Our society doesn’t have a name for it, but countless people have gone through some version of what could be termed “religious abuse,” “spiritual abuse,” or “church abuse.” This could range from the statistically abnormal experience of being raised in an oppressive fringe religious group or cult to the much more normalized experiencing of growing up with a creed that was imposed in a constricting, oppressive, or even outright abusive manner. Religious abuse doesn’t discriminate based on any particular sect or denomination, and can be found in all strata of society. LGBTQ people who grow up in intolerant households often bear the scars of religious abuse when ideology is used against them to discriminate and ostracize.

Religious symbolism is potent, and I believe religious symbols hold psychological power; power to aid or to harm. If you have gone through religious abuse, you may find that you gravitate to an atheistic or agnostic view of the world. Or, you may struggle to reconcile what a sense of a healthy religious or spiritual life could look like for you. My role as a therapist is to facilitate your journey, whatever the destination. Through establishing a clear and open dialogue about your history, we can work to disentangle you from beliefs that may be inhibiting and hurting you; beliefs that may have never truly been yours to begin with. The therapeutic space is a venue for talking about subjects and attitudes that may have been forbidden to you in the past. I endeavor to be worthy of your trust so that we can shine a light on the darkness in your life. Through a minor in religious studies and a personal passion for learning about world religious traditions as well as fringe movements, I can apply my knowledge to help you understand what you truly do and do not believe, and to reach a clearer view of the world around you.

If you would like to reach out and see about a free consultation with me to treat the effects of religious abuse, please contact me here.