Religious Trauma Counseling for Women in Indiana & Ohio
How Religious Trauma Harms the Vulnerable and Empowers those Hungry for Control
When the face of Jesus looked like hypocrisy in the Church and abuse by its members, you felt angry, anxious, and confused.
When you were gaslit by a Christian family member, church leader, or friend regarding something you did or said; it left you feeling ashamed, sorrowful, and riddled with self-doubt.
When you questioned what you were taught about Christianity and whether or not it was true, you were condemned, punished, manipulated, and cold-shouldered.
Common Experiences of Church Hurt & Abuse
Experiencing deep shame or guilt connected to past religious experiences
Having personal boundaries dismissed as rebellion, selfishness, or lack of submission
Difficulty trusting your own thoughts, emotions, discernment, or decision-making
Feeling torn between keeping peace in your family and being honest about your own painful experiences
Struggling with perfectionism, people-pleasing, or a fear of disappointing God and divine judgment
Feeling like it wasn't okay to ask questions to religious leaders growing up
Experiencing manipulation, coercion, or control by pastors, church leaders, or parental figures
Experiencing misuse of Scripture to harm or control
Difficulty praying, reading Scripture, attending church, or trusting fellow Christians because of painful memories and past experiences
Wondering whether you can trust God after being hurt by people who represented Him
The real heart of Jesus feels anger towards the injustices you have experienced
He grieves with you amidst your grief. He is not afraid of your anger, your hard questions, your doubt, or your intense feelings.
He longs for you to experience freedom from your shame, sorrow, and any sort of coercive control you experienced with individuals who did not represent His love to you in a lifegiving way.
If you are someone who has experienced church hurt and is questioning how to move forward, counseling can be a helpful path to begin processing the adversity you have experienced and begin to make sense of it — so that you can have joy and step into a life that is rooted in love and freedom, not shame and control.
I am a therapist who can empathize with religious trauma because it is something I experienced within the Christian church growing up. My own religious trauma informed OCD and many obsessive attitudes when I was a child that were greatly harmful to my wellbeing. These experiences caused me to hate God and leave the Christian community for many years of my life. I chose to return and reclaim my Christian faith as my own … but with far more joy, clarity, and freedom than how I experienced Jesus as a child.
I will never impose my beliefs upon my clients. Everyone is welcome in my therapy room.
What brings peace to you after religious trauma is your own choice and your own path.
Some people choose to leave the Church forever and believe other things.
Some people choose to never identify with a religious institution again.
Some people choose to live life outside the confines of any form of spirituality at all.
Some people choose to return to Church because they miss having community and a relationship with Jesus Christ
Each person is welcome here.
How Counseling Can Help You Reclaim Freedom, Joy, & Peace in your Life and Relationships
Feeling safer asking questions and acknowledging doubts
Showing up more authentically with others because you are less afraid to say what's actually on your mind
Setting boundaries without seeing them as inherently selfish or dishonoring
More comfortable saying no without shame or guilt
Trusting your own thoughts, emotions, discernment, and decision-making more fully
Becoming more confident in identifying what you think, feel, need, and believe
Moving beyond perfectionism, people-pleasing, and fear of disappointing God or divine judgment
Feeling freer to make choices based on your own values and needs
Recognizing manipulation, coercion, and unhealthy control
Becoming more aware of relational patterns that compromise your health and wellbeing