Religious Trauma
Are you experiencing trauma from religion’s influence?
Do you resonate with the words ‘church hurt’ or ‘spiritual abuse’?
Religious Trauma care is multifaceted and unique to your individual experience
The definition of trauma can be described and defined by anything that is "a thing or things that happened either too much, too soon, too fast, or for too long without something being attended to by something reparative or healing." -Resmaa Menakem
Religious trauma can develop within rigid religious systems rooted in dogma or oppressive beliefs. These experiences can create complex trauma responses that impact emotional wellbeing, identity, relationships, and overall mental health.
This can be called many different things: Church hurt, C-PTSD religious trauma, Purity Culture Trauma, Cult recovery, exvangelical healing, ex mormon healing, spiritual abuse recovery. If any of these resonate with you, you are not alone.
What is Religious Trauma?
Religion can be a source of comfort, belonging, and meaning. But for many, it can also be a source of deep pain. you may be struggling with shame, fear, self-doubt, or a loss of identity. You might be grappling with questions about your worth, your beliefs, or how to move forward when the community or faith that once shaped you no longer feels safe.
Religious trauma can stem from rigid belief systems, spiritual abuse, purity culture, fear-based teachings, or being ostracized for who you are. High control religion often enforces hierarchies of power, control, and oppression, leaving deep wounds that affect your sense of self, relationships, and ability to trust. My approach to healing religious trauma comes from a decolonizing lens, acknowledging how systemic oppression, colonialism, and patriarchy have shaped many religious institutions. Healing is not about replacing one belief system with another. Instead, it’s about reclaiming your autonomy, honoring your lived experiences, and finding what feels safe and authentic for you.
2sLGBTQIA+ affirming care is central to my practice. Trans, queer, and all gender-expansive people are welcome here. Religious trauma can be deeply entangled with identity, rejection, and fear, and I am committed to providing a space that fully affirms and supports who you are. The intersection of religious trauma and LGBTQIA+ identity can be especially painful, as many religious spaces have perpetuated harmful messages that inspire shaming, rejecting and abusive practices. I am committed to providing a space that fully affirms and supports who you are. I am proudly gender-affirming and strive to always be learning and growing in my advocacy for all 2S-LGBTQIA+ people.
In therapy, we will move at your pace, exploring your path toward healing. My goal is to co-create a space where you feel safe to process, grieve, and heal—without judgment or pressure. Whether you want to deconstruct harmful beliefs, navigate family dynamics, somatically increase your felt sense of self, or simply find your own path forward, you are not alone in this.
Healing is possible. You deserve to feel safe in your body, mind, and spirit.
The Path Toward Healing
The path toward healing is different for everybody. Here are a few avenues that may align with your needs:
Deconstructing religious doctrine
Including Purity culture teachings
Somatic focused healing (Including Somatic Experiencing)
Attune to a felt sense of safety
Explore a felt sense of autonomy/agency
Understand Purity culture’s impact on your relationship to your body
Begin exploring personal values and sense of self
Identify internal resources
Explore trauma patterns and the nervous system
Processing trauma triggers and their impact
EMDR, Parts work or Somatic Experiencing
Rebuilding and reclaiming identity
Healing from religious trauma often involves reconnecting with parts of yourself that may have been shaped by fear, shame, or rigid expectations. Religious trauma therapy can help you explore your experiences, clarify your values, and develop a stronger sense of self.
Many people find that this process leads to greater autonomy, integration, and a more grounded sense of peace.
Whether you are an Exvangelical, recovering from high control religion, or have purity culture trauma, we can explore healing together.
“If we’ve grown up in systems that wire us to fear or disregard our body, part of our healing work will be to move through resistance and learn to befriend the body again
— Kimberly Johnson