Religious Trauma . . . .

It is hard to believe that something so many people find grounding and supportive could be so harmful, but it can!

I know all about it! Growing up in a high control, extreme religious group didn’t make me a better person. It made me anxious and burdened with shame. I didn’t know how to show up and be myself. To start with, I had no clue who I really was; I was trying to be what G-d wanted me to be; who my parents and family wanted me to be; and was generally not who my peers wanted me to be.

I feared making a mistake, the least mistake - whether I knew it was wrong or not - had the potential to send me to hell. I spent hours and days rehashing actions I had taken, words I had spoken, and my shifting moods trying to make sure I didn’t make the same mistakes. Except, beating myself up never improved who I was or how I showed up in the world.

With the support and encouragement of my therapist, I owned my trauma and started dealing with it rather than trying to push it down and out of my mind, I started finding peace and the answers to the questions I was always asking myself.

I use the insights I have gained and blended them with appreciative inquiry to bring more of best parts of life into my everyday experience and find my Truth Spot, the space where my masks, fears and indoctrination could fall away and I could finally be comfortable in my own skin.

If you are struggling with religious trauma, are ready to live intentionally, or are looking to define spiritualality on your own terms, let me help you find your personal Truth Spot!