Institutional and systemic failure

Being harmed or exploited within a religious institution

Being harmed by a religious leader, clergy member, or within a religious institution. Abuse that was covered up or ignored by the institution. Being told to forgive, stay silent, or that what happened was God's will. The particular wound of being harmed in a place you went to for spiritual safety.

If some version of this is part of your story, you already know that the hardest part is rarely the memory itself. It is carrying it in a world that mostly does not want to hear about it. This fellowship exists so you do not have to carry it alone, and so you never have to explain it to someone who has no idea what it means.

What can follow an experience like this

No two people carry the same experience the same way. These are some of the effects that people with this experience often describe. Having some of them, all of them, or none of them says nothing about how real what happened to you was.

Complex or ongoing trauma and its effects When trauma happened repeatedly, over a long time, or at the hands of people who were supposed to care for you, the effects go deeper than a single event. Depression Not just sadness. Not knowing who you are, or experiencing multiple parts or identities A self that shifts depending on who you are with. Trouble letting people in emotionally The wall that goes up when someone tries to get close. Falling into the same role in every relationship The role you played in your family of origin follows you. Flashbacks and reliving what happened After certain experiences, the brain can get stuck, replaying what happened through flashbacks, nightmares, or sudden intense reactions to things that remind you of it. Not knowing who to trust Trust that was broken, repeatedly, by people who were supposed to be safe. Shame or feeling like something is broken in you Not guilt about something you did.

Nothing on this page is a diagnosis, and nothing here decides what is wrong with you, because nothing is wrong with you. Something happened to you. This page exists so that when you are ready, you can find people who understand it from the inside.

You do not have to carry this alone.

Bridge of Hope Recovery is a free, anonymous, peer-led fellowship for trauma survivors. Meetings run throughout the week by phone, by video, and in person. No cost, no waitlist, no one asking for your real name.

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