Church PTSD cartoon by nakedpastor David Hayward

Are you Suffering from Church PTSD?

David Hayward
1 minute read

Are you suffering from church PTSD? I know I did! It's wise to not underestimate the profound affects negative experiences in the church can have on you.

church ptsd cartoon nakedpastor david hayward

There are degrees of intensity of PTSD, but PTSD is PTSD!

Not everyone who leaves the church suffers from PTSD but many do!

I remember a couple of years after I left the ministry and the church, I visited a very liberal, open church. But it was an extremely triggering experience for me. I caught myself pushing myself back into my chair as I endured the controlling, ridiculing, and shaming undertonesof the preacher's words... something most people there were probably completely oblivious to.

Now I can recognize it and manage it when I find myself in those situations. I learned how to do it. It is helpful to get therapy for it.

You can experience wholeness.
You willĀ remember it without reliving it.
I'm a living testimony to that.Ā 

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