The Lived Experience of Religious Trauma among Transgender and Gender Diverse People: An Interpretative Phenomenonological Analysis

Authors

Patrick T. Meyer, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Dena Abbott

Committee Members

Mun Yuk Chin, Philip Schwadel

Date of this Version

7-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts

Major: Educational Psychology

Under the supervision of Professor Dena Abbott

Lincoln, Nebraska, July 2025

Comments

Copyright 2025, Patrick T. Meyer. Used by permission

Abstract

Religion has served as a framework to support the psychological well-being of people across cultures throughout human history, yet there is growing scholarly and public interest in how religious institutions and people inflict harm on members through spiritual means. Extant literature demonstrated that transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people experience gendered microaggressions in religious spaces, and their social position within the church likely holds unique insights into the subjective experience of religious trauma. Even though research with people who have had adverse religious experiences has increased over time, little is known about TGD people who experience lasting psychological damage due to religious experiences. In the present study, guided by interpretative phenomenological analysis and feminist standpoint theory, six TGD people in the US participated in semi-structured interviews to explore their experiences of religious trauma, closely examining the intrapsychic, interpersonal, and spiritual implications of this form of psychological distress rooted in religion. Five group experiential themes were identified: (a) nuance in gender identity development, (b) transphobia cloaked in religious messages, (c) experiencing inner psychological struggles, (d) an ambivalent relationship with religion, and (e) the process of being in a religious world. Results suggested that insular and cisnormative religious communities created barriers for participants in gaining self-knowledge related to their internal sense of gender. The findings also highlighted the ‘stickiness’ of religious trauma, as negative psychological functioning remained despite distancing from organized religion. However, participants were often able to construct meaningful narratives regarding their religious trauma through relationships, personalized religion, and psychotherapy. In some ways, TGD people converged with previous research findings related to religious trauma, yet sin being located in the self (through gender identity) as opposed to a person’s actions presents novel findings. This research offers important insight for mental health professionals working with patients who identify as TGD and/or who experience religious trauma. I provide implications for clinical practice as well as document directions for future research.

Advisor: Dena Abbott