In today’s video, I discuss the connection between retroactive jealousy and religion.







Read or watch the video below to explore further.



















Zachary Stockill: Is there a connection between retroactive jealousy—intrusive thoughts about your partner’s past—and religion?







That’s the question I’ll be exploring in today’s video.







I’m Zachary Stockill, and since 2013, I’ve helped thousands of people from around the world overcome retroactive jealousy and strengthen their relationships.







If you’d like to learn more about my work, you can click here.







For those who are new here, “retroactive jealousy” refers to unwanted intrusive thoughts and obsessive curiosity.







It often includes “mental movies” about your partner’s past relationships, dating history, or sexual experiences.



















You might experience just one of these symptoms, or you might deal with all three, but in a nutshell, that’s what retroactive jealousy is.







A question I often get is whether there’s a connection between retroactive jealousy and someone’s religious background.







My answer, which might frustrate some of you, is that it’s complicated.







The short answer is that sometimes I do think there’s a connection, but definitely not always.







Let me explain.







Since 2013, I’ve worked with thousands of people from around the world dealing with retroactive jealousy.







I’ve worked one-on-one with hundreds of them, often in-depth.







Around 30 to 40% of the people who come to me struggling with retroactive jealousy come from what I’d describe as fairly conservative religious backgrounds.







Many are Muslim, often from places like the UAE or Lebanon. I also work with a significant number of conservative Hindus, typically based in the US, UK, and occasionally India.







I’ve also worked with a number of conservative Christians, mainly in the U.S. over the years.







In those cases, everyone’s experience is different, but I believe their conservative religious background influences their retroactive jealousy.







This is because retroactive jealousy is often, at least partially, a byproduct of a person’s values.







Our values are often shaped by our childhood, early upbringing, and sometimes our religious background or beliefs. Many of these religious values may have been instilled in us at a very young age.







I often encourage people to take the time to understand where their values and beliefs actually come from.















Did your values come from your parents? Your social circle? Your friends? Maybe even your high school?







Or perhaps they stem from your religious education or the religious household you grew up in?







To be clear, religion is a deeply personal matter, and it’s certainly not my place to suggest that anyone should change their religion or anything of the sort.







That’s certainly not my goal in today’s video—I’m not interested in tha...