Editing Religious trauma syndrome (section)

== Related empirical research ==

A study of male Vietnam [[Veteran|combat veterans]] with penetrating [[Traumatic brain injury|traumatic brain injuries]] found that [[Lesion|lesions]] in the [[prefrontal cortex]] (PFC), particularly the [[Ventromedial prefrontal cortex|ventromedial]] (vmPFC) and [[Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex|dorsolateral]] (dlPFC) regions, influence adherence to religious fundamentalism. Individuals with vmPFC damage showed higher fundamentalism scores, while dlPFC lesions indirectly increased fundamentalist beliefs by reducing [[cognitive flexibility]] and [[Openness to experience|trait openness]]. The findings suggest that rigid adherence to religious doctrine is partly supported by PFC-mediated cognitive processes, with fundamentalist thinking reflecting diminished flexibility and lower openness, highlighting the role of the brain in maintaining socially reinforced beliefs.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-01-08|title=A link between brain damage and religious fundamentalism has now been established by scientists|url=https://www.salon.com/2019/01/08/a-link-between-brain-damage-and-religious-fundamentalism-has-now-been-established-by-scientists_partner/|access-date=2020-10-28|website=Salon|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Zhong|first1=Wanting|last2=Cristofori|first2=Irene|last3=Bulbulia|first3=Joseph|last4=Krueger|first4=Frank|last5=Grafman|first5=Jordan|date=June 2017|title=Biological and cognitive underpinnings of religious fundamentalism|journal=Neuropsychologia|volume=100|pages=18–25|doi=10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.04.009|issn=1873-3514|pmc=5500821|pmid=28392301}}</ref>

=== Research on religious trauma ===
To date, most research on religious trauma has been qualitative research with an individualistic, experiential focus. These have been interview-based or case studies from clinical practice.<ref name=":10">{{Cite book|last=Winell, Marlene.|title=Leaving the fold|date=2007|orig-year=©1993|publisher=Apocryphile|isbn=978-1-933993-23-2|location=Berkeley, CA|oclc=133132622}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Zuckerman, Phil|title=Faith no more : why people reject religion|date=June 2015|isbn=978-0-19-024884-0|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|oclc=898157509}}</ref> 

Jill Aebi-Mytton surveyed former [[Exclusive Brethren]]; they experienced higher psychological distress than the general population, primarily due to the trauma of leaving the group, with distress influenced by lost family relationships, group identity internalization, and [[Child sexual abuse|childhood sexual abuse]].