The Effects of Trauma on Religious and Spiritual Change

An emerging area of research on religion, spirituality and trauma has documented religious change in the wake of trauma, with some individuals casting doubt on their faith and others renewing their investment. However, the emotional and cognitive processes involved in faith change remain unclear. This study addresses this gap in the literature through in-depth interviews with eleven participants who experienced changes in their religion as a result of a traumatic experience. The interviews aimed to uncover 1) changes in participants' worldview 2) changes in participants' relationship with their deity and 3) personal and social factors that affected participants' faith change. Data was analyzed thematically using the grounded theory approach and an integrative model of religious change was proposed. Findings indicated that participants engaged in an emotional, cognitive and relational process of faith change that generally followed three paths: weakening of faith, strengthening of faith, and developing an individual spirituality.M.A