Module 5: Deconstruction vs. Trauma Healing

This module helps clinicians differentiate between cognitive faith deconstruction and holistic religious trauma recovery by clarifying the limits of belief-based change when nervous system trauma remains unresolved. While cognitive deconstruction involves intellectually questioning religious doctrines and ideologies, it often does not engage the somatic imprints of trauma—such as fear, shame, dissociation, or chronic dysregulation—that persist long after leaving a high-control faith system. Participants will be introduced to the concept of embodied fundamentalism, where survivors mentally reject harmful beliefs but continue to carry internalized threat responses, rigidity, or spiritual fear in their bodies. The module emphasizes the importance of recognizing when clients are cognitively “out” of religion but still somatically entrenched in survival-based patterns, allowing clinicians to shift from insight-oriented work to more integrative trauma care.