Religious Trauma
Therapy
Are you looking for a safe space to unpack a painful or traumatic religious experience?
Religious trauma can bring a vast range of emotions, along with shifts in identity, relationships, and how you see yourself and the world around you. Having the support of someone who truly cares & understands can help reduce the sense of isolation and make healing feel more possible.
Together, we can process what you’ve been through, make sense of the impact it’s had on your life, and explore new ways to heal and move forward.
“Instead of a single rupturing blow, there was a subtle contortion of ourselves into a posture we had to take to stay safe, to make us good, to keep us insulated from whatever we believed we needed to avoid.
These chronic injuries can be psychological, relational, and spiritual…guilt and shame and worthlessness, even without a narrative for why.”
-Hillary McBride, “Holy Hurt”
The trauma caused by religion can sometimes feel hard to identify, as our faith and belief systems touch every aspect of our lives and identities. Has a painful religious experience left you feeling unsure about your purpose or place in the world? Do you feel disconnected from or distrusting of your inner voice, instincts, feelings, or needs, because you were told they were bad and needed to be suppressed?
Or maybe you’re noticing it in your body.
The impact of religious trauma isn't just something we experience mentally and emotionally. It lives in our bodies, too—as anxiety, pain, fatigue, sleeplessness, chronic illness…the list goes on and on.
Constantly carrying the burden of fear, shame, and external expectations can leave you feeling disconnected from yourself and unsure of who you are outside of the beliefs or roles you've always known. If something inside of you is longing for a different way of living—one with more freedom, more self-trust, and more room to love and breathe freely—you’re in the right place.
Things we can work on in religious trauma therapy:
Processing grief and loss related to your beliefs or religious community
Working through feelings of shame, guilt, or self-blame
Navigating lingering fear, anxiety, or doubt after leaving a religious or faith system
Exploring how to manage relationships with people in your life who still hold your previous beliefs
Making sense of anger related to spiritual manipulation, control, or harmful experiences
Building self-compassion and creating space for personal growth
Reclaiming your autonomy, sense of self, and confidence after existing in oppressive structures
Setting new goals and finding new sources of peace and stability