Spirituality Counseling
Religious Trauma & Faith Transitions
For many people, faith and spirituality can be a source of comfort and strength. But for others, religious experiences can also bring shame, fear, or deep inner conflict. Whether you are questioning long-held beliefs, healing from harmful teachings, or trying to reconnect with your sense of spirituality in a healthier way, you don't have to navigate it alone.
At A New Day Psychology, I offer a safe and nonjudgmental space to process religious trauma, doubt, and spiritual struggles. Together, we can untangle painful experiences and explore what a more grounded, authentic, and life-giving path might look like for you.
Common Concerns I Work With
Therapy may be helpful if you're experiencing:
Religious Trauma
– We help you process the lasting harm caused by strict rules, fear-based teachings, or controlling leaders, reducing the lingering feelings of fear, shame, and guilt
Rebuild Self-Trust and Identity
– Untangle your true self from old church rules and beliefs, helping you define what you believe and value
Establish Healthy Boundaries
– Learn how to set clear and healthy boundaries with family or community members who don't understand your current path.
Process Grief and Loss
– Navigate the significant grief associated with losing a faith community, a sense of meaning and certainty, and the identity that was tied to your former beliefs.
Release Shame and Guilt
– Process deeply ingrained feelings of shame and guilt you carry about doubting, changing, or simply being yourself, allowing you to move toward self-compassion and acceptance.
Find Your Inner Peace
– Explore and integrate your experiences so you can move beyond internal conflict, allowing you to establish a grounded sense of peace whether you choose a religious, spiritual, or secular future.
My Approach
I bring both clinical expertise and personal understanding to this work. My goal is not to tell you what to believe—it's to help you process your experiences, heal wounds, and move toward a spirituality (or secular worldview) that feels authentic and life-giving.
Approaches I may use include:
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
– For processing traumatic memories related to specific harmful events or teachings (e.g., moments of spiritual abuse, fear of hell) so those memories no longer feel as intense or upsetting.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
– For helping you understand and care for the conflicted "parts" of yourself (the fearful child, the judgmental critic, the angry rebel) that arise from rigid oppressive systems, and reconnect with your true self.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
– For identifying and restructuring deeply ingrained, often black-and-white, negative beliefs (e.g., "I am sinful," "I am unworthy") taught by the former faith.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
– For clarifying your personal values separate from religious doctrine and committing to a meaningful life path, even while experiencing feelings of doubt or loss.
Person-Centered Therapy
– Offering a purely non-judgmental, accepting space where you can feel safe to explore doubts and build trust without fear of condemnation.
You Deserve to Heal
Whether your goal is to heal from religious trauma, process complex doubts, redefine your beliefs, or even reconnect with your spirituality in a healthier way, therapy offers the guidance and clarity you deserve. You do not have to walk this deeply personal and often difficult journey alone.
Book Your Free 15-Minute Consult
Related Services
Explore other areas where I can support you
Trauma Therapy
Healing from spiritual abuse, religious harm, and faith-related PTSD using EMDR and trauma therapy.
Grief Counseling
Processing the grief of leaving faith communities, losing spiritual identity, and deconstructing beliefs.
OCD Therapy
Treatment for religious OCD (scrupulosity), moral obsessions, and faith-based compulsions.