The role of religion in facing traumatic event among ultra – orthodox men

Religion provides a core set of beliefs, values, and meaning for individuals of faith – expressed in their daily actions – and various studies conducted in recent years have found that it plays a central role in their coping with traumatic events. While a person’s religious faith can be a source of support, lending meaning to the traumatic event and thus making a crucial contribution to the individual’s mental resilience, a traumatic event that poses a challenge to religious belief can also, potentially, undermine mental resilience and add to the distress arising from this event.

Studies on the role of religion in dealing with a traumatic event have produced varied findings, with some studies reporting religion's contribution to adaptive coping and others reporting worsening distress. These same varied findings have been revealed in studies that have been conducted specifically among the ultra-Orthodox Jewish population, but these studies are few and far between, making it difficult to arrive at an understanding of religion’s role in this particular community, following a traumatic event. In addition, little to no attention has been given to the distinction between the contribution of the “philosophical” aspect (religious faith) and the contribution of the “practical” aspect (religious lifestyle; ritual observance) in dealing with a traumatic event.

The purpose of this study was to examine the interplay between religious faith/lifestyle and trauma. More specifically, I wished to know to what extent an ultra-Orthodox man who has undergone a traumatic event perceives his religious faith and lifestyle as being meaningful to the way he deals with a traumatic event. And to what extent does he perceive the traumatic event as having future implications for this religious faith and lifestyle? The current study was conducted qualitatively and on the basis of the phenomenological approach, delving into the way the individual perceives, experiences, describes, and gives meaning to a particular phenomenon. Semi-structured interviews were held with 13 ultra-Orthodox men, ages 18-50, who experienced a traumatic event in their lives, representing a heterogeneous sample of ultra-Orthodox community.

Three main themes emerged from the analysis of the findings: (a) the experience of the traumatic event itself and its implications; (b) the interplay between religion and trauma; (c) posttraumatic growth and other positive aspects.

The participants’ descriptions of the traumatic event and the associated mental experiences comprised the greatest portion of the interviews (both in terms of time and mental energy), and were expressed in two ways: (1) As an observer, describing the incident and its consequences, almost “from the side,” and (2) As a participant, subjectively, describing the incident and emphasizing the unique meaning the event held for him (i.e., the meaning he attributed to it). Regarding the “observer” perspective, the interviewees described the event in detail and attested to a kind of mental coping that was in keeping with what has been described in the literature regarding posttraumatic symptoms. They also talked about a sense of loneliness and the difficulty of sharing the traumatic event that had befallen them in a society (i.e., the ultra-Orthodox world) that does not deal easily with such issues. In terms of the subjective aspect, the participants talked about attributing to the event a certain unique/personal meaning, and in some cases seeing the event as dividing their lives into a “before and after”: pre-traumatic and post-traumatic. Some of the interviewees talked about the traumatic event as now comprising a component of their identity.

The second theme revolved around the interplay between religion and trauma, and can be divided into three sub-chapters: 1) the role of the rabbis, the community, and the family in dealing with the trauma; 2) the religious lifestyle and trauma, and 3) the religious worldview and trauma.

First, regarding the roles of the rabbi, the family, and the community, a variety of voices emerged. Some participants saw these figures as sources of great support and help. Others talked about the difficulty of sharing in this environment and/or receiving support, especially when it came to issues of particular sensitivity in the ultra-Orthodox world. In these cases, the need to conceal, as well as feelings of loneliness, only exacerbated participants’ coping difficulties. In the event that the traumatic incident was caused by a rabbinical figure, these difficulties were further intensified.

Second, the religious lifestyle – which is mainly expressed in prayer, Torah study (halacha and Jewish philosophy), and the daily halachic practices concerning all other aspects of life – was seen in two ways, in the context of the traumatic event. On the one hand, it was seen as playing an important role in participants’ posttraumatic mental rehabilitation. On the other hand, this very demanding and “pressuring” lifestyle was seen as something that only complicated and made more difficult participants’ attempts to deal with the psychological consequences of the traumatic event. It is worth noting that these two perspectives were sometimes held by the same interviewee. In general, the interviewees had much to say about the interplay between the two areas.

Third, regarding the intersection between religious faith and trauma, the findings revealed a distinction between "core belief" (belief in the creator of the world and the truths of his teachings and commandments) and "branching beliefs" (related religious worldviews). My findings showed that even at the height of dealing with the traumatic event, the participants’ core belief did not falter, and in fact this core belief served as a source of positive vision, hope, and personal empowerment, enabling them to begin rehabilitation. Concerning the “branching beliefs,” and the main one - the belief in beneficial divine providence - the situation was much more complicated. When the individual dealing with the traumatic event believed in divine providence, then this belief was a source of support. When he did not, the idea of divine providence only added to his distress. The process of rehabilitation gave new meaning to the traumatic event via a deepening and reinforcing of the aforementioned branching beliefs.

Finally, two kinds of growth were expressed: personal growth and religious growth. Personal growth was reflected in greater self-confidence and self-esteem, and/or in a strengthening of the particular emotional/mental/psychological area that had been damaged by the trauma. Indeed, many of the interviewees talked about how being able to help others who were dealing with similar difficulties reflected, for them, a major positive aspect of the traumatic event. Participants also spoke of religious individual grew, and of being open to the idea that individuals from the ultra-Orthodox sector are not “uniform,” and that the growth of individuals from the same world can take diverse and even surprising forms.