Deconversion: Sometimes healthy, sometimes not

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The aftereffects of leaving a religion (aka “deconversion”) are sometimes healthy, and sometimes not.

John Fortenbury of The Atlantic presents examples of both in his article titled “The Health Effects of Leaving Religion.”  Although many who leave religions that they no longer feel in sync with experience feelings of liberation, others go through long periods of anxiety, depression, alienation and even suicidal tendencies.  These negative effects are often strongest for recent deconverts.

Psychologist Darrel Ray, who founded an organization called Recovering From Religion (which is specifically geared toward connecting “nonbelievers with therapists and each other”), states that it “generally takes depressed deconverts two to three years for their health to bounce back.”

Psychologist Marlene Winell originated a term called “religious trauma syndrome (RTS),” which she defines as “struggling with leaving an authoritarian, dogmatic religion and coping with the damage of indoctrination.”  She sees this syndrome as being akin to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Fortenbury concludes that the type of aftereffects very much depend upon whether or not the religious experience had been perceived as positive or negative.  He also emphasizes that the intensity of many such aftereffects indicates just how powerful a force religion can be.

Resources

http://news.msn.com/us/the-health-effects-of-leaving-religion-1

Copyright October 14, 2014 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved