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| Religious Addiction:
Inner Peace Or Inner Turmoil? Uzma Mazhar Religious beliefs serve an important function in the daily lives and attitudes of most of us. Especially in today’s often chaotic and unpredictable world, a sincere faith in the power of God and adherence to religious rituals can give us better moral guidance, more emotional stability, and valuable serenity. Religion helps people to be centered and grounded. However, a person’s fervent religious practices can signify other, darker aspects of his or her mental health. For example, if someone’s faith is used to mask or avoid psychological problems, or if their religious inclinations are taken to extremes, there is an excellent possibility that the person is suffering from a psychiatric disorder. Often it is a way to cover their own pathology, hiding it from others or accusing others for being it's cause. This can be compared with Dual Diagnosis in Alcoholism, ie: sometimes when a person deals with their alcoholism and quits drinking, only then does their underlying psychiatric pathology become apparent. Alcohol in this situation was used to self-medicate. One term used to describe such a case is “hyper-religiosity.” A “hyper” condition of any sort—e.g. hyperactivity, hyperglycemia, etc.—simply means too much of something. In the case of religious beliefs, the question of having too much becomes a factor when the religion starts adversely affecting people’s social behavior, their ability to function rationally, and even their own physical health. Being very religious is not by any means an
absolute indication of bipolar or manic or depressive behavior; on the contrary, a
healthy approach to religious rituals is vital for the comfort and
well-being of countless people. So it’s a highly sensitive issue to
question someone’s beliefs or practices. Nevertheless, anything taken too far can do more harm than
good. Evaluating And Assessing Hyper-Religiosity If you know someone who is extremely
religious, consider their history: How their religious attitudes affect people can represent an infinite variety of causes and motivations, and the reasons behind those causes can explain a great deal about the individual’s psychological profile and mental stability. It’s not enough to simply say, “His religion makes him feel good,” because there are many troubled people who find similar peace and strength through negative stimuli as well, such as alcohol. Religion, like alcoholism, can be a crutch, and it can be an addiction. Just as with alcohol, religion may be used to hide other problems. Addiction is defined as the abuse of a substance to cover up the underlying disease or discomfort. Religion can be viewed as an addiction if it is used as a cover up for unresolved issues of shame, anger and authority. When you take away the superficial layers of the drinking or the religion, the underlying pathology is revealed. Knowing what lies underneath that veneer of religion is critical to understanding the hyper-religious person’s behavior. Therefore, it helps to know what brought about the change in attitude when someone’s conspicuous preoccupation with religious belief and ritual takes on an extreme, consuming new importance in their lives. A suddenly increased interest in God and religion is often triggered by a trauma or severe anxiety, and those may come in many forms:
When people’s security in themselves is threatened, for whatever reason, they often turn to God. Such a reaction is understandable: a confused, frightened individual who feels helpless will naturally reach out for a source of comfort and solace. Also, a frequent catalyst for triggering hyper-religious behavior may be a latent psychiatric disorder, such as depression. Regardless of the reason why a person chooses to pursue religion, at what level does healthy, normal religious belief become abnormal? Often the personality change is subtle. Eventually, though, hyper-religious behavior will manifest itself in obvious and disconcerting ways, such as: Loss of Objectivity Reactivity: Anger and Defensiveness Judgmental
and Critical Obsessive and Compulsive Behavior Isolation Breakdown By then, it’s clearly evident something is wrong. If you know someone whose interest in religion has suddenly (or even gradually) reached a point of fixation—when their regular lives are negatively affected—you need to understand what’s motivating their behavior. The problem could go away, but it could also get worse. The ultimate temptation of the believer is to assume that his or her way to God is the best or only way for others. The particular Way to God becomes what is adored, not the ineffable and incomprehensible Mystery to which we give the name of God. In essence they become addicted to their faith. It becomes a means of escape. It is no longer a living BY faith; with understanding, hope and growing in unconditional love. Instead of love of God softening their lives, it makes them harsh, rigid and limited. Uzma Mazhar
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