Religious Trauma Therapy in St. Louis

Take the next step toward healing.

Looking for a safe space to unpack a painful religious experience?

Has a painful religious experience or a shift in beliefs / theology left you feeling:

  • Unsure about your purpose or place in the world 

  • Disconnected from a community that gave you meaning and belonging

  • Conflicted and wondering if what you experienced is “normal”

  • Confused about how to make sense of having both positive and painful experiences from the same people

  • Disillusioned because the people who were supposed to be safe and provide care were actually dangerous and caused you harm

  • Panicked at the thought of setting foot in a church or that the topic of religion / beliefs could come up in conversation

  • Regretful about any part that you played, or that you showed up and believed at all

I’m here to help.

Faith is deeply woven into the fabric of our lives.  It’s the way we see ourselves and the world around us.  When there is a tear in the fabric - either by a trauma or a faith transition - it seems like nothing is undisturbed by the change.  It can be really hard to take inventory of every part of life that it has affected.  Often people need help to unpack and understand the road they are travelling.

Religion usually takes place in a social context - a congregation or gathering.  So while these experiences are deeply personal, they are also quite public.  They impact relationships with close friends, our own parents and extended family members, perhaps neighbors,  mentors, and certainly our significant other and sometimes even our children.  Navigating the private and the public makes this more complex and overwhelming.  Many try to do it alone.  But getting support from a professional can really help.

Things we can work on in religious trauma therapy:

  • Learning about how trauma impacts the whole person

  • Deeper understanding for and processing of painful experiences

  • Accepting who you are today and the road you are travelling

  • Finding words that capture your experience and developing ways to share your story in safe relationships

  • Recreating your world to be a place where you feel belonging, meaning, & joy

There’s freedom to travel the path you are on.

Frequently Asked Questions about Religious Trauma Therapy

 

  • Any experience of a religious belief, practice, or structure that undermines an individual’s sense of safety or autonomy, and/or negatively impacts their physical, social, emotional, relational, or psychological well-being. (Reclamation Collective, Religious Trauma Institute)

    Certain communities are at a higher risk of Adverse Religious Experiences including: women and children (Men holding power/patriarchy/ageism); LGBTQIA folx (Condemning messages about LGBTQ persons/homophobia), BIPOC (white supremacy), anyone living with chronic health conditions, mental health, or neurodiverse folx (ableism).

  • The physical, emotional, or psychological response to religious beliefs, practices, or structures that overwhelm a person’s ability to cope and return to a sense of safety.


    Acute religious trauma results from a single incident. Chronic religious trauma results from repeated and prolonged adverse religious experiences. Complex religious trauma results from exposure to varied and multiple adverse religious experiences, often of an invasive and interpersonal nature (Reclamation Collective, Religious Trauma Institute).

    Common after experiencing religious trauma:

    • Feelings of guilt, anger, depression, confusion, exhaustion

    • Sense of being isolated and aimless

    • Trouble making decisions or trusting your gut

    • Fear about how people think of you and your decisions

    • Not sure how to talk about or explain your experience

    • Loss of confidence, purpose, and community

  • The conscious or unconscious use of power to direct, control, or manipulate another’s body, thoughts, emotions, actions, or capacity for choice, freedom, or autonomy within a spiritual of religious context (Reclamation Collective & Religious Trauma Institute).

  • I grew up in the church. I went to youth group, sang on the worship team, went on mission trips, taught Sunday School, and attended a Christian college. It’s safe to say I was immersed in evangelical church culture. In my adulthood, I walked with friends and family through painful experiences, doubt, religious trauma, and faith transitions. It is a terrain that I have learned by living it.

    What brings me to this work is that there is not a space for people to process these experiences. In many cases they suffer in silence and that’s something I just can’t stomach. Not every therapist gets it... how church culture is, let alone how to explain when things go sideways. I’m a trained therapist and it’s a path I have walked in my personal life. I’m here to join you on your journey, wherever it may lead.