Faith leaders, those who hold positions of leadership within churches and other faith-based organizations, can benefit by increasing their knowledge related to mental health, and to trauma in particular. Understanding trauma, including religious trauma, can help faith leaders create spaces that are trauma-responsive and offer increased safety to trauma survivors.
I’m Michelle F. Moseley, a licensed clinical mental health counselor in North Carolina who specializes in working with complex trauma and specifically with supporting those who have experienced harm in religious or spiritual contexts. I have 15+ years experience working/serving in ministry settings, and am passionate about helping decrease the harm that may occur in these settings while also educating faith leaders to help cultivate greater mental health awareness.
What Is Religious Trauma?
Religious trauma is the physical, emotional, or psychological response to having your nervous system overwhelmed within a religious context. This can be related to specific beliefs or practices, or to the misuse of power within a religious setting. Religious trauma is trauma – the word “religious” here simply provides some context for the type of trauma experienced. One 2023 study found that approximately one-third of US Americans will experience religious trauma in their lifetime.
Some survivors of religious trauma or spiritual abuse no longer want to be involved with faith or spirituality in any capacity. However, many who have experienced religious trauma or spiritual abuse long for a church or other faith-based space where they can connect with community and with God in ways that are sensitive to their trauma-impacted nervous systems.
What About Those Who Want to Stay?
I have spoken with many survivors of religious trauma who spent years seeking a faith community where they felt their pain was understood and where they experienced freedom to engage in ways that felt safe for them without being pushed toward particular activities or ways of showing up in the space. Personally, I spent many years of my own religious trauma healing where I was attempting to find a church where my experience was believed and my presence felt welcome. This is not only my story, but the story of thousands of other survivors of religious trauma or spiritual abuse.
Many survivors reach a point where their faith is shattered and they are exhausted from working so hard to find a place where they are welcome in their journey of healing. The very place (i.e. church) and people who survivors hope can be understanding and compassionate have become synonymous with judgment and pain. And, for many survivors that find themselves at that point, they stop trying so hard, stop showing up at services or events, and slip into the category of “nones.”
Who are the “Nones”?
Gallup (the survey people) does polls related to religious beliefs. “Nones” is how they describe individuals who do not have any sort of belief or religious involvement. They fit into none of the other categories.
Data – from late 2021 – showed that less than 50% of adults in the United States endorsed any type of religious affiliation. By 2025, the percentage of “nones” in the US had grown to 24%, with 35% of young adults (ages 18-29) fitting into the “none” category.
And the most surprising results may be those regarding the involvement of women in religion. Both research throughout the years and anecdotal evidence has shown that women have tended to be more involved with religion than men. Many smaller churches acknowledge they would not have survived without the involvement and service of women.
Yet, in 2021, for the first time in the history of records being kept, women in the United States are less likely to be involved in church than men. Of folks born in 2000 or later, often referred to as Gen Z, women are more likely than men to identify as “nones” – no religious affiliation and no religious involvement.
What Does that Have to Do with Religious Trauma?
These stats leave me to wonder how many of the folks who fit into the “nones” spent time longing to find a place to belong, worship, and/or serve. So many folks have felt rejected by the church (read more here), and many of those individuals eventually become “nones.”
I’m curious how many of the folks who were once committed to their faith have found more compassion and acceptance in other spaces than they found within faith-based spaces. How many of the young adults who are now “nones” are the children of the previous generations who were passionate about their faith in the 90s, but who experienced harm and weren’t able to find support within their church?
I wonder how many of these folks are part of the LGBTQ+ community and/or care about someone who is, and can’t reconcile the vitriol of many faith-based groups toward LGBTQ+ folks with the loving deity those groups claim to represent.
I wonder how many of the now “nones” reached out to a leader or expressed a need to their church, and were not acknowledged or even provided an opportunity to speak with someone and get support.
The statistics regarding women do not come as a surprise for me. I think about how many women I have spoken to who were pushed to the sideline or completely overlooked within a church or religious organization based on their gender. I think of the 1000s of women (yes, that many just from personal conversations) who come to my mind who longed to be part of a faith community and to serve with their talents, yet were told they could not do that simply because they are a woman.
And I think of the number of these women who still long to find a faith-based space that understands their experience and is both trauma-informed as well as responsive to the impact of trauma on individuals.
So many folks have experienced rejection, spiritual abuse, and religious trauma along their path to figuring out their spirituality. What would the statistics in the aforementioned surveys look like if faith-based spaces were led by those who were educated about trauma and committed cultivating trauma-responsive spaces and interactions?
What Can Faith Leaders Do?
Faith leaders have many options available to help them become more trauma-informed, that is, to increase your knowledge about trauma and its impacts.
Here are some books that speak to trauma from various perspectives:
- Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence – Judith L. Herman, MD (thorough exploration to trauma experiences and trauma recovery, with updated 2022 version available)
- Trauma in the Pews: The Impact on Faith and Spiritual Practices – Janyne McConnaughey (updated look at how trauma, particularly childhood trauma, shows up within spiritual practices)
- Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome – Reba Riley (memoir-type account of one woman’s journey to find healing)
- Torn – Justin Lee (combo of memoir and practical guidance around the “evangelical vs. gay” debate; recommended by members of the LGBTQ+ community)
Some podcast recommendations:
- Bodies Behind the Bus (Episodes include survivors sharing their own stories, as well as some experts discussing religious trauma and spiritual abuse.)
- Full Mutuality (Episodes explore inequality and injustice in areas of religion, culture, and society.)
- The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill (Series follows the founding and downfall of Mars Hill in Seattle, including stories from staff and attendees.)
- The Roys Report (focused on reporting truth about church and church leadership with focus on restoring the church)
For Faith Leaders Looking to Go Further
I’m going to speak directly to those who are in leadership positions within churches or other faith-based organizations. Being trauma-informed is the first step to being responsive to the ways that trauma shows up in your church or organization.
You have an opportunity to truly embody compassion, grace, and love within the groups you lead. You are in a position to change the culture of those groups and spaces. When you become more aware of how trauma impacts your people (and it does, I promise), you can incorporate that awareness in how you lead and into the policies and practices of your church or organization.
As a trauma therapist who specializes in working with survivors of religious trauma, I would be honored to help you learn and take steps to create a trauma-sensitive and trauma-responsive environment. Read on for some options of how you can work with me:
TRAUMA-INFORMED MINISTRY TRAINING
This training, available in 2 lengths as both an online webinar or an in-person event is designed to prepare you and your leadership team to effectively support the mental health of those under your care. We’ll discuss common mental health concerns and how to recognize them, how to create trauma-responsive spaces and gatherings, and what resources are available when more specialized mental health support is needed. Learn more about the Trauma-Informed Ministry Training here.
ONE-ON-ONE CONSULTATION
I offer consultation to faith leaders regarding concerns around mental health, trauma, and how to be more trauma-sensitive within your church or organization. If you’re interested in learning more about this, fill out this contact form to let me know and I’ll get back to you with more details.
MENTAL HEALTH RELATED EVENTS FOR YOUR GROUP
I am passionate about sharing information with others, and am eager to discuss with you how I might be able to provide information to your group around topics related to mental health that directly address your specific needs. Possible topics include creating trauma-informed small groups, recognizing depression or anxiety in teens, or general education regarding mental health. If this is of interest to you, please fill out this contact form and I’ll be in touch to discuss what would be the best fit for your group.
SEEK YOUR OWN MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
Being a leader is hard! Leading within a faith-based space can often come with multiple demands on your time and energy, as well the need to carry the concerns of many people. Not to mention any type of preparation and/or speaking that’s involved. I encourage you to care for your own mental health and find support to help you do so. Talking with a licensed mental health professional can be helpful even when things are going okay, and can be necessary when you start to feel the effects of life on your overall wellness. There are plenty of licensed mental health providers who will respect your role and beliefs, while providing a confidential space to receive your own support. If you’re looking for a mental health provider, I would be happy to assist you in finding a good fit. I have some availability to see folks who are located in NC, and I have a network of colleagues throughout the US. So, if you’re interested in learning what working with a mental health professional might look like, complete this contact form and I’ll be happy to follow up.
**This post was updated in April 2026.**
Michelle F. Moseley (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in NC (#12491). She believes ALL people deserve respect, compassion, and access to mental and physical healthcare. Michelle specializes in working with survivors of religious trauma, and with those who have body image concerns, finding there is frequent overlap in these areas. She also frequently supports late-identified neurodivergent individuals as they navigate the grief and relief of a new understanding of self. You can learn more about Michelle by visiting her website at MichelleFMoseley.com or following her on Instagram – @therapy_with_michelle
Sign-up for Michelle’s Monthly Email Newsletter to make sure you never miss a blog post