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T H E R A P Y F O R

Religious Trauma

Struggling with Religious Trauma or Spiritual Abuse?

Religious trauma and spiritual abuse are real—and they can affect every part of your life.


If you’ve experienced fear, guilt, or harm through your religious upbringing or community—whether you’re still in your faith or have left—you’re not alone. These experiences can shape how you think, feel, and relate to yourself and others. With the right support, healing is possible, and you can begin to rebuild trust in yourself.

Explore how religious trauma may be affecting you with my FREE Religious Trauma Checklist.

IF THIS RESONATES, YOU’RE NOT ALONE

  • Two hands holding a heart symbolizing the complex emotions brought up when facing religious trauma.

    Emotionally

    YOU MIGHT FEEL

    Shame & Guilt – Still hearing that voice in your head telling you you’re “bad” or “broken” for questioning or leaving.

    Anxiety & Fear – Worrying about making the wrong choices, being judged, or even fearing divine punishment.

    Grief & Loss – Mourning not just your beliefs, but also the community, structure, and sense of belonging you once had.

    Anger & Betrayal – Feeling manipulated, lied to, or used by religious leaders or teachings that controlled your life.

  • An icon of a person with an X where their face would be symbolizing the distress between the mind and body when handling religious trauma.

    Physically

    YOU MIGHT NOTICE

    Stress in Your Body – Headaches, fatigue, stomach issues, or muscle tension from years of emotional strain. Try my Stress Relief Card Deck for simple, grounding practices to help calm your nervous system and reconnect with your body.

    Sleep Problems – Lying awake with racing thoughts, anxiety, or nightmares about your past.

    Always on Edge – Feeling hyper-aware, easily triggered, or unable to fully relax.

  • An icon of a profile of a face with a tangled mess of lines where the brain is, symbolizing the mental stressors that wading through religious trauma can bring.

    Mentally

    YOU MAY BE STRUGGLING WITH

    Who Am I Now? – Trying to figure out who you are without the rules and labels that once defined you. Explore my Identity Card Deck to go deeper in this part of your journey.

    Self-Doubt – Questioning every decision, unsure if you can trust yourself after years of being told what to think.

    Conflicting Beliefs – Struggling to shake old fears or ideas, even when you no longer believe them.

    Perfectionism & Pressure – Feeling like you still need to “get it right” or prove your worth, even outside of religion.

  • An icon of two faces overlapping, symbolizing the disconnect between the spirit and the self when religious trauma divides one's identity.

    Spiritually

    YOU MAY BE WRESTLING WITH

    Faith & Doubt – Wondering if you’ve made a mistake, or questioning everything you once believed.

    Fear of Punishment – A lingering worry that something bad will happen because you left. Explore more common fears after leaving high-control religion.

    Loss of Meaning – Struggling to find purpose now that religion isn’t guiding your every move.

  • An icon of two people with arguing, symbolizing tension in relationships caused by religious trauma.

    In your relationships

    YOU MIGHT BE

    Feeling Alone – Missing the community you left behind, or feeling like no one understands what you’re going through.

    Navigating Family Tension – Dealing with judgment, disappointment, or distance from loved ones who still believe.

    Struggling with Intimacy – Unpacking shame around relationships, love, and sexuality after purity culture.

    People-Pleasing – Still feeling the pull to keep others happy, even at the cost of your own needs.

  • An icon of two hands holding each other to form the shape of a heart, to symbolize the healing possible through counseling.

    You deserve space to heal, process, and rebuild on your own terms. If this resonates, I’d be honored to walk alongside you.

“Religious trauma resides in our bodies and nervous systems in the same way that trauma from war, developmental trauma, or sexualized trauma live inside us”

-LAURA E. ANDERSON, PHD