In my work with clients who have left high-control religions, groups, or cults, I draw on a range of therapeutic approaches to help them heal. Every client is different, and I of course take into account everyone's specific circumstances and what their goals for therapy are. 

 

CBT – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Ideal for clients who want structured, goal-oriented tools to challenge negative thought patterns and change behavior, especially in conditions like anxiety or depression. 

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In the Context of Religious Trauma
• Identifies and reframes harmful cognitive distortions (e.g., "I’m inherently bad" or "Suffering is spiritual").
• Interrupts thought loops rooted in fear-based theology.

In the Context of a Faith Crisis / Religious Deconstruction
• Facilitates examination of core beliefs and how they developed through religious indoctrination.
• Helps replace rigid moral absolutes with nuanced, personal ethics.

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In the Context of Purity Culture
• Challenges black-and-white thinking around sexuality, modesty, and gender roles.
• Reframes internalized beliefs such as "my worth is tied to my sexual purity" or "sex outside marriage ruins me."
• Uses cognitive restructuring to help clients develop healthy, autonomous sexual ethics rooted in consent and self-respect.

In the Context of Religious Residue
• Targets automatic thoughts (e.g., guilt for missing prayer, fear of divine retribution) still influencing behavior.
• Encourages exposure-based techniques to reduce sensitivity to triggers (like religious language or rituals).
• Supports behavioral experimentation (e.g., setting boundaries, expressing opinions) to reinforce new beliefs.

 

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Positive Psychology

Best for clients looking to build on strengths, enhance well-being, and cultivate a more fulfilling and meaningful life.

 

In the Context of Religious Trauma
• Counters trauma narratives with strengths-based reflection.
• Builds new identity rooted in hope, meaning, and authentic flourishing.
 

In the Context of a Faith Crisis / Religious Deconstruction
• Encourages finding new sources of purpose, community, and joy.
• Validates spiritual values (like love, justice, or connection) while freeing them from dogma.
 

In the Context of Purity Culture
• Helps clients reclaim body autonomy and sexuality as natural, positive parts of the human experience.
• Reinforces the idea that pleasure, intimacy, and sexual exploration can be sources of joy, not shame.
• Promotes the development of a self-concept that honors worth beyond perceived "purity" or abstinence.

 

In the Context of Religious Residue
• Reclaims practices like gratitude, mindfulness, or awe without tying them to religious obligation.
• Encourages value-driven living to replace shame- or fear-based motivation.
• Promotes self-worth based on intrinsic human value, not divine approval.

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Psychodynamic Therapy

Suited for clients interested in exploring deep-rooted emotional patterns, unconscious motivations, and early life experiences to gain insight into current issues.

 

In the Context of Religious Trauma
• Explores unconscious emotional wounds from authoritarian or conditional religious love.
• Surfaces and processes early spiritual experiences with caregivers or clergy that may still shape the psyche.
 

In the Context of a Faith Crisis / Religious Deconstruction
• Aids in understanding the emotional attachments and identities formed within religion.
• Supports mourning the loss of spiritual certainty or community.
 

In the Context of Purity Culture
• Investigates how childhood messages about sex, modesty, and worth became internalized and tied to love, safety, or control.
• Surfaces repressed desires, fears, or guilt related to sexuality and helps process these in a safe space.
• Helps dismantle internalized misogyny, fear of sexual expression, and associations of sex with danger or sin.

 

In the Context of Religious Residue
• Helps process deep emotional imprints of shame, fear, and unworthiness stemming from religious messages.
• Uncovers internalized “God-figures” (e.g., punitive, all-seeing authority) and supports replacing them with more compassionate inner voices.
• Encourages integration of parts (e.g., the obedient child vs. the questioning adult) for internal harmony.

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Psychoeducation

Great for clients who benefit from understanding their mental health condition and learning practical strategies to manage symptoms and improve functioning.

 

In the Context of Religious Trauma
• Provides information about the dynamics of spiritual abuse, coercive control, and trauma responses.
• Normalizes symptoms like dissociation, guilt, hypervigilance, or grief within the context of religious harm.
 

In the Context of a Faith Crisis / Religious Deconstruction
• Explains common psychological processes involved in belief change, identity reconstruction, and loss of certainty.
• Introduces concepts like cognitive dissonance, moral injury, and developmental stages of faith to help clients make sense of their experience.

 

In the Context of Purity Culture
• Opens discussion on the roots of purity culture, including its ties to patriarchy and control.
• Normalizes sexual development and affirms sexual diversity and agency.
• Offers science-based information about sex, consent, and healthy relationships to replace fear-based abstinence messages.
 

In the Context of Religious Residue
• Educates clients on the lasting psychological impact of indoctrination, fear-based conditioning, and binary moral systems.
• Helps differentiate between authentic values and those instilled through manipulation or fear.
• Supports clients in recognizing and unlearning internalized doctrines that no longer align with their chosen identity.

 

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REBT – Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

Useful for clients who struggle with rigid beliefs and want to develop more flexible thinking to improve emotional responses.

 

In the Context of Religious Trauma
• Directly challenges absolutist thinking (e.g., “I must obey or I am worthless”).
• Helps clients see how certain religious beliefs caused emotional distress.
 

In the Context of a Faith Crisis / Religious Deconstruction
• Uses ABC model (Activating event → Belief → Consequence) to examine religious teachings and their emotional impact.
• Offers permission to develop personal philosophies through rational evaluation.

 

In the Context of Purity Culture
• Disputes irrational beliefs such as “I am dirty if I have sexual thoughts” or “No one will love me if I’m not a virgin.”
• Replaces shame-based sexual beliefs with rational, empowering alternatives based on human dignity and mutual respect.
• Reinforces that one's value is not diminished by sexual choices or experiences.

 

In the Context of Religious Residue
• Identifies lingering rules (e.g., “If I don’t follow spiritual practices, I’m lazy or bad”).
• Disputes these beliefs and replaces them with rational alternatives that allow for self-acceptance and agency.
• Reinforces that morality can exist outside of religion.

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Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

Ideal for clients who prefer to concentrate on solutions and future goals rather than delving deeply into past problems.

 

In the Context of Religious Trauma
• Shifts focus from damage to resilience, highlighting survival despite spiritual harm.
• Builds on client strengths, small wins, and hope for the future.
 

In the Context of a Faith Crisis / Religious Deconstruction
• Encourages clients to visualize their post-religion identity and define goals aligned with their true self.
• Keeps momentum by asking, “What’s better today?” or “What will be different when this is resolved?”

 

In the Context of Purity Culture
• Helps clients identify moments when they felt free, empowered, or at ease with their bodies and desires.
• Focuses on the client’s vision of healthy, fulfilling relationships and sexuality rather than analyzing past shame.
• Builds a future-oriented path grounded in confidence, bodily autonomy, and personal values.
 

In the Context of Religious Residue
• Identifies exceptions to old patterns (e.g., “When have you felt peace without religion?”).
• Builds forward momentum, even when old beliefs still tug at the client emotionally.
• Supports developing a new spiritual or existential framework if the client so desires.