Religious Trauma:

High-Demand / High-Control Groups

Friday, October 24th - ONLINE - live interactive virtual course

9-Noon PST / 10-1 MST / 11-2 CST / Noon-3 EST

3 CE's available for counselors in:
Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Trauma & Dissociation: Suicidality, [course number], is approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program to be offered by Emma Sunshaw as an individual course. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE course approval period [dates]. Social workers completing this course receive [number] [type*] continuing education credits.

For CE credit, your zoom sign-in must match your registration name and email.

This event will be recorded, and it is for CLINICIANS ONLY.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER


COURSE DESCRIPTION:


Religious Trauma Syndrome (RTS) is a complex and often misunderstood form of psychological injury stemming from high-control religious environments, spiritual abuse, and coercive faith-based systems. This advanced training provides social workers with a comprehensive framework for understanding and addressing RTS through the lenses of trauma theory, dissociation, moral injury, and attachment. Participants will explore assessment models such as the BITE Model and Bonewits’ Cult Danger Scale, examine ethical considerations related to belief deconstruction and spiritual agency, and learn evidence-informed treatment strategies grounded in polyvagal theory, ego-state work, and narrative repair. Special emphasis will be placed on working with marginalized populations, recognizing spiritual coercion as a form of complex trauma, and fostering post-traumatic growth within a liberation framework.

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES:

  • Define religious trauma as a form of complex trauma, and distinguish it from general spiritual distress or theological doubt.

  • Identify the key characteristics of high-demand religious systems, including mechanisms of coercive control (e.g., behavioral, informational, emotional, and thought control) using the BITE model and other frameworks.

  • Explain the psychological and physiological impacts of chronic spiritual abuse, including dissociation, CPTSD symptoms, moral injury, and disrupted attachment systems.

  • Analyze the intersection of religious trauma with colonialism, white supremacy, and the “white savior” complex, with particular attention to cultural erasure in missionary work and institutional religion.

  • Describe at least three trauma-informed clinical approaches for treating survivors of religious trauma, including ego-state work, somatic interventions, and polyvagal-informed care.

  • Apply a decolonizing lens to spiritual healing, supporting clients in reclaiming or reconstructing meaning, identity, and spiritual agency on their own terms.

AGENDA TIMELINE (3 Hours):

  • 15 min Welcome and Framing
    • Introduction to scope of topic
    • Defining religious trauma vs. spiritual struggle
    • Setting a trauma-informed tone

  • 35 min Understanding High-Demand Religion
    • Definitions: High-demand, culty, coercive control
    • BITE model and Bonewits evaluation framework
    • Real-world examples (e.g., FLDS, Mars Hill)

  • 30 min Psychological and Embodied Impacts
    • CPTSD, dissociation, scrupulosity, moral injury
    • Polyvagal theory and religious trauma responses
    • Internal conflict: “Faithful self” vs. “authentic self”

  • 10 min Break

  • 30 min Colonialism, Missionary Trauma, and Intersectionality

  • Religious trauma as cultural genocide

  • “White savior” complex and racialized harm

  • • LGBTQ+, adoptees, BIPOC survivors

  • 20 min Pathways to Healing

  • Ego-state/parts work for inner spiritual conflict

  • Somatic tools for safety and re-embodiment

  • Narrative repair and faith deconstruction

  • 25 min Therapist Role and Ethical Care

  • Bias, countertransference, and spiritual sensitivity

  • Decolonizing spiritual support frameworks

  • Creating spiritually safe therapeutic spaces

  • 15 min Closing Reflection and Resources


SPEAKER BIO:

Emma Sunshaw, Ph.D., has a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development, a Master's Degree in Professional Counseling, and her Doctorate is in Marriage and Family Therapy. As a licensed clinical counselor, she has been in private practice since 2003 and licensed and working in the field since 1999, with additional experience in ER triage, inpatient psychiatric, residential treatment, school-based, and outpatient settings. Dr. Sunshaw currently serves as faculty and as the Training Program Coordinator for the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). She has served as the international clinical coordinator for humanitarian aid organizations offering counseling and trauma resiliency training to government leaders, humanitarian aid workers, and first responders in war zones and natural disaster sites. Dr. Sunshaw has published articles, written books, and she lectures internationally about trauma and resiliency.