Polyvagal Theory & Adverse Religious Experiences
Let's talk about Polyvagal Theory and it's relationship to adverse religious experiences. Polyvagal Theory provides a map of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), defining how this system shapes experiences of safety and impacts our ability for connection. The stories you tell about yourself about who you are and how the world works begin in the ANS.
Adverse Religious Experiences (AREs) are any experience of a religious belief, practice, or structure that undermines an individual's sense of safety or autonomy and/or negatively impacts their physical, social, emotional, relational, sexual, or psychological well-being. These experiences have the potential of resulting in religious trauma.
Do Less
My word of the year for 2023 is “whole,” and my theme for this year is “do less.” The need to do less - and thereby be more - has been gnawing at me for some time. As someone in a helping profession, I derive a significant amount of meaning from showing up for people, doing for people. However, doing without being is often ineffective and leads to burnout. I’ve been there: my nervous system has been dysregulated, my body has carried the burden of my doing, and my relationships have suffered due to a constant need to hustle.
Symptoms of Religious Trauma
Religious trauma is distinct from other trauma experiences typically due to the concept of god or the divine being a part of the adverse experiences. Just as experiences of trauma are unique from individual to individual, experiences of religious trauma - while sharing certain themes - are unique from individual to individual.
Religious Trauma & Adverse Religious Experiences
The most helpful way for me to conceptualize religious trauma is by considering the concept of adverse religious experiences (AREs), which, according to the Religious Trauma Institute, are any experiences of a religious belief, practice, or structure that undermines an individual’s sense of safety or autonomy and/or negatively impacts their physical, social, emotional, relational, or psychological well-being.
Spiritual Self-Care
The final domain of self-care we will be considering on this journey is that of spiritual self-care. Spiritual self-care doesn’t necessarily have to relate to religion, though it can and does for many people; it is related to how you connect to and nourish your spirit (or soul, or other concept along those lines that resonates for you) and how you find meaning and purpose in life. Spirituality is also related to our vision and connection to things outside of ourselves.