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Therapy for Religious Trauma
Have your experiences at church left you with emotional wounds?
You are not alone. It is possible to reclaim your self-worth, rebuild confidence, and explore spirituality on your own terms.
Harmful experiences in religious settings can destroy your spirit.
Religious trauma often develops over time. Ongoing hurtful experiences slowly increase our feelings of guilt, anxiety, and fear until it is too much to bear. Our pain can show up in many ways, often touching the deepest parts of who we are. You may feel disconnected from yourself, unsure of your own values and identity, or overwhelmed with pressure to conform. These experiences make it difficult to trust others, and perhaps even yourself. If you are not sure where to turn for support, secular therapy is a space to receive non-judgmental help without a religious agenda.
The care I offer is informed by my own lived experiences healing from spiritual wounds. I grew up in the LDS (Mormon) church and later left to escape the purity culture, shaming, and discrimination that defined my experience. There can be safety, joy, and meaning on the other side of a spiritual crisis. All over the world, we can find many ways of making meaning, connecting with something bigger than us, and living a moral life. Whether your background is Christian, LDS, Jewish, Muslim, Atheist, Agnostic - or any other belief system - your whole self is welcome here. It is absolutely crucial to me that you feel deeply supported, respected, and encouraged on your journey toward healing.
Here are a few common symptoms of religious trauma:
Low Self Esteem - Many experience intense guilt about their private beliefs or behaviors. You may struggle to feel confident or good enough. This can be intensified by messages that stress unworthiness or sinfulness.
Feeling Alone - Faith crises can come with the painful experience of being shunned or cut off from your family and friends. This loss of community can lead to grief, abandonment, and loneliness. Substance or behavioral addictions may develop as a way to self-soothe
Guilt About Your Sexuality - Many faiths emphasize strict rules about sexual behavior, often framing it as sinful or immoral outside of narrow guidelines (straight, married, monogamous, etc). This can lead to feelings of fear or guilt about our natural desires or consensual behaviors if they break the rules. For those who identify as LGBTQIA+, the impact can be even more profound, as many religions reject or stigmatize these identities.
Feeling Trapped and Inferior as a Woman - In many traditional religious settings, women are expected to adhere to rigid gender roles, prioritizing sexual purity (before marriage), submission and obedience (after marriage), and nurturing others (after children) above all else. These expectations can create immense pressure and result in a number of mental health challenges.
Anxiety About "Righteousness" - When a religious community emphasizes strict obedience to the rules, it can lead to a culture of perfectionism that makes it feel impossible to measure up. The pressure to avoid sin and demonstrate moral perfection sometimes manifests as chronic anxiety. Individuals in these environments can also become competitive and turn against each other in order to feel "righteous".
Questioning It All - When long-held beliefs about the meaning of life are held in doubt or shattered, internal chaos can unfold. For many, religion provides a framework for understanding why we exist, what is right and wrong, and our place in the world. It is common to feel "lost at sea" as we search for forms of meaning and purpose that feel true to us.