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
Loss of Inner Authority
A diminished ability to trust one’s own thoughts, feelings, and decisions due to over-reliance on religious leaders or teachings
You feel anxious making choices without spiritual approval.
You second-guess your intuition, believing it's sinful or deceptive.
You fear trusting yourself might lead to spiritual ruin.
Potential clinical implications (especially in high control settings)
Severe indecisiveness may occur due to distrust in personal judgment.
Dependence on external validation can impair self-confidence and autonomy.
Recovering a sense of self may be difficult after leaving the belief system.