Religious Trauma
Are you experiencing trauma from religion’s influence?
The importance of individual care
Religious Trauma care is multifaceted and unique to your individual experience
The definition of trauma can be described and defined by anything that is "a thing or things that happened either too much, too soon, too fast, or for too long without something being attended to by something reparative or healing." -Resmaa Menakem
When trauma combines with religious systems that are focused on religious dogma and oppressive ideologies, we can experience a level of complexity with our trauma responses that present differently than other single-event traumatic experiences would. Religious trauma has the potential to impact us on multiple different levels of our wellbeing.
What is Religious Trauma?
Religion can be a source of comfort, belonging, and meaning—but for many, it can also be a source of deep pain. If you have experienced religious trauma, you may be struggling with shame, fear, self-doubt, or a loss of identity. You might be grappling with questions about your worth, your beliefs, or how to move forward when the community or faith that once shaped you no longer feels safe.
Religious trauma can stem from rigid belief systems, spiritual abuse, purity culture, fear-based teachings, or being ostracized for who you are. It often enforces hierarchies of power, control, and oppression, leaving deep wounds that affect your sense of self, relationships, and ability to trust. My approach to healing religious trauma comes from a decolonizing lens, acknowledging how systemic oppression, colonialism, and patriarchy have shaped many religious institutions. Healing is not about replacing one belief system with another—it’s about reclaiming your autonomy, honoring your lived experiences, and finding what feels safe and authentic for you.
2sLGBTQIA+ affirming care is central to my practice. Trans, queer, and all gender-expansive people are welcome here. Religious trauma can be deeply entangled with identity, rejection, and fear, and I am committed to providing a space that fully affirms and supports who you are. The intersection of religious trauma and LGBTQIA+ identity can be especially painful, as many religious spaces have perpetuated harmful messages that inspire shaming, rejecting and abusive practices. I am committed to providing a space that fully affirms and supports who you are. I am proudly gender-affirming and strive to always be learning and growing in my advocacy for all 2S-LGBTQIA+ people.
In therapy, we will move at your pace, exploring your path toward healing. My goal is to co-create a space where you feel safe to process, grieve, and heal—without judgment or pressure. Whether you want to deconstruct harmful beliefs, navigate family dynamics, somatically increase your felt sense of self, or simply find your own path forward, you are not alone in this.
Healing is possible. You deserve to feel safe in your body, mind, and spirit.
The Path Toward Healing
The path toward healing is different for everybody. Here are a few avenues that may align with your needs:
Deconstructing religious doctrine
Including Purity culture teachings
Somatic focused healing (Including Somatic Experiencing)
Attune to a felt sense of safety
Explore a felt sense of autonomy/agency
Understand Purity culture’s impact on your relationship to your body
Begin exploring personal values and sense of self
Identify internal resources
Explore trauma patterns and the nervous system
Processing trauma triggers and their impact
EMDR, Parts work or Somatic Experiencing
“If we’ve grown up in systems that wire us to fear or disregard our body, part of our healing work will be to move through resistance and learn to befriend the body again
— Kimberly Johnson