Therapy for Religious Trauma

Healing from Spiritual Harm with an AEDP Approach

Religious experiences are meant to offer safety, meaning, and connection. When they instead create fear, shame, or emotional harm, the impact can last long after the beliefs are left behind.

If religion shaped your nervous system around fear, control, or self-doubt, therapy can help you heal—without judgment, pressure, or agenda.

I offer religious trauma therapy using an AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy) lens, supporting people as they reconnect with themselves and rebuild a sense of safety, trust, and emotional freedom.

Is This You?

You may be carrying religious trauma if you experience:

• Anxiety, panic, or fear tied to morality, punishment, or “doing it wrong”

• Deep shame or self-criticism rooted in religious messages

• Difficulty trusting your own thoughts, feelings, or desires

• Emotional numbness or feeling disconnected from yourself

• Grief, anger, or confusion after leaving or questioning a faith tradition

• Loss of identity, community, or meaning after deconstruction

Your responses are not a personal failure—they are adaptations to environments that were overwhelming or unsafe.

How AEDP Supports Healing

AEDP is a trauma-informed, attachment-based therapy that helps healing happen through safe emotional connection. Instead of analyzing beliefs or debating theology, AEDP focuses on what happened inside you and how to gently restore emotional safety.

In AEDP-informed religious trauma therapy, we focus on:

• Creating a relationship where you feel emotionally safe and respected

• Gently processing emotions that were once suppressed, forbidden, or punished

• Healing internalized shame and fear

• Reconnecting with your authentic self and inner wisdom

• Building trust in your emotions, body, and lived experience

Healing happens at your pace, with care and collaboration.

What Therapy Feels Like

Sessions are grounded, relational, and guided by what feels most important to you. Therapy may include:

• Slowing down and tuning into emotions and bodily sensations

• Naming and validating spiritual harm and loss

• Working with fear, grief, anger, or sadness connected to religion

• Supporting identity development after faith transitions

• Noticing and strengthening moments of relief, clarity, and resilience

There is no expectation to hold or reject any belief system. Whether you are spiritual, atheist, agnostic, or unsure, your autonomy is honored.

You Are Not Broken

Religious trauma often teaches people to distrust themselves. Healing helps you rediscover that your emotions make sense, your needs matter, and your life can be guided by connection rather than fear.

You don’t need to erase your past to move forward—you can integrate it in a way that allows for more freedom, peace, and authenticity.

Get Started

If religious trauma is affecting your mental health, relationships, or sense of self, I invite you to reach out for a consultation.

You deserve support that feels safe, compassionate, and truly attuned to you.