Both sides of the coin: Counsellors’ stories of the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood

This study explored seven counsellors’ experiences of the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood. The primary aims were to facilitate volunteer co-researchers in the telling of their own and/or their clients’ anonymised stories of growing up within Fundamentalist Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, to psycho-educate professionals and add to the sparse literature on what is often a hidden topic. The research questions were ‘Might a fundamentalist religious upbringing be influential on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood? What are counsellors’ experiences?’
The methodology combined relational-centred reflexivity with the collaborative narrative approach (Arvay, 2003; Etherington, 2004; Finlay & Evans, 2009), with co-researchers being fully involved in a seven-stage process. Stories were collected via unstructured interviews, with a separate reflexive analysis process leading to interpretative interviews, which then produced summative ‘pen portraits’ for each co-researcher.
The advantages and disadvantages of a strict religious childhood were identified in the findings. Benefits include learning about religious matters from a young age, foundational beliefs and values, and a sense of belonging obtained within a religious community, enabling resilience. Conversely, physical and mental health challenges in adulthood were linked to the familial environmental dynamics of a ‘them and us’ culture, feeling different, imposed ‘all-or-nothing’ rules, and authoritarian parental fearmongering through indoctrination.
The outcomes demonstrated the importance of being heard and understood when stories about the influence of a fundamentalist religious upbringing on mental health and wellbeing in adulthood are shared. Psycho-education of counsellors and psychotherapists, and other caring professionals in related occupations, is regarded as crucial. The original contribution to knowledge from this UK-based study is that counsellors’ stories have revealed that there can be beneficial and detrimental aspects of a fundamentalist religious upbringing that can positively or negatively influence mental health and wellbeing in adulthood. The power of such stories being heard and validated by an understanding professional is evident.