Heathenry and Ásatrú

1. Introduction

Version followed: inclusive (sometimes called universalist) Heathenry as Iceland's Ásatrúarfélagið, The Troth and the Pagan Federation (UK) describe it; folkish and racist currents as Gardell (2003), Snook (2015, via a published review), the Southern Poverty Law Center (via The Wild Hunt), Alessio and Wallis (2025), McDonald (2023) and a Heathen police inspector's 2024 guide for kindreds describe them.

Heathenry (also Ásatrú, "faith in the Æsir") is a contemporary polytheistic religion that revives the pre-Christian religion of Northern Europe from sources such as the Eddas and sagas. It is not a therapy and has no theory of psychological change. It is a family of religious organisations and small local groups. The Pagan Federation describes it as polytheistic, recognising many gods and other spiritual beings, with "no central authorities"; local groups are called hearths, kindreds or kiths [source: Pagan Federation, What is Heathenry]. Its core ethical ideas, in that description, are wyrd (a force linking all things across space and time, so actions have consequences and people answer for them), frith (peace and mutual obligation within a group of kin, friends and community) and honour (plain speaking, honesty, and taking oaths very seriously) [source: Pagan Federation].

The movement is divided. Inclusive bodies hold that the gods and the religion are open to anyone. Folkish groups tie the religion to northern European ancestry, and a racist fringe uses Heathen names and symbols for white-supremacist and neo-Nazi politics [source: Gardell 2003, Duke UP page; SPLC via The Wild Hunt 2023; Alessio and Wallis 2025, publisher's description]. The SPLC itself states that "no form of paganism is inherently bigoted" [source: The Wild Hunt 2023].

For the psychotherapist, the guide covers: the client's Heathen life as a source of meaning, community and ethics; assessment that does not pathologise belief or ritual; the client's specific community and where it sits on the inclusive–folkish spectrum; awareness of radicalisation and extremist recruitment through Heathen imagery (cross-refer 039); leaving extremist groups; stigma; families; and referral. Evidence status: Heathenry is mainly a religious and community practice; for its few empirical claims (for example seer practice answering questions), controlled studies: none found in the sources consulted.

2. Framework

This section has two parts: how the organisations are structured as they and reliable sources describe them, and a framework for the therapist's work. No source gives a session count for therapy with Heathen clients; none is stated here.

2a. The organisations

Ásatrúarfélagið (Iceland).

Founding: a group around the poet Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson began forming the society in the late 1960s; the Ministry of Religious Affairs granted state recognition in 1972–1973, and Sveinbjörn became the first allsherjargoði (high priest) [source: WRSP Ásatrú timeline]. Founding at Hótel Borg, Reykjavík, on the First Day of Summer 1972 and recognition in May 1973 [source: Wikipedia; uncertain: secondary, unverified].
Leadership: Jörmundur Ingi Hansen served as allsherjargoði 1993–2002; Jónína K. Berg as interim; Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson was elected in 2003 [source: WRSP]. Below the allsherjargoði are goðar (priests), some authorised to conduct legally binding ceremonies [source: Wikipedia; uncertain: secondary, unverified].
Size: membership grew from under 100 for its first two decades to 4,473 in 2019 [source: WRSP]; later figures of about 5,770 (2018) and about 6,250 (2025) appear on Wikipedia [uncertain: secondary, unverified].
Status and funding: as a recognised religious organisation it may perform marriages and other legal ceremonies and receives a share of the parish (church) tax in proportion to adult members [source: Wikipedia; uncertain: secondary, unverified]. A temple site in Reykjavík was donated by the city in 2008; construction halted in the 2008–2009 crisis and resumed in 2015 [source: WRSP].
Doctrine: non-dogmatic and ecumenical, with no fixed theology; the society opposes racialised and white-supremacist readings of Norse religion [source: WRSP]. A 2014 statement rejected the use of Ásatrú to justify supremacist ideology, militarism and animal sacrifice; the society has campaigned for same-sex marriage [source: Wikipedia; uncertain: secondary, unverified].
Rites (public outline): four main seasonal blót, a communal feast with a hallowing, recitation from the Poetic Edda, a drinking-horn toast to gods, wights (land spirits) and ancestors, and a shared meal; life-cycle rites of name-giving, siðfesta (coming of age), weddings and funerals [source: Wikipedia; uncertain: secondary, unverified].
Costs: no membership fee was found in sources consulted; funding comes through the parish-tax share [uncertain: not verified].

The Troth (United States, international membership).

Founding: established as the Ring of Troth in December 1987 after the break-up of the Ásatrú Free Assembly, which split between racialist and non-racialist factions [source: Wikipedia; uncertain: secondary, unverified].
Structure: a New York non-profit with US 501(c)(3) charity status; an annual gathering (Trothmoot); a chief officer historically called the Steer, now a President; a clergy-training programme; publications including the quarterly Idunna and the handbook Our Troth [source: Wikipedia; uncertain: secondary, unverified].
Inclusion: its bylaws bar discrimination in membership and activities on grounds including race, gender, ethnic origin and sexual orientation [source: Wikipedia; uncertain: secondary, unverified]. In a later policy update it described itself as "a polytheistic religious organization", stated that it "does not and will not dictate to individual members" which beings they honour, ended a former ban on honouring Loki at its events, created an Interfaith Committee, and stated that individual membership requires no particular practice or belief [source: The Wild Hunt, Troth policy update].
Costs: dues not verified [uncertain: not verified].

Local groups and other bodies. Most Heathens practise alone or in small kindreds or hearths; some have recognised leaders and some are egalitarian [source: Pagan Federation]. American kindreds often set their own politics while wider networks remain neutral [source: Snook 2015, via Davy review]. Inclusive organisations named as sources of support in a UK policing guide include Asatru UK, Heathens Against Hate, the Alliance for Inclusive Heathenry and The Troth [source: Pardy 2024].

Folkish and racist currents. The SPLC's 2022 list counted 38 "neo-Völkisch" hate groups, the largest being the Asatru Folk Assembly; it describes such groups as basing their spirituality on the survival of people descended from white Europeans [source: The Wild Hunt 2023]. Gardell's fieldwork in the 1990s surveyed Odinism, Wotansvolk, "ethnic Ásatrú" and occult National Socialism in the United States [source: Duke UP / Project MUSE page]. Alessio and Wallis examine three extremist Heathen groups in Britain, the Order of Nine Angles, and racist Heathen presence in black metal and dark folk, and also the inclusive pushback [source: publisher's description of Alessio and Wallis 2025]. Snook set out to test earlier accounts of racist Heathenry and found extensive racism, while arguing most Heathens are not preoccupied with race [source: Davy review of Snook 2015]. After an Asatru Folk Assembly statement in late August 2016, contributors of Huginn's Heathen Hof drafted Declaration 127, named after Hávamál stanza 127, as a direct challenge to the Asatru Folk Assembly; other groups, such as Hrafnar, declared support [source: Hrafnar, Declaration 127].

2b. Framework for the therapist's work [synthesis]

Engagement and cultural assessment. Goal: understand what Heathenry means to the client, using their words, and take a cultural formulation. Move on when you can describe the client's practice, community and values as they would.
Community map and risk screen. Goal: know which organisation or kindred the client belongs to, its stance on inclusion, the client's role, and any risk indicators (extremist contact, coercion, alcohol, safeguarding). Move on when risk is assessed and any safeguarding steps are taken.
Working phase. Goal: address the presenting problem, drawing on Heathen values and rites where the client wishes (sections 4.4–4.14). Revisit phase 2 if new risk appears.
Ending and linkage. Goal: consolidate gains, link the client to supportive community or services, agree how the client will notice relapse or renewed pressure.

3. Guiding principles

Describe, do not adjudicate. Gods, wights, ancestors and wyrd are the client's religious reality; you neither affirm nor dispute them. Practical meaning: reflect the client's terms back without endorsing or correcting them [synthesis].
Do not assume racism. The SPLC states paganism is not inherently bigoted, and inclusive bodies reject racist readings [source: The Wild Hunt 2023; WRSP; Pagan Federation]. Practical meaning: a Thor's hammer or runes on a client is not a risk indicator by itself [synthesis].
Do not ignore context either. The same symbols are used by extremist groups; context, messaging and associations decide [source: Pardy 2024]. Practical meaning: ask about community and meaning, not about the symbol alone [synthesis].
Know which Heathenry. There is no central authority [source: Pagan Federation]; kindreds differ in politics [source: Snook 2015 via review]. Practical meaning: ask the client to name and describe their group rather than generalising from another one [synthesis].
Honour carries weight. Oaths are taken very seriously and oath-breaking is among the worst social taboos [source: Pagan Federation]. Practical meaning: expect guilt and shame around broken oaths or obligations, and ask before suggesting anything that touches an oath [synthesis].
Frith is a resource and a pressure. Strong community obligation can support recovery or make leaving and dissent costly [source: Davy review of Snook 2015, on close-knit community; synthesis]. Practical meaning: assess both support and obligation.
Rites in outline only. Discuss blót, sumbel and life-cycle rites as the client describes them; do not lead, invent or perform rites [synthesis].
Role boundaries. You are not a goði, seer or rune reader in therapy; no readings for clients; a therapist who is also Heathen keeps practice and therapy separate and discloses only for the client's benefit [synthesis].
Safety and the law first. Where a client shows signs of extremist involvement, threat or child exposure, follow your jurisdiction's safeguarding and duty-to-protect procedures; UK reporting routes are named in Pardy (2024) [source: Pardy 2024; synthesis].
Competence. Seek consultation with clinicians or community members who know Heathen practice; published spiritual and religious competencies for psychologists (Vieten et al. 2013) are relevant [uncertain: not verified].
Client-led involvement of community leaders. Contact a goði, kindred leader or Troth clergy only if the client asks and consents [synthesis].

4. Intervention inventory

Heathen organisations do not publish clinical procedures. The interventions below are the psychotherapist's work with Heathen clients, built from the organisational and scholarly sources above; all procedural steps are [synthesis] unless a source is given. Rites, seer practice and any spirit or deity work appear in public outline only.

4.1 Opening the conversation about Heathen identity

Purpose / when: first sessions, or whenever the client mentions gods, kindred, runes or Viking imagery. Signals that religion is welcome in the room without assuming its content.
Steps: (1) Ask what the client calls their path (Heathen, Ásatrú, Norse pagan, Odinist, Northern tradition, other); use that word. (2) Ask how they came to it and what it gives them. (3) Ask whether they practise alone or with a group. (4) Ask what they would want you to understand and what they worry you might assume. (5) Summarise in their terms and check accuracy.
Example language (illustrative): "You mentioned your kindred. What would you like me to understand about your path and what it means to you?" / "Some people worry that therapists will make assumptions about Heathenry. Is that something on your mind?"
Watch for: guardedness from prior stigma (being assumed racist); over-explaining; relief at being asked. Working when the client uses religious language freely and corrects you when you get it wrong.

4.2 Cultural Formulation Interview with the spirituality module

Purpose / when: structured cultural assessment early in treatment.
Steps: (1) Use the DSM-5-TR Cultural Formulation Interview core questions on the client's definition of the problem, causes, stressors and supports, and help-seeking [uncertain: not verified]. (2) Add its supplementary module on spirituality, religion and moral traditions [uncertain: not verified]. (3) Explore Heathen explanations the client holds (wyrd and consequences, ancestors' influence, obligations unmet). (4) Ask what role the community or a goði, kindred leader or clergy might play in recovery. (5) Record the formulation in the client's words.
Example language (illustrative): "How do you understand what's been happening, in your own terms or your faith's terms?" / "Is there anyone in your kindred whose support matters here?"
Watch for: explanations that blend religious meaning with symptoms (see 4.6); the client minimising problems to protect the community's reputation. Working when you can state the client's model of the problem back and they agree.
Coding: where the focus is a religious or spiritual problem, the DSM-5-TR "Religious or Spiritual Problem" is coded Z65.8 (other specified problems related to psychosocial circumstances) [source: ICD-10-CM Z65.8, Unbound Medicine; DSM-5-TR wording: uncertain: not verified].

4.3 Community mapping: which Heathenry, which group

Purpose / when: after rapport; whenever the client belongs to or is joining a group.
Steps: (1) Ask the name of the organisation, kindred or online space. (2) Ask how the group describes who may join, and how it treats people of other ancestries, LGBTQ+ members and Loki-honouring members (inclusion points named in Troth and Ásatrúarfélagið policy) [source: Wikipedia, The Troth; The Wild Hunt; WRSP]. (3) Ask about the client's role (member, leader, clergy in training), obligations and oaths. (4) Ask about costs, gifts or work expected. (5) Note support versus pressure. (6) If the group's stance is unclear to you, ask the client how they would describe it, and consult public statements from the group or watchdog lists rather than guessing.
Example language (illustrative): "Groups differ a lot in Heathenry. How does yours talk about who belongs?" / "What does your kindred expect of you, and how do you feel about that?"
Watch for: the client describing membership limited by ancestry or "blood" (a folkish marker per SPLC's description) [source: The Wild Hunt 2023]; secrecy about the group; escalating demands. Working when you have a clear picture of the client's social world and its pressures.

4.4 Working with rites the client practises (blót, sumbel, life-cycle rites)

Purpose / when: when the client brings rites as sources of meaning, grief work, transitions or distress. Public outline only: blót centres on an offering of food or drink, often mead, usually followed by a shared feast; sumbel (symbel) is a ritual drinking ceremony with horns passed for toasts to gods, then wights and ancestors [source: Pagan Federation]. Ásatrúarfélagið holds seasonal blót and life-cycle rites (naming, coming of age, weddings, funerals) [source: Wikipedia; uncertain: secondary, unverified].
Steps: (1) Invite the client to describe what the rite means to them, not how it is done. (2) Explore how rites mark transitions (a new job, a death, a birth) and whether a community rite could support them. (3) If grief is present, ask how ancestors are honoured in their practice and whether that helps. (4) Leave planning and leading of rites to the client and their community; do not design or perform one in session.
Example language (illustrative): "What happened for you at the winter blót this year?" / "Would marking this loss with your kindred feel right to you?"
Watch for: alcohol use in ritual for clients with alcohol problems (see 4.7); rites used to avoid grief rather than hold it. Working when rites add meaning and connection.

4.5 Oaths, honour and shame

Purpose / when: the client feels guilt over a broken oath, an unmet obligation, or loss of honour; or perfectionism around honour.
Steps: (1) Ask what the oath or obligation was, to whom, and what keeping it means. (2) Separate the client's own values from fears of judgement. (3) Explore how their tradition and community handle broken oaths or changed circumstances; suggest the client ask a trusted community member if unsure. (4) If guilt is persistent, repetitive and out of proportion, assess for scrupulosity or OCD and consider ERP with an OCD specialist [synthesis]. (5) Work with shame using standard approaches (compassion-focused or cognitive work), framed in the client's values.
Example language (illustrative): "Honour clearly matters to you. What would an honourable way through this look like now?"
Watch for: oaths made to a group or leader that are used to prevent leaving or disclosure (a coercion indicator; see 4.9). Working when guilt becomes proportionate and leads to action the client endorses.

4.6 Differential assessment without pathologising

Purpose / when: the client reports communication with gods, wights or ancestors, trance or seer experiences, or omens.
Steps: (1) Ask whether the experience is shared and recognised in their community (seer practice, "seidh", is being revived and involves a seer answering questions) [source: Pagan Federation]. (2) Ask about control: can they begin and end it, and does it fit the setting? (3) Screen for features beyond the culturally expected: functional decline, sleep loss, grandiosity, persecutory ideas, command content, disorganisation, or experiences outside ritual and distressing [synthesis]. (4) Assess for psychosis, mania, dissociation, trauma, grief and substance effects as usual. (5) If uncertain, consult with a culturally informed colleague and, with consent, ask a community member what is typical [synthesis].
Example language (illustrative): "In your practice, is this kind of experience something others know and recognise?" / "Has it felt different lately, harder to step out of?"
Watch for: pathologising normal religious experience; equally, missing a first episode framed in religious terms. Working when your formulation separates religious experience from symptoms and the client feels respected.

4.7 Alcohol in ritual

Purpose / when: clients with alcohol use problems who take part in blót or sumbel, where mead and drinking horns are central [source: Pagan Federation].
Steps: (1) Screen alcohol use routinely. (2) Ask how much is drunk at rites and gatherings and whether the client feels pressure to drink. (3) Explore with the client whether non-alcoholic offerings or toasts are acceptable in their group, as a question for them to raise with the community [synthesis]. (4) Plan for high-risk events. (5) Refer for alcohol treatment where indicated.
Example language (illustrative): "How does drinking at gatherings fit with your goals around alcohol?"
Watch for: shame about not drinking; groups that mock abstinence. Working when the client can take part on terms they choose.

4.8 Radicalisation awareness (cross-refer 039)

Purpose / when: when the client's group, online spaces or talk suggest extremist uptake of Heathen imagery; also in prisons and youth settings. Far-right actors treat Germanic paganism as a "symbolic treasure chest for fascist groups" [source: McDonald 2023, LSE blog].
Indicators described by a Heathen police inspector's guide for kindreds [source: Pardy 2024]: symbols such as the Black Sun, Sig rune, Othala rune, sunwheel or reinterpreted swastika when paired with extremist messaging; coded numbers and slogans used by white-supremacist movements; "blood and soil", white-only or anti-mixing messaging; accelerationist or militia framing; survivalist or combat-training camps; recruitment aimed at armed forces and emergency services; use of fringe platforms; family-values branding that hides anti-LGBT and white-supremacist content. The guide stresses its lists "are not definitive" and that context decides; many of these symbols have legitimate Heathen use.
Steps: (1) Notice indicators without jumping to conclusions; ask open questions about what the symbol, phrase or group means to the client. (2) Explore needs the group meets: belonging, identity, purpose, grievance; isolation and identity crises are named risk factors [source: McDonald 2023]. (3) Assess risk of harm to self or others with standard violence-risk practice. (4) Where there is risk, follow your service's safeguarding and counter-extremism procedures; UK routes named by Pardy include the Home Office online form for extremist material, ACT reporting of suspicious activity, police.uk anonymous reporting and the NSPCC helpline for children exposed to radicalisation [source: Pardy 2024]. Elsewhere, follow local law and duty-to-protect rules [synthesis]. (5) Explain limits of confidentiality at the start of treatment and again when the topic arises [synthesis]. (6) Offer exit and counter-narrative supports where the client is open (see 4.10).
Example language (illustrative): "I've noticed the group you mentioned talks a lot about bloodlines. What draws you to them?" / "Many Heathens reject that view of the gods. How do you see it?"
Watch for: your own bias in either direction (assuming all Heathens are extremist, or overlooking real risk). Working when the client can speak openly and talks about doubts or alternatives.

4.9 High-control dynamics within a group

Purpose / when: the client describes a kindred or leader that controls their time, money, relationships or information. No source specific to Heathen groups documents a pattern of coercive control in inclusive organisations; these are general signs [synthesis].
Steps: (1) Ask about decision-making, dissent, money, time, and contact with outsiders. (2) Ask whether oaths are used to bind members or keep secrets (see 4.5). (3) Name concerning patterns gently and let the client weigh them. (4) Support the client to consult the organisation's own policies (for example the Troth's freedom-of-conscience statement) [source: The Wild Hunt, Troth policy update] or other community members.
Example language (illustrative): "What happens in your kindred when someone disagrees with the leader?"
Watch for: isolation, fear of leaving, financial pressure. Working when the client makes informed choices about involvement.

4.10 Leaving a folkish or extremist group

Purpose / when: the client wants to leave, or has left, a racist or extremist group using Heathen identity.
Steps: (1) Assess safety, including threats from former associates. (2) Separate the religion from the group if the client wishes to keep Heathen practice: inclusive bodies reject racist readings and say such groups "do not represent Heathenry" [source: Pagan Federation]. (3) Explore identity, loss of community, shame and guilt over past views or acts. (4) Offer referral to exit support: Life After Hate is named alongside Heathen and education bodies (Asatru UK, Heathens Against Hate, Alliance for Inclusive Heathenry, The Troth, Educate Against Hate) [source: Pardy 2024]. (5) Work with trauma symptoms using standard trauma-focused care.
Example language (illustrative): "You can keep the gods and leave the group. What would that look like for you?"
Watch for: relapse to old networks online; isolation after leaving. Working when the client builds new relationships and a coherent identity.

4.11 Stigma and minority-religion stress

Purpose / when: inclusive Heathen clients assumed to be racist, or facing hostility to a minority religion.
Steps: (1) Validate the experience. (2) Explore its effects (hiding faith, anger, withdrawal). (3) Note that some Heathens choose less-appropriated symbol forms to avoid being misread, for example an older form of the Sōwilō rune [source: Pardy 2024]; explore the client's choices without directing them. (4) Help the client find supportive community.
Example language (illustrative): "What has it been like to be misread because of your faith?"
Watch for: internalised shame; reactive alignment with groups that offer acceptance. Working when the client feels secure in their identity.

4.12 Family members' concerns

Purpose / when: a family member consults about a relative drawn into Heathenry or into a folkish or extremist group; or a client's family objects to their conversion.
Steps: (1) Distinguish conversion to a minority religion from extremist involvement; ask what the relative's group actually says. (2) For extremist concerns, help the family keep contact and avoid ultimatums, and use the reporting routes in 4.8 where there is risk [synthesis; source: Pardy 2024 for routes]. (3) For religious difference, support the family to tolerate disagreement.
Example language (illustrative): "Is it the new faith that worries you, or what the group says about other people?"
Watch for: families conflating the religion with extremism. Working when family communication is maintained.

4.13 Children and safeguarding

Purpose / when: children in Heathen families, coming-of-age rites (Ásatrúarfélagið names siðfesta) [source: Wikipedia; uncertain: secondary, unverified], or children exposed to extremist material.
Steps: (1) Treat a Heathen upbringing as you would any religious upbringing. (2) Assess for exposure to racist propaganda, weapons or combat training camps (indicators in 4.8). (3) Follow child-protection procedures where there is risk; the NSPCC helpline is named for children exposed to radicalisation [source: Pardy 2024]. (4) Seek the child's assent and the parents' consent for any work, within safeguarding limits.
Example language (illustrative): "What does your family's faith mean to you?" (to a young person)
Watch for: high-control upbringing; children isolated from peers. Working when risk is assessed and the child's wellbeing is the focus.

4.14 Prison and forensic settings

Purpose / when: clients in custody or on probation who identify as Heathen or Odinist.
Steps: (1) Respect religious practice and access to chaplaincy. (2) Learn the genuine ethos of the religion so misuse of symbols can be distinguished [source: McDonald 2023]. (3) Assess for gang or extremist recruitment; isolation, hierarchy, violence and segregation are named risk factors [source: McDonald 2023]. (4) Support ties with chaplaincy and voluntary-sector groups, as McDonald recommends [source: McDonald 2023].
Example language (illustrative): "What does your faith give you in here?"
Watch for: religion used as cover for gang affiliation. Working when the client's religious life supports desistance.

4.15 Liaison and referral

Purpose / when: client asks for community involvement, or needs specialist help.
Steps: (1) With consent, involve a goði, kindred leader or Troth clergy. (2) Refer to mental health, alcohol, trauma or exit services as indicated. (3) Refer to local inclusive groups or national bodies (Pagan Federation, Asatru UK, The Troth, Ásatrúarfélagið) [source: Pagan Federation; Pardy 2024].
Example language (illustrative): "Would it help to talk with someone in your community about this, with your permission?"
Watch for: client feeling handed off. Working when the client has more support.

4.16 Role boundaries and self-disclosure

Purpose / when: throughout, especially for therapists who are themselves Heathen or pagan.
Steps: (1) Do not perform rites, rune readings or seer sessions for clients [synthesis]. (2) Avoid dual relationships, such as being a member of the client's kindred; refer on if roles overlap [synthesis]. (3) Disclose your own religion only if it serves the client [synthesis].
Example language (illustrative): "My role here is to help you think through what it means for you, not to read the runes for you."
Watch for: clients seeking spiritual authority from you. Working when roles stay clear.

5. Handling problems

None of the sources address therapy problems directly; all guidance below is [synthesis] unless a source is given.

Client suspects you see them as racist. Name the possibility, say you know Heathenry is diverse and that inclusive bodies reject racist readings [source: Pagan Federation; WRSP], then ask about their own group. Repair any assumption you made.
Client defends a folkish view as "just honouring ancestors". Do not argue theology. Explore what ancestry means to them and how the view affects their relationships and others. Note that inclusive Heathens honour ancestors without excluding others [source: Pagan Federation, on Odin and his brothers creating all people]. Keep risk assessment open (4.8).
Disclosure of extremist activity or intent. Follow risk and safeguarding procedures and the confidentiality limits you set at the start; consult a supervisor; use statutory routes where required (4.8) [source: Pardy 2024 for UK routes].
Stuck in oath guilt. Return to 4.5; ask whether the community has its own ways of addressing broken oaths; assess for scrupulosity and refer for ERP if indicated.
Overwhelm after an intense rite or trance practice. Ground the client in the present, assess sleep, substances and mental state (4.6); suggest the client pause intensive practice and talk with trusted community members; urgent psychiatric assessment if psychosis or mania is suspected.
Non-adherence because treatment conflicts with practice (for example abstaining from alcohol at blót). Work through the conflict in the client's values (4.7) rather than pushing compliance.
Rupture after you questioned the group. Acknowledge it, restate respect for the client's faith and autonomy, and separate concern about specific behaviour from the religion.
Community pressure against therapy. Explore the pressure; respect the client's choices; if pressure blocks access to care or isolates the client, treat as a possible high-control dynamic (4.9).
Grief and ancestor practice. Where a client is bereaved, support rites they choose (4.4); watch for anyone offering paid contact with the dead or exploiting grief (cross-refer 94, 98 and 99 on mediumship).
Therapist's own reactions. Seek supervision for strong reactions to Viking or runic imagery, or to political views; do not let them drive assessment.

Sources

ASATRU TIMELINE — World Religions and Spirituality Project
The Troth updates policies and creates Interfaith Committee — The Wild Hunt
The Troth — Wikipedia [uncertain: secondary, unverified]
Ásatrúarfélagið — Wikipedia [uncertain: secondary, unverified]
Pagan Neo-Völkisch groups included in civil rights watchdog 2022 hate list — The Wild Hunt
Gods of the Blood — Project MUSE
What is Heathenry? — Pagan Federation
Review of Snook, American Heathens — Barbara Jane Davy, The Pomegranate (Equinox) [uncertain: year not verified]
The Kindred's Guide to Pagan Extremism — Police Pagan Association
Germanic contemporary paganism and radicalisation in English and Welsh prisons — LSE Religion and Global Society blog

Books cited:

Gardell, M. (2003). Gods of the Blood: The Pagan Revival and White Separatism. Duke University Press.
Snook, J. (2015). American Heathens: The Politics of Identity in a Pagan Religious Movement. Temple University Press.
Alessio, D., & Wallis, R. J. (2025). Faith, folk and the far right: Racist and anti-racist Heathenry and Occultism in Britain. Manchester University Press.
Pardy, A. (2024). The Kindred's Guide to Pagan Extremism. Sleipnir Consulting / Police Pagan Association.
McDonald, R. (2023). Germanic contemporary paganism and radicalisation in English and Welsh prisons. LSE Religion and Global Society blog.
Vieten, C., et al. (2013). Spiritual and religious competencies for psychologists [uncertain: not verified].
ICD-10-CM Z65.8 "Other specified problems related to psychosocial circumstances" (Includes: religious or spiritual problem): ICD-10-CM Z65.8 (Unbound Medicine)

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