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
Sanctuary Trauma
The deep betrayal someone feels when a place they believed was safe (like a church) causes harm
You trusted your spiritual leader, only to be gaslit or shamed when you were vulnerable.
You now feel uneasy or triggered walking into any religious building, even unrelated ones.
Potential clinical implications (especially in high control settings)
Once-safe spaces may now provoke anxiety or trauma responses.
Deep trust wounds toward authority or institutions may form.
Emotional shutdown, panic, or flashbacks may be triggered in spiritual contexts.