Adrenaline Spirituality: Trauma-Driven Religious Experience in Wartime Ukraine

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 intensified a process that began in 2014: the deep entanglement of religion, volunteerism, and military chaplaincy under prolonged wartime conditions. As the conflict persists, the number of volunteers and clergy declines due to exhaustion and casualties, while frontline spiritual and humanitarian needs continue to grow, making religious networks a key infrastructure of wartime mobilization. This paper introduces the concept of «adrenaline spirituality», a form of religious experience shaped by sustained exposure to danger and moral urgency. It argues that prolonged frontline engagement produces a profound and often irreversible transformation of consciousness among volunteers and chaplains. The study proposes a three-stage model: moral mobilization, normative conflict, and the exhaustion–dependency paradox, where burnout coexists with an inability to disengage. This framework contributes to international debates on religion, trauma, and wartime spirituality.