Healing Religious Trauma: A Compassionate, Personalized Approach

The remnants of our past toxic religious experiences, whether you’re ex-vangelical, ex-mormon, or a survivor of another traumatic religious experiences can be incredibly heavy—a legacy of guilt, perfectionism, and disconnection that keeps us frozen in time. Whether you’ve been shaped by strict purity culture, have found yourself the victim of multiple cults, or simply feel lost in your quest for genuine spirituality, we can work with it and help you move forward, with many tools at our disposal. I’m here to help you untangle these complex emotions and rediscover your authentic self through talk therapy, EMDR, group therapy, and a unique 12-week Religious Trauma Healing Intensive.

What even is Religious Trauma?

Religious trauma isn’t just about questioning faith; it’s a multifaceted struggle that touches every part of your life. Trauma is often defined by therapists as any experience that overwhelms your nervous system’s capacity to cope with it. Religious trauma often falls into the category of Complex trauma meaning those experiences are repeated over time instead of just happening once.

This can look like feeling forced to enact practices against your moral code, threat of rejection from your spiritual community (and ultimate loss of that spiritual community), and fear of existential threats like hell and your friends and family not being “saved.”

And so here you are, terrified to make new friends, being kept up at night by obsessive spiritual questioning, and grieving the loss of a community you once loved that became the very thing that harmed you. You’re grappling with intense guilt, a drive for perfection born from purity culture and disillusionment that has you completely existentially freaked.

Like I said, Heavy stuff.

Talk Therapy: A Safe Space for Honesty, Authenticity and Exploration

Honesty: As a religious trauma survivor myself, I know what it’s like to not be allowed to even think your real opinions to yourself. We’ll talk about what keeps you up at night, what you do and don’t miss, what your real needs are and how to meet them.

Authenticity: There’s a high likelihood that if you find me you’re dealing with some kind of marginalization that your previous spiritual community rejected whether that be queer, trans, neurodivergent, etc. In talk therapy we can focus on reclaiming the parts of yourself that have been shunted to the side, including emotions like resentment and anger.

Exploration: When you’re ready (and if you’re interested) we can utilize the therapy space as a sandbox to play in and help you build a unique spiritual practice that works for you. Whether you’re interested in meditation, tarot, astrology or another pathway we will talk about how to safely engage with spirituality and red flags to look out for in the future.

Our conversations are rooted in empathy and validation and most importantly CONSENT. By giving voice to your pain, we work together to dismantle the harmful messages you’ve internalized. With each session, you’ll find more space for self-compassion and the courage to reframe your story on your own terms.

Group Therapy: Rebuilding Community and Connection

Losing community is such a paramount experience of religious trauma survivors that finding a new community is often very necessary to the healing process. Group therapy is an incredibly effective, safe, and more effecient way to heal from toxic religious experiences. You’ll find yourself with a group of folks screened for similar experiences and values so you know you’re not walking into a group full of strangers (okay still strangers, but really cool strangers I promise!)

Unlike your previous church, this isn’t a place for forced positivity or platitudes—here, we honor the full spectrum of emotions, from grief to anger, and everything in between.This is a place for you to feel seen not just by your therapist, but by people who’ve been there and are in the trenches with you.

The Struggles of Living with Religious Trauma

When you’ve experienced religious trauma, everyday life can feel like a series of battles against ingrained beliefs and lingering pain. Common struggles include:

  • Guilt and Perfectionism:
    Not just about religious stuff but every facet of your life. Like not texting that person back fast enough, not sticking to that morning routine, not upholding your own ideals that may be unrealistic. You may not even realize you’re dealing with perfectionism because “well I could never be perfect.”

  • Spiritual Disconnection:
    I’m not talking about atheism here, but a complete disconnection from or confusion of meaning in your life. You may find that nothing hits quite like your previous religious path (which was designed to pull you in and leaving you chasing a spiritual high that’s impossible to maintain).

  • Cult Experiences and Betrayal:
    It is very common for religious trauma survivors to find themselves in one cult after another, whether it be another spiritual community, an exercise fad or an MLM .The betrayal and manipulation you experience can make it hard to trust any spiritual community again.

  • Loss of Community:
    Leaving a religious community often means losing a sense of belonging, leaving you feeling isolated at a time when support is most needed. Having your friends and loved ones completely reject you except for the promise that they are praying for you. Ouch.

These challenges are real and worthy of care— a care that meets you where you’re at.

EMDR Therapy: Releasing the Hold of Past Wounds

Efficient Alternative to Talk Therapy: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful tool for addressing the deep-seated impact of religious trauma. Maybe just talking isn’t helping you feel any different or you’re just ready to try something new. EMDR is much more about experiencing and accelerating your brain’s natural healing process. You’ll talk less but get deeper, quicker.

This isn’t about erasing your past; it’s about freeing you from its hold so that you can live more fully in the present. EMDR offers a structured, evidence-based approach to shifting the way your brain processes traumatic memories, making it easier for you to embrace a more balanced and hopeful future.

Religious Trauma Healing Intensive: A 12-Week Transformative Journey

Finally I’ve created a seamless way to experience healing from all these approaches. For those seeking a more immersive experience, I offer a Religious Trauma Healing Intensive—a 12-week program designed to combine the power of group therapy and 1:1 EMDR therapy. This intensive is for anyone ready to commit to deep, transformative work in a supportive, structured environment.

What to Expect:

  • Integrated Modalities:
    The program blends the reflective space of group discussions with personalized 1:1 EMDR sessions, ensuring you benefit from both shared wisdom and tailored interventions.

  • Structured Healing:
    Over the course of 12 weeks, you’ll be guided through a progressive process that helps dismantle old beliefs, release trauma, and rediscover a spiritual practice that feels authentic and empowering.

  • Community Support:
    Alongside your individual work, you’ll join a community of peers who understand the unique challenges of religious trauma. Together, you’ll learn to navigate complex emotions and rebuild a sense of belonging.

This intensive is a powerful way to reclaim your energy and begin a new chapter of spiritual and emotional freedom. It’s not about forcing you to let go of your past but rather empowering you to integrate your experiences into a more authentic, fulfilling life.