Religious Trauma Therapy

Religious trauma therapy is for people who have been shaped—often deeply and early—by religious environments that relied on fear, shame, coercion, or control. You may no longer believe the teachings you grew up with, yet still find yourself anxious, self-doubting, hypervigilant, or uneasy trusting your own thoughts, body, or values. For many people, beliefs change long before the nervous system does.

​

Religious trauma is not about being “anti-religion,” weak, or unable to move on. These responses are often how the nervous system adapts when safety, belonging, and worth were tied to obedience, compliance, or moral perfection. Therapy offers a place to slow this process down and understand what happened—without rushing you toward conclusions, labels, or belief change.

​

You might recognize yourself here

People seek religious trauma therapy for many reasons. You might recognize yourself in some of these experiences:

• Ongoing fear, guilt, or shame even after leaving or questioning religion

• Anxiety around morality, punishment, or “getting it wrong”

• Difficulty trusting yourself after years of external authority

• Trouble setting boundaries or asserting needs without fear

• Body-based reactions to religious language, music, or environments

• Grief, anger, or confusion about what was lost—or never allowed

These responses are not signs that you are doing deconstruction “wrong.” They are often the natural outcome of long-term conditioning in systems where fear or obedience were central.

​​

You don’t need to be sure this is ‘religious trauma’ to reach out. If this description resonates, you don’t need to have everything figured out before reaching out. You’re welcome to request a brief, no-pressure consultation to see whether working together might feel supportive.
👉 Request a consultation

​

What religious trauma therapy is (and isn’t)

Religious trauma therapy is not about telling you what to believe, encouraging you to leave your faith, or pushing you toward a particular worldview. It is also not about debating doctrine or replacing one belief system with another.

​

Instead, this work focuses on safety, autonomy, and agency. Therapy can help you understand how fear-based conditioning shaped your nervous system, relationships, and sense of self—and support you in rebuilding trust in your own perceptions, boundaries, and choices. The pace is collaborative. You decide what is explored and when.

​​

My approach

I work from a trauma-informed, non-coercive framework. Therapy with me is not about being guided toward answers or conclusions, but about creating a space where fear, anger, grief, and doubt can be explored without being minimized or corrected.

​

Many of the people I work with come from high-control religions, groups, or cults. For these clients, therapy often involves gently untangling fear from meaning, obligation from choice, and shame from identity—while rebuilding trust in your own perceptions, boundaries, and internal signals.

​

This work can feel relieving and unsettling at the same time. We move at your pace, with attention to psychological safety, autonomy, and lived experience.

​

Considering reaching out

Many people begin therapy feeling unsure, conflicted, or hesitant to name what they’ve experienced. You don’t need to have clarity—or even the right words—before reaching out. If you’re wondering whether what you’re experiencing fits religious trauma, or how this work typically unfolds, you may find the FAQ page helpful.

​

If you’d like to ask questions or get a sense of whether working together might feel like a good fit, you’re welcome to reach out. You can share only what feels comfortable. I also offer a brief, no-pressure Zoom conversation for those who want to talk things through before deciding next steps.​​​​