Religious Trauma Counseling
Helping you heal from painful experiences that occurred within spiritual settings.
Religious Trauma Leads to Feeling Alone in Your Pain
Folks who experience harm within a religious context often feel abandoned and confused.
Religious trauma includes the experience of something in a religious context that happened too fast, too soon, or was too much for your nervous system. Spiritual abuse occurs when a person or group uses their power in a spiritual setting to manipulate or overly influence others. Many folks who have spent time within a high-control religious environment may resonate with these descriptions.
Survivors of religious trauma or spiritual abuse are left feeling abandoned, often by both their community and their god. You feel confused about what has happened and how your mind and body are responding. You may be overwhelmed with emotions in a way you’ve never experienced before. You are filled with questions, yet there is no place that feels safe enough to allow you to ask them.
You Can Find a Fulfilling Life After Religious Trauma
Those who find safety and freedom with a trained counselor are able to move forward from religious trauma in a way that fits for them.
You can share your experience without judgment. Ask your questions. Learn how to listen to your emotions. Determine what religion or spirituality looks like for yourself.
All of this is possible through working with a trauma-informed therapist who has a specialized understanding of the complexities of religious trauma and spiritual abuse. As a survivor of spiritual abuse and religious trauma myself, in addition to being a trained counselor who has taken hours of additional education courses to work with religious trauma, I am honored to support you on your journey to healing.
I have seen clients blossom as they’ve healed from religious trauma. They’ve gained understanding of their bodies and emotions in a deeper way. They’ve figured out what, if any, role they desire spirituality to play in their lives. and they’ve formed fulfilling relationships with others.
Healing From Religious Trauma Brings Freedom
Folks who work with me to address their religious trauma or spiritual abuse are able to feel more free in their identity and how they show up in the world.
You can sort through the things you have been taught and the ways you’ve been hurt in religious settings. You can find freedom to identify your values and determine what is important for you to live a fulfilling life. You can use your talents without worrying about gender or hierarchical expectations.
You can freely choose how to show up in the world, and have boundaries around what parts of you others have access to.
How Does Religious Trauma Counseling Work?
I work with clients to create a therapeutic relationship that feels safe for you to address your experience on your timeline.
Religious trauma is complex. The clients I work with who are survivors of religious trauma or who are exiting high-control religions are often untangling multiple experiences that occurred over years (or even decades). Being trauma-informed in my approach means that I collaborate with each client throughout our work together to create a counseling space that feels safe for you to process at your own pace. Nothing is done or discussed without your consent, and you have the freedom to let me know if we need to change our course at any time.
The specifics of counseling survivors of religious trauma or spiritual abuse vary based on the person, their experiences, and their goals. We may spend time talking about the event(s) and allowing for you to share your narrative of lived experience. We may focus time on coping skills related to specific areas where you’re struggling. We may utilize techniques such as Brainspotting to assist you in healing.
If you are interested in scheduling a free consult call to learn more about counseling for religious trauma and spiritual abuse, simply contact me via the button below.
What is Religious Trauma Counseling?
Religious Trauma Counseling is professional counseling provided by a licensed mental health therapist who is trained to work with religious trauma and spiritual abuse. This type of counseling assists those who have experienced trauma or abuse in a religious setting to find healing.
How does Religious Trauma Counseling work?
Religious Trauma Counseling allows a survivor of spiritual abuse or religious trauma to gain understanding of their experience(s). Clients work toward healing their pain and creating a fulfilling life, based on their individual values and goals. For some, this includes finding new ways to incorporate religion or spirituality in their lives. For others, this means that religion is no longer part of their life. I work with each individual client to determine what best meets their needs.
When is Religious Trauma Counseling needed?
If you’re considering whether you might benefit from Religious Trauma Counseling, the answer is probably “yes.” I view religious trauma as anything that your nervous system experienced as too much, too fast, or too soon to allow you to adequately digest and respond. I consider spiritual abuse to be any time a person or group utilized their power within a spiritual context to manipulate others. Those who are struggling due to experiencing things that fit those definitions can benefit from Religious Trauma Counseling.
How much Religious Trauma Counseling cost?
This depends on the format of the services. I offer individual counseling where I meet 1:1 with clients and focus on concerns related to religious trauma or spiritual abuse – fee information for this service can be found here. At times, I may offer a Religious Trauma Group Therapy option, which will have specific costs associated for participants. You can learn about any religious trauma related group offerings here.
How long does the Religious Trauma Counseling take?
Once again, this depends. Many factors, including the specifics of your experience(s) and your goals for counseling, play a role in the length of time the process may take. This is something we can discuss during our initial session, once I have a better understanding of your circumstances.
How do I know if Religious Trauma Counseling is right for me?
Religious Trauma Counseling may be right for you if any of the following apply:
- You have trauma-like symptoms related to something that happened in a religious context. Examples include, but are not limited to, intense fear about eternity, disconnection from your body / difficulty with bodily pleasure, feelings of guilt or shame, difficulty trusting authority, or intrusive thoughts related to religious teachings.
- You experienced manipulation by someone in a position of power within a spiritual setting.
- You grew up in purity culture and received very little education about bodies and/or sexuality. You may now find yourself feeling like a “naive child in an adult world” when it comes to understanding your body or romantic relationships.
- You have felt rejected by your belief system due to not fitting within gender roles or not following the prescribed life trajectory.
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Contact me to schedule your free consultation call and see if Religious Trauma Counseling can help you heal and move forward.
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