder and director, Freedom of Mind Resource Center Inc.

"A refreshing and hopeful voice during what feels for many of us like a time of great despair."
--Bradley Onishi, PhD, scholar, and co-host of the Straight White American Jesus podcast