Dr. Grisel Lopez-Escobar, PhD (in Counseling),
Licensed Mental Health Counselor Providing Virtual Therapy to Adult Clients
in the States of AK, AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, ID, IN, LA, MA, ME, NV, OR, SC, TX, UT, VT, WI & WY, USA
Specializing in Supporting Clients who are Newly Secular or Deconstructing from High Control Religions, Groups or Cults: Religious Trauma / Faith Crisis, Religious Deconstruction / Purity Culture / Religious Residue / Mixed-Faith Relationships / Secular Therapy
Freethinker
An individual who forms beliefs based on reason, logic, and evidence, often rejecting traditional religious dogma
You decide to explore scientific and philosophical frameworks instead of theology.
You are accused of arrogance or pride for thinking “outside the faith.”
You feel intellectually liberated but socially alienated.
Potential clinical implications (especially in high control settings)
Cognitive dissonance may arise when personal values conflict with communal norms.
Social anxiety and withdrawal can occur due to judgment or exclusion by a former community.
A sense of isolation could develop as support networks dissolve and new ones take time to form.