Religious Trauma and OCD
Why do so many religious trauma survivors have OCD?
Something that you may not know is that religious trauma and obsessive, compulsive symptoms frequently go hand-in-hand. This might be a little difficult to grasp so take your time reading this post. If you have OCD and religious trauma, it could be relieving for you to realize the connection is not just you.
But first, let me break down what OCD even is. According to the DSM-5, or the diagnostic manual used by psychologists, OCD has two parts: “obsessions” and “compulsions.” You only need one to have OCD. Obsessions and compulsions are both time-consuming and impair your life. Here is a quick overview of obsessions and compulsions:
Obsessions:
Obsessions are recurring and persistent thoughts, images, or urges that feel unwanted and intrusive. Many times, these obsessions are upsetting, and we try to ignore or suppress them. For example, someone might have intrusive and unwanted thoughts about a loved one going to hell or a spiritual influence trying to tempt you. Sometimes, one way to try to neutralize the anxiety of obsessions is to perform a compulsion.
Compulsions:
Compulsions are repetitive, rigid behaviors or mental acts that people do to reduce unbearable anxiety in the moment. Compulsions can look like the stereotypical hand-washing, OR it can look like praying and repeating words silently. What makes compulsions different from regular actions is that they are aimed to decrease distress in the moment, are excessive, and are irrational. For example, it can look like clasping your hands again and again or repeating “save me” in your mind every time something unsettles you until you don’t feel anxious anymore (at least, temporarily until the next obsession).
How are OCD and religious trauma connected?
Now that we’ve clarified what obsessions and compulsions are, let me review why OCD and religious trauma are so connected.
In my previous posts about religious trauma’s effects on relational and emotional development, I delved into how the theology of sin, hell, and evangelism can make you hypervigilant and distrusting of your environment. Basically, religious trauma makes you feel unsafe at all times, because you can’t ever really get away from your own “tempting” thoughts, unseen evil spiritual forces, or the fear of eternal damnation.
In rigid religious environments, followers may secretly question if they have truly won God’s favor, unless they behave in a holy manner and avoid sinful behavior. This can look like constant hypervigilance against “falling out of God’s will” unless we behave in very rigid, perfectionistic ways. This may explain why religious trauma is frequently tied to obsessive, compulsive symptoms.
You can imagine that someone who is constantly on guard against demonic influences, or falling into the “sins of your flesh” would live plagued by a deep anxiety. These thoughts about scary doctrine can become obsessive. As a response, people may engage in compulsions to try to relieve themselves of anxiety.
What do I do now?
If you feel that you are experiencing obsessive and/or compulsive symptoms from religious trauma, there are many steps you can take to start your healing journey. Our monthly religious trauma membership offers countless resources for survivors. If you are interested in getting professional support, you can book a free consultation with me or one of our therapists to explore online individual (CA residents only) or group (all US states welcome) therapy for religious trauma.
Want to read more about religious trauma? You’ve come to the right place! Here are all of our blogs talking about religious trauma:
Four Things That May Surprise You About Religious Trauma
Religious Trauma + Emotional Manipulation
Religious Trauma + Sexual Repression
Religious Trauma and Delayed Sexual Development
All therapists at Woven Together Trauma Therapy are trauma-informed and specialize in treating all forms of trauma. We also offer EMDR, Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, and Brainspotting which has shown to be extremely effective in treating and healing trauma. Want to read more about our unique therapy options?
These blogs talk more about the basics of EMDR:
You can read more about Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy here:
If you would like to learn more about Brainspotting, check out our blog: What is Brainspotting?