Let’s talk about: Religious & Spiritual Trauma
Have you experienced harm or wounding from a religious and or spiritual belief, community, or individual? Religious and spiritual trauma does not always mean one specific moment or event, but can be an environment, situation, culture, or subjective experience that causes harm and wounding.
“[Religious trauma is] the physical, emotional, or psychological response to religious beliefs, practices, or structures that overwhelm an individual’s ability to cope and return to a sense of safety.”
I support folks who want to heal from experiences such as:
Negative beliefs about self, others, and the world
Trouble making decisions
Intense feelings of shame and vulnerability
Feelings of depression, anxiety, grief, anger, lethargy
A lack of pleasure or interest in things you used to enjoy
A sense of feeling lost, directionless, and isolated
A loss of a community (family, friends, romantic relationships)
Feeling “behind the times” with cultural happenings
Recovering from spiritual and religious trauma can be empowering, disorienting, and a journey of grief.
Healing from religious trauma does not mean that you have to withdrawal from your beliefs or leave your community. You are the ultimate guide on your needs and desires. Attending to your healing from religious or spiritual can include exploring inner truths that hold healing and releasing beliefs that have resulted in deep harm.
At other points this work can include exploring a scaffolding of grief - anger, sadness, wishful thinking, denial, acceptance, and meaning making. We may explore how these adverse religious experiences have impacted your sense of self, safety, and relationship with others AND how you want to write your story moving forward. I believe telling your story can help clarify and validate your truth - ultimately helping you refine your decision making process, learn how to trust in your sense of self, and help you cope with dysregulating sensations and feelings related to religious and spiritual experiences.
I promise to create a non-judgmental, compassionate, and kind space to explore, regulate, and find safety.
I will never tell you what your truth is and or put you in a position to make a decision on a belief system.
I believe in the healing power of autonomy, agency, and community - all of which are basic human rights that you get to explore and be the ultimate authority on in your life. The healing journey is yours and I will come alongside you to explore the wounds and wounding you experienced by a community you may have trusted and or currently serve.
Let’s journey together