Why does your body still feel like you're in danger — even after you've left the church?
If you've walked away from Mormonism (or any high-control religion) and found that your mind is free but your body hasn't gotten the memo yet, this episode is for you. You know the doctrine isn't true. You've done the research. And yet your heart still races when you disappoint someone in authority. You still feel guilt over things that aren't wrong anymore. You still brace, scan, and shrink — automatically, before you can even think.
That's not a personal failing. That's your nervous system doing exactly what it was trained to do.
In this episode of Postmortem in Postmortem, Hannah and Jess dig into the science of why religious trauma lives in the body — not just the mind — and walk through the approaches that actually help reset it.
What we cover:
Polyvagal theory and the three nervous system states (ventral vagal, sympathetic, dorsal vagal)
Why Mormon theology was, functionally, a sophisticated threat-detection training program
How disorganized attachment forms when your safe person is also your source of danger
The psoas muscle — your body's physical record of stored fear
CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy) and how it dismantles the belief architecture trauma builds
EMDR and why healing sometimes has to happen below the level of conscious thought
TRE (Trauma and Tension Releasing Exercises) — shaking the freeze out of your body
Breathwork and why you already have one of the most powerful nervous system tools with you at all times
Neurofeedback — and what it feels like to experience safety in your own brain for the very first time
We also share our own experiences with each of these approaches — what worked, what surprised us, and what we wish someone had handed us earlier in this process.
Healing from religious trauma is real. It's possible. And it starts with understanding that your body isn't broken — it's just still running old software.
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Chapter List
00:00 Understanding the Gap Between Mind and Body in Trauma
02:59 Exploring Polyvagal Theory and Nervous System Responses
05:09 The Impact of High-Control Religions on the Nervous System
07:49 Body-Based Therapies for Healing Trauma
10:25 The Role of Attachment in Religious Trauma
13:20 Hypervigilance and the Nervous System
15:16 The Importance of Body Awareness in Healing
18:00 Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) Explained
19:46 Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Overview
21:46 Trauma and Tension Releasing Exercises (TRE) Introduction
24:15 Breathwork as a Healing Tool
26:42 Neurofeedback and Rewiring the Brain
29:16 Integrating Healing Approaches for Trauma Recovery
31:25 Reclaiming Your Body and Nervous System
34:02 The Journey of Healing from Religious Trauma