This post is the second in a 2-part series – read part 1 here.
Trauma occurs when something happens too fast, too soon, or is too much for an individual’s nervous system, and the person is unable to return to a sense of safety and support following the experience. Religious trauma is trauma that has some basis in religious beliefs, structures or practices.
As I mentioned in part 1, many folks were immediately driven to action to help support and assist those impacted by Hurricane Helene. Some of these helpers based their decision on their religious faith. There are religious-based groups and individuals who have provided much-needed resources and skills in these first few weeks of recovery.
There are also several examples of groups or individuals who claim to be helping as an outward sign of their religious beliefs, yet the ways they have engaged have actually hindered recovery efforts and even caused harm in some instances. Read on for three examples of how past religious trauma has been stirred up, or the foundation for new religious trauma has been laid in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
The Wrath of God
The first thing that I’m going to address in this post as a source of new or stirred up religious trauma is the messages around this flood being a punishment from God. Asheville, NC is one of the areas that experienced a big impact from Helene. Asheville is also known for being an area with more “live and let live” vibes. There is thriving community in Asheville for folks who may be viewed by some religious folks as “alternative”, “liberal”, or “sinful.”
Some of those same religious folks have spoken out quite loudly that the flooding in the area was God’s punishment for Asheville being open and accepting of a variety of folks. These proclamations have directly harmed folks I know. There are people now dealing with feelings of guilt or newly triggered trauma responses in addition to attempting to recover their lives and businesses and deal with loss of friends and family in the flooding.
This rhetoric is not helpful. It often causes greater harm to the already hurting. These statements also diminish the loss of the many small towns surrounding Asheville, some of which were completely wiped out. Many of these towns were filled with folks who hold the same “traditional” beliefs of those shouting that the floods were God’s punishment. Did this God get confused when doling out wrath?
Love, empathy, and compassion are much more helpful expressions in the context of humans dealing with disaster.
The Photo Opp
You may know that I previously worked with a well-known campus ministry prior to becoming a mental health counselor. There are folks in that world of ministry who truly desire to love others well because they love God. There is also an underlying pressure to “get the photo” and make sure you have a good story to tell because you’re relying on others to financially support your life.
One of the college campuses impacted by flooding was Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. Many students lost their vehicles and all of their belongings to the floods. A few days after the flood waters began to recede, I started to see photos and posts online from individuals still involved with the ministry I previously worked for. There were folks from outside the area who had traveled into Boone, despite pleas from local officials that people not travel into the area at that time. There were multiple posed photos of college students and ministry staff standing in front of areas where the damage from Helene was obvious.
Each photo included a caption celebrating how giving and helpful those staff and students were, not acknowledging they had shown up in an area where they were actually requested not to be. Then I came upon a caption that broke my heart. It read (with name changed): “We’re so proud of Lucy, a student at App State. She was sent by [big name non-profit] to her own apartment complex, where she lost everything just days ago, to assist with the cleanup. What resilience we’ve seen in Lucy and all these students.”
My trauma-informed spidey senses went berserk when I read this. A young person – likely 18-20 years old – just experienced the loss of all her belongings in an unprecedented natural disaster. She was then directed, while likely still in shock from her own loss, to go back to the exact location of her own loss to assist others. This directive came from folks in authority with organizations – the campus ministry and the non-profit – who proclaim to be doing work for God, and who likely represent God in some way to these students.
The age of “Lucy” makes her highly impressionable. The openness and eagerness that are generally present in young adulthood are the very reasons that all sorts of groups go after college students and try to convince them to commit to that group’s cause.
Based on what we know about trauma responses, it is quite likely that Lucy hadn’t had an opportunity to process her own experience and loss. Due to the frequency of spiritual bypassing – using spiritual words, phrases, and actions to avoid processing difficult emotions – it’s quite possible that “Lucy” may not have an opportunity to process this until months or years down the road.
Being directed back to the location of loss is a way of bypassing emotional processing through “doing God’s / good work” and not allowing the nervous system to return to equilibrium and a sense of safety. The authority dynamic, particularly the fact that these adults are likely seen as speaking for God on some level, adds another layer of potentially traumatic experience. Trauma is about the individual nervous system, and I can’t say for certain that “Lucy” will deal with trauma-related issues due to this experience. However, I can say that there are much more trauma-sensitive ways to handle these types of situations.
But they got their feel-good post and photo opp…
The Big Name Non-Profit
I’m not going to officially name the Big Name Non-Profit (BNNP) because they have legal teams and I don’t want to get sued. I also see the sad irony in fearing that a supposedly Christian BNNP would sue someone for making truthful statements, yet that’s where we are. Side note, this is the same BNNP that sent “Lucy” back to her own flooded apartment complex to assist others.
BNNP is well-known around the world, but happens to be based in the mountains of NC. Several folks have pointed out issues related to finances and political alignment of BNNP over the years. I’ve also known quite a few folks who have spent time either working or volunteering with BNNP and have stories of what happens behind the scenes from the dismissing of mental health to the manipulation of emotions in order to increase giving and conversion (to Christianity) numbers.
I have talked with several mental health providers who either call Western NC home or who have been connected with local organizations to provide mental health first aid in the area following Helene. They have all stated that BNNP is causing lots of frustration for many of those offering assistance in the area. BNNP put out a call for volunteers, yet it doesn’t seem that they vetted the skills of these volunteers or provided any scheduling or direction as to where volunteers should go to be most helpful. Multiple people have told me that folks have just shown up with no supplies or no related knowledge / skills and said they called BNNP and were told to just come. Trying to figure out where these people came from and if / how they might be of help takes time and resources away from those most in need.
BNNP is also a go-to suggestion for many folks looking to give financially. Some percentage of this money does go toward purchasing supplies that are distributed to those in need. However, according to public records, the CEO of BNNP is paid over $600,000 per year from these donations.
Along with the supplies that are distributed, folks also experience forced conversations and literature about religion. Religion is comforting for some during stressful times, and options for those discussions should be available. But when someone needs water and a blanket, it’s not appropriate to force them to engage with religion. Using those tactics is coercive and take advantage of folks when they are most vulnerable.
If you don’t see an issue with being forced to accept Christian literature or discuss the Christian God when receiving supplies, I ask you to consider how you would feel if it were Buddhist literature or a forced discussion of the Islamic Allah?
Closing Thoughts
Natural disasters often leave impacts that last well into the future. Western NC is forever changed by the impacts of Hurricane Helene, and the people of Appalachia will continue to band together to rebuild and move forward.
Support and resources will be needed for months, and even years to come. This includes mental health support as folks continue to process their experiences and figure out what their path forward looks like.
- If you want to give supplies or use your skills to offer support, please connect with a local group and find out what is actually needed. This can make every donation and volunteer hour go so much further to meeting actual needs. A few organizations that I have heard positive things about from folks who call Western NC home include Hospitality House, Community Housing Coalition of Madison County, and BeLoved Asheville. Please do your own due diligence in deciding where and how to give.
- If you are feeling overwhelmed or out-of-sorts following the floods, seek out a licensed mental health professional to provide support and resources. This is a good resource to get you started.
- If you want to give financial support toward mental health services for those impacted, contact me for more details. All funds collected will go toward covering the cost of free and low-cost sessions offered to survivors of Helene, and toward financial recovery for the mental health providers in Western NC who have lost substantial income.
- If you are drawn to give or go toward helping those who are recovering from a natural disaster because of your religious faith, please take a moment to be curious about what is going to be most helpful to those you’re seeking to assist. You can share your compassion for others without causing harm.
Michelle F. Moseley is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in NC. 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. You can learn more about Michelle by visiting her website at MichelleFMoseley.com or following her on Instagram – @therapy_with_michelle
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