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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

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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

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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.

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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

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New Look eCourse!

This introductory course is designed to broaden your understanding of religious trauma, spiritual abuse and painful experiences in high-demand church or faith settings.

What I Wish my Therapist knew about Religious Trauma includes downloadable resources, eBook “The Sentimental Non-Believer. On Loving & Leaving God” as well as the stories of others with lived experience.

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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

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Grief, letters & balloons

Trauma work is grief work. I had a lovely, unexpected 24hrs with my daughter last week. She was in town briefly for work and the stars aligned so I could spend that time with her chatting, cooking and watching TV. We watched Love on the Spectrum (how gorgeous) and the new Bridget

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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

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Map Your Freedom: A Reflective Guide.

Map Your Freedom is a series of narrative exercises and thought prompts that support the beginnings of being free of the impact of harm experienced in faith spaces.

Enter your details below to download the guide.