Religious trauma, scrupulosity and OCD.

Environments built on fear of sin, punishment or contamination teach children to monitor their thoughts closely and fix them with rituals. For a brain already prone to OCD, that is fertile ground. Many adults find their OCD themes still echo what they were taught, long after they have left.

• Compulsive praying, confessing or reviewing whether you did something wrong
• Intrusive thoughts that feel blasphemous or immoral, and intense guilt about them
• Childhood rituals to prevent harm to family members
• A deep belief that you are inherently bad
• Shame about your upbringing, or about having belonged to a group others call a cult
• Grief, anger or confusion while deconstructing your beliefs

I don't steer anyone toward or away from faith. We start with what is causing distress now. ERP addresses the scrupulosity and compulsions. EMDR and parts work help process frightening memories and the beliefs they left behind. Deconstruction support gives you space to work out what you actually believe, at your own pace.

Shame is common here, and many people have never talked about it with anyone. You don't need to explain the theology. I have worked with people from a range of high-control groups.

Free tools: OCD themes quiz · printable OCD doubt toolkit