Why Does Religion Trigger Some Ex-Cultists?

I noticed that some people are very sensitive to any religious discussions and tend to overreact. This reminds me of what I read in The Fight: A Practical Handbook to Christian Living by John White. I have a Russian version of this book. John White is a Christian and a psychiatrist. He wrote that when somebody had a very negative reaction, he asked, "This affects you. Why?" Since I have only Russian translation, I am not sure about the exact words in the original question. Maybe, he asked, "This triggers you. Why?" Really, why? This is an interesting question.

Several months after I left the cult, I noticed that I was able to use my own critical thinking in most areas and discuss these things without any problems. The only exception was religion. Thinking about religion, I still thought in the same way as I was taught in the cult. It made me feel very bad about religion and any religious discussions. It also gave me feeling that my mind was not fully free. Although I was an atheist at that time, I decided that I need to learn about other religious views. So, I began to study theology. I studied various concepts and views. I really liked to study different concepts of the same teaching, compare them and then make my own conclusions. It helped me to develop my own critical thinking in religious matters and it helped me to reconsider my religious views and get rid of the cult indoctrination. It was a very important part of my cult recovery.

What would be if I had not studied theology and just completely turned away from any religion? I think I would still have been in the same condition as 10 years ago. Any thought about religion, about God or about the Bible would have triggered my memory about the cult, their doctrines and abuses. I would have still think about the Bible through the "glasses" of the cult doctrines. Reading any verse of the Bible, I would have understood it according to the cult interpretation. Thinking about any teaching of the Bible, I would have thought about it according to what I learned in the cult.

I think ex-cult members who just turned away from religion completely may have the same problem. No matter how long they have been out, they may still view religion in the same way as they were taught in their cults. Then, religious discussions trigger their memory of their cults and cause overreaction. This may be the real source of the problem.

Actually, I think it is one of the problems of completely secular approach to cult recovery as well as atheist propaganda to ex-cult members. The religious issues are just neglected and put away instead of being properly addressed. In my opinion, these issues needs to be addressed, which does not mean that ex-cult members should necessary become religious believers. These are two different things.