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SHERM 5/1 (2023): 1‒28 Article Licensed Under
CC BY-NC-ND
Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry
Volume 5, Issue 1, Summer 2023 shermjournal.org
© Darren M. Slade; Adrianna Smell; Elizabeth Wilson; Rebekah Drumsta
Permissions: editor@shermjournal.org
ISSN 2637‒7519 (print), ISSN 2637‒7500 (online)
https://doi.org/10.33929/sherm.2023.vol5.no1.01 (article)
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
Abstract: This sociological study aimed to ascertain the percentage of adults living in
the United States who have experienced religious trauma (RT) and what percentage
presently suffer from RT symptoms now. After compiling data from 1,581 adults living
in the United States, this study concludes it is likely that around one-third (27‒33%) of
U.S. adults (conservatively) have experienced religious trauma at some point in their
life. That number increases to 37% if those suffering from any three of the six major RT
symptoms are included. It is also likely that around 10‒15% of U.S. adults currently
suffer from religious trauma if only the most conservative numbers are highlighted.
Nonetheless, since 37% of the respondents personally know people who potentially
suffer from RT, and 90% of those respondents know between one and ten people who
likely suffer from RT, then it could be argued that as many as one-in-five (20%) U.S.
adults presently suffer from major religious trauma symptoms.
Keywords: Religious Trauma, Adverse Religious Experiences, Spiritual Abuse, Religious
Abuse, Religious Trauma Syndrome
Introduction
eading into the twenty-first century, physician Martin Rossman noticed
a disturbing trend among his patients: many were suffering from the
lifelong consequences of being raised in a toxic religious environment.
He wrote, “A great number of people I see in my medical practice have been
traumatized rather than uplifted by their early religious training. I think that
L
Slade et al.: Religious Trauma
2
harmful religious training may be one of the great unrecognized causes of
mental and physical illness in our culture.”1 Although at the time he did not
have a psychological or medical term for what he was witnessing, Rossman’s
experiential assessment (and prediction) about the pervasiveness of what is now
understood to be religious trauma would turn out to be quite accurate. After
compiling data from 1,581 adults living in the United States (U.S.), this study
confirmed what Rossman and thousands of other practitioners have observed
for decades: religious trauma is, in fact, a society-wide phenomenon and
spiritual abuse is a chronic problem within religious communities.2
Study Rationale and Research Question
One problem is that the label “religious trauma” (RT) has remained
ambiguously defined in much of the peer-reviewed literature, making it difficult
for clinicians to identify and treat patients presenting with RT symptoms.3 To
make things more complicated, the literature simply assumes that so-called
“religious trauma” exists with little or no supporting empirical data. Indeed,
most discussions on religious trauma have relied on qualitative research that
focuses almost solely on individual experiences through case-studies and
interviews. Thus, this article intends to correct the gap in quantitative
knowledge by presenting findings from the most exhaustive sociological study
on religious trauma to date, which was funded and carried out by the Global
Center for Religious Research (GCRR). The purpose of this study was to
discover if RT was a society-wide occurrence or simply an affliction that only
a few disaffiliated religionists have mentioned in therapy.
The research question for the study is as follows: “What percentage of
adults living in the United States have experienced religious trauma at some
point in their life and what percentage currently suffer from religious trauma
symptoms?” The hypothesis is that about 15‒20% of the adult population have
suffered from RT while about 5‒10% currently suffer from RT symptoms.
Before summarizing the study’s collection and analysis methodology, it is
important first to define the terms used in the study.
1 Rossman, Guided Imagery for Self-Healing, 200‒1.
2 Despite the reckless (and uninformed) claim by Brad Wilcox and Riley Peterson that
“few people suffer trauma from religion in childhood” (Wilcox and Peterson, “Perspective: Don’t
Believe the Headlines”).
3 This article will use the term “religious trauma” and the abbreviation “RT”
interchangeably as a simple method to variegate both the language and grammar of the essay.
Slade et al.: Religious Trauma
22
some type of sexual dysfunction, such as an inability to reach orgasm, physical
pain during sex, a feeling of being abnormal, flawed, or immoral for engaging
in sex acts, and an overall denial of sexual urges and desires. These types of
symptoms can not only disturb a person’s core identity, but they can also cause
a lifelong disruption of meaningful interpersonal relationships.46 Thus, it is
important for future research to explore sexual dysfunction as a potential major
symptom of religious trauma.
Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to discover if religious trauma was a
society-wide phenomenon or simply an affliction of only a small few. As
predicted by numerous clinicians, the survey found that religious trauma is a
chronic problem within the U.S. adult population. In fact, NACRTR’s original
hypothesis under-estimated the total numbers by as much as 10‒15%. After
compiling data from 1,581 adults living in the United States, this sociological
study found that it is likely around one-third (27‒33%) of U.S. adults
(conservatively) have experienced religious trauma at some point in their life
(based on the definition above). That number increases to 37% if those suffering
from any three of the six major RT symptoms are included. It is also likely that
around 10‒15% of U.S. adults currently suffer from religious trauma if only the
most conservative numbers are highlighted. Nonetheless, since 37% of the
respondents personally know people who potentially suffer from RT, and 90%
of those respondents know between one and ten people who likely suffer from
RT, then it could be argued that as many as one-in-five (20%) U.S. adults
presently suffer from major religious trauma symptoms.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Darren M. Slade (PhD) earned his doctorate in theology and church history from the
Rawlings School of Divinity (Virginia). He is an adjunct professor of ancient history
and comparative religion at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. In addition
to his philosophical work, The Logic of Intersubjectivity, Dr. Slade specializes in the
socio-political development of religious belief systems that include ancient Near-
Eastern, Church, and Islamic history, as well as Second-Temple hermeneutical
practices, the intersection of religion and science-fiction, and misotheism. He is also the
Director of the North American Committee on Religious Trauma Research (NACRTR).
Darren currently serves as President of the Global Center for Religious Research.
Adrianna Smell (MA) earned her graduate degree in applied sociology from the
University of Northern Colorado (UNCO). She is currently pursuing a PhD in
Sociology with specializations in research methods and social inequality from Case
Western Reserve University (CWRU). Since 2019, Adrianna has worked as an associate
researcher at Springtide Research Institute. She has also worked as a research assistant
in the Sociology Department at CWRU, the Prevention Research Center for Healthy
Neighborhoods at CWRU, and the Social Research Lab at UNCO.
Elizabeth Wilson (LPC, LAC) is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed
Addiction Counselor at Reflective Wellness: Mind & Body. She has experience
working in private practice, residential settings, and in the community with populations
of all ages that suffer from mental illness, trauma, substance abuse and behavioral
issues. She has been a somatic trauma specialist since 2017.
Rebekah Drumsta (MA, CPLC) is a board member of The Vashti Initiative, a non-
profit with the goal to empower and assist those transitioning out of religious and
spiritual abuse. She is also the Chief Operating Officer of NPE Friends Fellowship, an
international non-profit organization that assists individuals and their families who have
received unexpected results from at-home DNA tests. Rebekah is a Certified
Professional Life Coach and holds an undergraduate degree in Urban Ministry and
Family Crisis (with a Christian Counseling minor), as well as a graduate degree in
Religious Education. She has made appearances on and consulted with BBC, NBC,
ABC, and a variety of other platforms such as podcasts and film projects. To learn more
about her work, visit RebekahDrumsta.com.