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The Ground Beneath My Feet
All I’d ever done was pretend—first in the family that raised me, then in the church. I didn’t even know I was pretending. Then I finally faced the truth, and people were talking about me. What followed was almost a decade of wandering. But what I’ve found in peer support groups isn’t another savior—it’s shared…
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The Stories We Tell Ourselves: Finding Truth Beyond Collective Narratives
We tell ourselves stories in order to live,” Joan Didion wrote. But what happens when those shared stories—our collective narratives—become barriers to the very connection they promise to create? Growing up with parents whose lives were like apple carts filled to capacity, I learned early how fragile our shared stories can be. One uncomfortable truth…
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You’re Not Crazy: Psychology Finally Recognizes Religious Trauma
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson For years, those of us who walked away from toxic religion were told we just had a ‘bad church experience’—but a groundbreaking American Psychological Association article is finally validating what we’ve known…
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When Stars Fall: Finding the Light Within
“Sometimes life feels almost too heavy to bear. I find myself turning off the news or closing social media after yet another story of a bright star crashing into darkness—someone whose light had guided so many of us through our own difficult days. But why do their lights go out? Why do they sometimes choose…
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I Never Thought I’d Join a Cult – Until I Did
The post emphasizes the dangers of cult-like behaviors in churches, discussing psychological manipulation, enforced conformity, and the loss of personal identity. It highlights personal experiences with religious trauma while drawing parallels to political polarization. Encouraging critical thinking, the author advocates for self-examination and seeking support to understand one’s true identity outside manipulative environments.