How Religious Fundamentalism Damages the Human Brain (and Society)
Researchers have found a link that paints a stunning picture.
People are always surprised when they find out that the majority of my clients come to me with some kind of religious trauma in their background. For some, it’s severe. Starvation. Beatings. For others, it’s subtle. Subconscious programming that has hindered the way they see themselves and the people they love.
It’s taken a long time, but we’re now starting to wake up to the trauma that high control and fundamentalist religion can do. Now, the research is starting to catch up and painting a scary picture for all those still stuck in that Ol’ Time Religion.
Researchers find a link between religious fundamentalism and brain damage.
A 2019 study published in Neuropsychologia points to functional impairment of the brain caused by fundamentalist religions.
Fundamentalist religions, no matter their denominations, are high control groups that apply strict interpretation of dogmas, scriptures, and ideologies. They both oppose and discourage progressive thinking. In these groups, there is only the body of the organization and “the others” - who are labled as dangerous and divisive people that threaten the religious group.
Think groups like Ol’ Timey Baptists. The Pentecostals. Mormons. Sharia Islam groups.
Researchers were curious to understand how these types of groups affected the thinking styles of their members. So, they set out to get some answers.
Their study was conducted by investigating the cognitive and neural systems involved in religions fundamentalism. Using a group of 119 Vietnam War veterans, 89 of whom had brain damage in the areas suspected of being affected by religious fundamentalism. The team (led by Jordan Grafman of Northwestern University) took CT scans that analyzed and compared the prefrontal cortex in the veterans. The majority of participants identified as Christian. Another 32.5% of the participants did not identify with any particular religion.
Essentially, what the researchers discovered was two things:
Brain trauma, psychological disorders, addictions, and certain genetic profiles made individuals more susceptible to religious fundamentalism.
Religious fundamentalism harms the development of the prefrontal cortex and makes it harder for individuals to think with flexibility and openness.
Both findings are substantial because they point to some glaringly obvious issues in the people we love and the world around us.
You see, cognitive flexibility - or the ability to change beliefs when presented with new evidence or learning - is key to progressive organisms. Without this flexbility, organisms (even big ones like we humans) can remain stuck in patterns of behavior and belief that limit our ability to grow and to flourish.
Having a large number of the population who are prone to the damage of religious fundamentalism, or those who have been traumatized by it, poses a threat to our society. If we cannot be open and flexible in our thinking about the future, we will be doomed to the history books with all the other failed humans who have come before us.
Can the damage be undone?
If religious fundamentalism and religious trauma damage the brain, it leads one to a rational next question. Can that damage be undone? Can we heal our prefrontal cortex and recover size and function? While the study didn’t address these questions directly, there is some compelling evidence out there that it can indeed be undone (to a point).
There is evidence our brain can be repaired through the evolutionary “magic” of our brain’s own natural function. I’m talking, of course, about neuroplasticity, or our brain’s natural ability to “repair” itself after trauma or damage.
The concept comes down to the way our brain works naturally. A tangle of neurons and synapes (and a lot of other, more complicated stuff), our brain essentially moves through the world rewiring itself in response to the stimuli it experieces. For example, if you run a red light and the get into a car wreck, your brain rewires itself to look for and prevent car wrecks each time you approach a red light in future.
Neuroplasticity works much the same way in terms of recovering the brain from trauma (both physical and emotional).
First, there is functional plasticity, in which the brain moves function from damaged areas of the brain to undamaged areas of the brain. Second, there is structural plasticity, or the brain’s *literal* ability to change its structure as a result of learning.
The first type of plasticity, usually stimulated through the care of a neurologist or neurosurgeon, is typically focused on those who have sustained a traumatic brain injury.
The second type of neuroplasticity has been shown to help those who have sustained both physical and emotional trauma. It can help to regulate the nervous system, relieve anxiety and depression, and even increase cognitive function. It’s a powerhouse in helping trauma victims recover themselves and the natural processes of their brains. Neuroplastic exercises like juggling especially have been shown to help repair the brains of those who have sustained traumatic injuries.
These must be complicated techniques, right? Wrong. The greatest part of structural plasticity takes place through learning.
Reading. Writing. Playing instruments. Painting. Sewing. Brain teasers. All of it is good for your brain and helps it to structurally reform itself in healthier and more well-adjusted ways. Being creative can help us to repair our brains, change the way we think, and increase our emotional resilience. It’s a win-win when you think about it. Following your brain’s natural curiosity can help it to recover itself.
Here’s the real rub, though…
While neuroplasticity may have the power to repair the damage in those who have take on brain damage from religious trauma…their minds may not be open to it. Therein lies their biggest flaw (and their biggest danger) revealed in the study. For one to learn, to pursue creative avenues on the scale needed to repair the brain, openminded thinking is key. Without that, one may never seek help at all.
What this study could mean for society as a whole.
This study is in its early days. The researchers have admitted themelves that their succesful trials bring up more questions than answers. All the same, there are some implications to society as a whole that we can already see playing out much in the fashion of this study’s results.
The issue of open-minded thinking is perhaps the most shocking result of the study.
Those who participated in religious fundamentalism were less open in their thinking. That means more rigidity and a lowered ability to see the “bigger picture.” It’s a scary conundrum. When so much change is needed, how do we keep moving forward with people who aren’t willing to see beyond their purview?
It explains a lot when you look at states like Tennessee, which is more focused on banning drag queens from schools than it is on keeping hold of its free school lunch program. Who spends more time litigating women’s bodies than addressing the ongoing ecological disasters that are poisoning Tennessee’s natural beauty and working to increase climate disasters?
It makes one ponder some important questions.
Can we move forward as a society with religious fundamentalism as a part of the cultural fabric?
How do we bring people into the future who don’t have the ability to openly imagine a future that’s free and equitable to all?
These are questions that we will have to grapple with in years to come. Especially as the economic conditions deteriorate and more and more people turn to organized religion for answers.
The reality is that there is only so much we can do. With genetics and culture always playing a part in the adoption of religous fundamentalism, we are at the mercy of our own shortcomings…and the hope of our forward thinking.
© E.B. Johnson 2024