Therapy for SPIRITUAL AND RELIGIOUS TRAUMA
Can you relate?
“I have been told that I cannot trust myself or my emotions.”• “I’m afraid to feel confident and have low self-worthiness.“ • “My faith community taught rigid gender roles that don’t feel authentic for me.” • “I have been hurt by someone in my faith community and did not receive the support I needed to feel safe.” • “Purity Culture has impacted how I feel about myself and sexual experiences.” • “I do not feel accepted by, or have been rejected by, my faith community.” • “I want to question my faith, but don’t have a safe space to process my questions.” • “I feel controlled by my faith community.” • “I have been told hurtful things by people who said they were speaking on behalf of God.” • “I have been mistreated working at my church / temple / mosque / synagogue or working for a faith-based nonprofit.” • ”I am a cult survivor / former cult member who wants to heal from my experience.”
You are not alone.
What is Spiritual trauma?
The Religious Trauma Institute defines religious trauma as: “The physical, emotional, or psychological response to religious beliefs, practices, or structures that is experienced by an individual as overwhelming or disruptive and has lasting adverse effects on a person’s physical, mental, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.”
The journey of faith is deeply personal and complex, and for some individuals, it can result in painful experiences that can include, but are not limited to:
Struggling with rigid belief systems, excessive guilt, and fear of punishment
Feeling isolated or rejected by your religious community
Enduring emotional, verbal, or physical abuse in the context of religion
Clergy abuse or manipulation at the hands of authority figures
Coping with the profound emotional upheaval that comes with religious deconstruction or leaving a faith system
Surviving a cult or a high-control religious community
How I can help
When working with religious and spiritual trauma, I begin with relationship, safety, and choice. Using an attachment and emotions-focused (AEDP) and parts-based approach, we can explore how your nervous system, beliefs about self, and connection strategies have been shaped by high-control or harmful religious experiences. Therapy can become a place to practice something different - being accompanied with curiosity rather than corrected, understood rather than judged, and supported in trusting your own inner knowing.
When particular memories, somatic responses, core beliefs, or patterns continue to feel painfully present, EMDR may also help support deeper trauma processing. My hope is to help you discover what meaning, identity, or belonging might look like when they are chosen from a place of authenticity and your own values.
Let’s face this together.
Get support
If you are initially reaching out, you can expect to hear from me within two business days.