Hi there, OneInBillions! Welcome.

To come back to your original question:

Quote:

I'm just wondering if there is anyone else on these boards who believes they suffer from this condition.

I don't think it's necessary the label that is important. But I do believe that growing up in a strict religious system of any kind can be harmful and that the effects can still be felt/experienced much later in life.

For me it was important to find a therapist who is empathetic, who "gets it" and realizes that the aftermaths of growing up in a fundmentalist (kindof) setting are real:
selfworth, selfcompassion, a sense of hope/of a future that is worth living, a sense of identity etc - all those are areas where a lot is missing for me.
I found it important to be able to talk about my "religious hangups" in therapy. To rant about the million weird things that can trigger me in every day life. To work on strategies how I can nuture a sense of self, of identity, of allowing myself to "just be" without having to "prove myself" all the time...

And believe me: Things do get better. Slowly, one step at a time, sometimes barely recognizable. And my therapist has been a wonderful travel companion and big support on this way.

Probably it would be helpful to find a therapist who you feel you can really open up to regarding your issues with religion. It does make a huge difference. I'm aware that this might be difficult, since you live in Utah. But I'm sure it's worth the effort to search for someone. When looking for a T I even interviewed them about their views on religion/faith. Some would talk about it openly (I explained why I felt the need to know/ask this, since it is rather personal...), those who refused to answer I never went back to. Those who said they are a practising believer of XYZ faith I never went back to either. I even found a buddhist therapist extremely triggering once he got into "preaching mode" (he taught mindfulness meditation and I took a course with him...)

I found the work of Marlene Winell really helpful. Maybe it's because of her first hand experience combined with her psychological/therapeutic insight. When I first read about her concept of religious trauma syndrome (RTS) I thought "at last there is someone who knows and understands and puts it into words..." I actually made my therapist read the articles on RTS, she had a good grasp of what is going on beforehand, but I believe that reading the articles made her realize how big and central those issues are, that they go really deep and right to the core.
I really recommend that you read her book "Leaving the Fold" if you havn't already.

FYI there is a group here on PC called former fundamentalists that might be helpful:
http://forums.psychcentral.com/group...entalists.html

Wishing you all the best on your journey, c_r