Module 2: Religious Trauma and the Nervous System

This module explores how the four core autonomic nervous system responses—fight, flight, freeze, and fawn—manifest in individuals recovering from high-control religious environments. Grounded in polyvagal theory and trauma research, participants will examine how these responses reflect adaptive survival mechanisms shaped by chronic fear, coercion, and spiritual overcontrol. The module connects specific nervous system states to common clinical presentations such as religious overperformance, emotional numbing, spiritual dissociation, and loss of boundaries in the presence of religious authority. Emphasis is placed on understanding neuroception and how misread cues of safety and danger can perpetuate trauma patterns. Clinicians will gain the tools to distinguish between trauma adaptations and personality traits, using case studies to support clinical application.