Religion and Trauma

This roundtable session will explore the intersection of theology and trauma, with particular focus on religious trauma. Recent global studies indicate that 1 out of every 10 people around the world are de-identifying from religion, specifically because of traumatic or abusive experiences in church (McLaughlin et al. 2022). It is thus the task of this panel to reimaine conceptual and contextual frameworks for connection with the divine alongside trauma survivors. As a panel that is interdisciplinary in nature, we will have input from theologians, philosophers, psychologyists, clinicians, and pastors alongside of the experiences and testimony of trauma survivors.