Blog

Blog

When Rejection Sensitivity Meets Religious Trauma: Understanding the Environment & the Impact

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), sometimes described simply as rejection sensitivity, is often misunderstood as “overreacting,” “being too emotional,” or “taking things personally.” But for many trauma survivors, especially those emerging from high-control or spiritually abusive environments, RSD is a trauma-shaped nervous system responding to perceived danger. Religious trauma often forms

Read More »

Daydreaming Again.

Almost a week ago I deleted the social media apps from my phone. It was getting hard to hear myself think and I needed to clear my head. And I find I’m daydreaming again, which is kind of lovely. Peace is our natural state. That doesn’t necessarily mean zen-like or even

Read More »

The State of Your Heart

This line, attributed to Persian Sufi poetry, gave me pause. How would you answer it? I love the impermanence of it, in this breath. It’s mindful and present. It suggests we don’t have to know the whole answer, just the thought for this moment.There is so much noise in the world right now. So much urgency and fear. The state of our heart seems like a trite or indulgent thing to attend to when there are “real” problems to be anxious about.  For those who have been shaped by faith spaces that centred end times, Armageddon, or apocalyptic pressure, and I see so many in the counselling room, this can feel especially overwhelming.

Read More »

Dont F*ck The Flock!

I’ve been on a few podcasts over the past few years talking about the impact of religious trauma in the therapy room. The most recent conversation I had with Jaime Simpson was personal. It was about her story but also my experience of her story. The new podcast is called

Read More »

Easter & a New Spirituality

We cycle through phases of grief and healing when we’ve experienced religious and spiritual trauma.Easter brings us face-to-face with where we are in that cycle and if we’re paying attention, our bodies will tell us what we need next

Read More »

The Resurrection of You

What does the word resurrection mean to you? Is it loaded or can you reclaim it? What have you come alive to? Leaving church and / or God is often one of the most painful things we can go through. But there is life, freedom and relief to be found

Read More »

Holy Hurt

I joked last week on my Instagram stories that I’ve long had a therapist crush* on Canadian Psychologist, Dr Hillary McBride, whose new book, Holy Hurt is coming out soon. Hillary was my inspiration for becoming a therapist. Back in the days when she co-hosted The Liturgist’s Podcast, I was working in

Read More »

Trauma Healing for Religious Trauma

What even is Religious Trauma? ▫️Is it different to other trauma?▫️Why do you talk about it so much?▫️Can I heal from this type of trauma?▫️Do I have religious trauma? These are good questions I get regularly. Religious trauma, spiritual trauma, religious abuse, spiritual rupture are all terms that people may

Read More »
Religious Trauma Survey Image

Religious Trauma Survey

This is the survey I use with many of my new clients to help us both find language for their experience of religious trauma, or adverse religious experiences. You can download it here to see if it’s helpful for you. Reach out if you need to. Jane