Module 10: The Living Experience of Healing

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Laura Anderson, PhD, LMFT

APA CE Credits: 1.25

This program is co-sponsored with Traumastry. Traumastry is approved by the American Psychological Association and NBCC to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Traumastry maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Learning Objectives

• Participants will be able to analyze three clinical reasons why religious trauma and complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) should be conceptualized as chronic, body-based conditions and evaluate how this framework informs long-term trauma recovery and treatment planning.

• Participants will be able to apply three trauma-informed, body-based intervention strategies that support emotional regulation, interoceptive awareness, and sustainable recovery among clients navigating long-term effects of religious trauma and CPTSD.

Program Summary and Justification

This program provides psychologists and licensed mental health professionals with an evidence-informed framework for understanding religious trauma and complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) as chronic, body-based conditions that require long-term integration rather than short-term symptom resolution. Research on CPTSD demonstrates that prolonged interpersonal trauma—particularly experiences involving coercion, identity suppression, and relational control—can produce enduring disturbances in emotional regulation, self-concept, and interpersonal functioning (Cloitre et al., 2019; Karatzias et al., 2017). Unlike single-incident trauma models, CPTSD reflects exposure to chronic relational environments that shape psychological and physiological functioning over extended periods of time. Empirical research further indicates that CPTSD symptoms frequently overlap with patterns of shame, relational withdrawal, and dysregulated stress responses that persist beyond the original traumatic environment (Cyr et al., 2021; Frost et al., 2020). For individuals raised in high-control religious systems, these trauma dynamics may develop through prolonged exposure to spiritual coercion, identity suppression, and moralized shame, making long-term trauma frameworks particularly relevant for clinical treatment.

Emerging research examining religious and spiritual abuse supports the clinical importance of this framework. Studies indicate that experiences of religious or spiritual abuse are associated with impaired psychological functioning and disruptions in identity and spiritual well-being (Ellis et al., 2022; Ellis et al., 2023). Individuals leaving high-control religious groups frequently report long-term processes of identity reconstruction, social adjustment, and emotional integration following departure from these environments (Björkmark et al., 2022; Thoma et al., 2023). These findings suggest that recovery from religious trauma often unfolds as an extended process rather than a discrete therapeutic endpoint. For psychologists working with survivors of high-control religion, understanding trauma recovery through a chronic care lens can reduce client shame related to non-linear healing processes and support treatment approaches that emphasize pacing, integration, and long-term resilience.

In addition to psychological impacts, trauma research indicates that prolonged traumatic stress may influence physiological functioning and physical health outcomes. Studies examining trauma exposure have identified associations between adverse experiences and chronic pain, somatic distress, and other long-term health conditions (Bussières et al., 2023; Marin et al., 2021). Qualitative research examining individuals living with CPTSD further highlights the interconnected nature of psychological and bodily experiences of trauma, with participants frequently describing physical pain and emotional distress as mutually reinforcing processes (Blackett et al., 2025). These findings underscore the importance of integrating somatic awareness and physiological regulation into trauma treatment. Interoception—the awareness of internal bodily states—has been identified as a key process in emotional regulation and mental health functioning and may serve as an important therapeutic target in trauma recovery (Khalsa et al., 2018).

Building on this empirical foundation, the program introduces trauma-informed, body-based intervention strategies designed to support long-term healing among individuals recovering from religious trauma and CPTSD. Research examining somatic trauma therapies suggests that interventions emphasizing bodily awareness and bottom-up regulation strategies can support reductions in trauma symptoms and improvements in psychological functioning (Andersen et al., 2017; Andersen et al., 2020). Additional research on trauma treatment highlights the importance of integrating emotional processing with physiological regulation in order to support sustainable recovery over time (Ford & Courtois, 2021). By integrating empirical research from trauma psychology, religious trauma scholarship, and somatic intervention research, this program equips psychologists with clinically relevant tools for supporting long-term trauma recovery. Participants will strengthen their ability to conceptualize religious trauma through a chronic trauma framework and apply evidence-informed interventions that promote emotional regulation, embodied safety, and sustainable healing for clients navigating the long-term effects of high-control religious environments.