Understanding Triggers, Dysregulation, and Trauma Responses After Spiritual Abuse

Info from Dr. Gpt:

For someone who has experienced spiritual abuse, especially when emotions like anger were viewed as sinful or influenced by negative spiritual forces (such as the devil), it can be difficult to understand or process emotions in a healthy way. When this person experiences strong emotional reactions, those reactions might feel confusing or overwhelming. Let’s break down what it means to be triggered, dysregulated, experience regression, or have a trauma response, in a way that acknowledges their past spiritual trauma.

1. What Does It Mean to Be Triggered?

Being triggered refers to when something in your environment—whether it’s a person, event, or even a thought—reminds you of past trauma or a painful experience, often causing a strong emotional reaction that feels disproportionate to the situation at hand.

For example, if someone was spiritually abused and taught that anger was a sin, they may feel an overwhelming sense of shame or fear when they start to feel angry, even in situations where anger is a natural and justified response. This emotional response can feel like it’s taking over their body and mind, and they may feel flooded with guilt or fear, even though there’s no immediate danger.

• Explanation for someone with spiritual abuse:

  • "Being triggered means that something in the present reminds you of something painful from your past, often unconsciously. It might be an event, a word, or even an emotion that you were taught to fear or suppress. For example, if you’ve been taught that anger is sinful, feeling angry might trigger feelings of shame or fear because your brain associates anger with something 'bad' or even spiritually dangerous."

2. What Is Dysregulation?

Dysregulation occurs when your nervous system and emotions become overwhelmed, and you feel like you’ve lost control of your emotional state. After being triggered, your body may go into a state of emotional overload, where it becomes hard to think clearly, manage your feelings, or act in a way that feels balanced or safe. You may feel flooded with intense emotions, such as anger, fear, or sadness, without being able to calm down easily.

For someone who has experienced spiritual abuse, dysregulation can happen when they feel emotions they were taught to fear or avoid. For instance, anger might lead to dysregulation if they’ve internalized the belief that feeling angry means they’re sinful or that they’re allowing a negative influence into their life.

• Explanation for someone with spiritual abuse:

  • "Dysregulation happens when your emotions and body feel overwhelmed. It’s like your nervous system is out of balance, and it becomes really hard to calm down or feel in control. For example, if you’ve been taught that anger is bad or sinful, feeling angry might make you feel panicked or out of control because your body doesn’t know how to handle the emotion without fear or shame."

3. What Does It Mean to Regress?

Regression happens when a person, often unconsciously, reverts to earlier patterns of behavior or emotional states that they may have used to cope in the past, especially in childhood. In the context of spiritual abuse, this could mean reacting in a way that resembles how you felt or acted when you were deeply immersed in the spiritual beliefs that harmed you.

For example, if you’re confronted with a situation that makes you feel vulnerable or scared, you might find yourself acting or feeling like the younger version of yourself that was conditioned to fear certain emotions or behaviors, such as immediately apologizing for feeling angry or withdrawing because you feel ashamed.

• Explanation for someone with spiritual abuse:

  • "Regression means going back to emotional or behavioral patterns from the past, often when we’re under stress or feeling overwhelmed. If you’ve been told that anger was sinful, you might find yourself reacting to anger the way you were taught to as a child—by feeling guilty or shutting down. It’s like a part of you is going back to a time when you didn’t feel safe or free to express yourself."

4. What Is a Trauma Response?

A trauma response is a physical, emotional, or behavioral reaction that is shaped by past traumatic experiences. When someone has been through spiritual abuse, their trauma responses might be linked to the teachings or control they experienced. For example, if they were taught that emotions like anger or sadness were spiritually dangerous, they may react to those feelings with extreme avoidance, fear, or guilt.

A trauma response can take many forms, such as:

• Fight, flight, freeze, or fawn: These are common responses to trauma. You may feel like you need to fight back, escape the situation, freeze and feel stuck, or "fawn" by trying to please others to avoid conflict or judgment.

For someone who has endured spiritual abuse, their trauma responses might be particularly tied to feelings of guilt, shame, or fear of punishment, especially when they encounter emotions or behaviors that they were taught were sinful or wrong.

• Explanation for someone with spiritual abuse:

  • "A trauma response happens when your body and emotions react to a current situation based on the fear or pain of past trauma. If you were taught that anger was from the devil or that certain emotions made you sinful, you might react with panic, shame, or even the need to avoid those feelings. It’s your body’s way of trying to protect you, but it’s often based on past beliefs that no longer serve you."

Helping the Client Reframe These Experiences:

Given this background, the client can begin to understand that these reactions—being triggered, dysregulated, regressing, or having trauma responses—are natural responses to past trauma. These responses do not mean that they are sinful, broken, or under any spiritual influence. Instead, they are signs that the body and mind are trying to cope with emotional pain in ways that were shaped by their past experiences.

5. How to Cope with These Responses:

• Mindfulness and Grounding: Practicing mindfulness can help the client stay in the present moment and recognize that the emotional reactions they’re experiencing are not spiritual messages or signs of sin, but instead are rooted in past trauma. Grounding techniques, such as focusing on the breath or feeling their body in contact with the ground, can help them regain control when they feel dysregulated.

• Cognitive Reframing: The client can work on reframing their emotions and trauma responses as natural and normal rather than viewing them as something bad or sinful. For example, instead of thinking, “I’m feeling anger, this must mean I’m doing something wrong,” they can learn to say, “I’m feeling anger because my boundaries are being crossed, and that’s a valid emotional response.”

• Self-Compassion: The client needs to practice self-compassion when they feel triggered or have a trauma response. Instead of judging themselves for feeling out of control or overwhelmed, they can remind themselves that these are normal reactions based on past trauma and that they are allowed to feel all of their emotions, including anger.

Final Thoughts:

For someone who has experienced spiritual abuse, understanding what it means to be triggered, dysregulated, or to have a trauma response is essential to healing. These reactions are not sinful or dangerous—they are natural responses to past emotional pain and fear. By reframing these experiences and learning to approach them with compassion and understanding, the client can start to heal from the impact of their spiritual trauma and develop a healthier relationship with their emotions.