Review of <i>When Religion Hurts You: Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High-Control Religion</i>

Twenty eight percent of Americans now claim no religious preference.1 This is the largest such response and is only expected to keep growing.There are countless reasons for the decline in participation in organized religion in America, many of which have yet to be discovered or understood, but I imagine one reason may be people's experience of religious trauma.In When Religion Hurts You, Laura Anderson provides personal anecdotes on the impact of adverse religious experiences (AREs) in high-controlling religions (HCRs) and she offers markers of healing from religious trauma.When Anderson began her research on religious trauma, she thought she was alone in experiencing a trauma response to her religious upbringing.But now, as a psychotherapist who specializes in religious trauma, she knows that is not the case.In her book, Anderson takes us on a journey on the road of healing from religious trauma.This book brings together Anderson's doctoral research, clinical experience, and personal story.Anderson explains her methodology of research to be autopyschography, which means that her life and experiences were the motivation and foundation for this research.2 She acknowledges the limitations this methodology of research may encounter, but she garners insights from scholars across a span of disciplines to reduce the negative impact of such limitations.Anderson began her research by using social media to ask the question: "What do you wish your therapist knew about religious trauma?"She was not sure what to expect, but she received Chaplain (Major) Katie Fanning Chaplain (Major) Katie Fanning serves as a Full-time Unit Support Chaplain