Category: religious trauma

  • What Remains

    This weathered church down the road speaks to me in ways I never expected. Its broken windows and peeling paint tell the story of my own spiritual evolution—how I had to step away from rigid doctrine to find something more authentic. What looks like decay from the outside is actually transformation. The hollow sanctuary isn’t…

  • Finding My Way Back to Myself

    Why did I so readily follow a dangerous man wherever he went? Why did it all feel like the right thing to do? Looking back on my time in church, I’m still trying to understand what made me believe a rigid belief system and a broken pastor could fill the gaps in my life. The…

  • When Breaking Apart Sets You Free

    Autonomy isn’t selfish—it’s about staying true to yourself, no matter what others say you “should” be. How often do people tell you who to be or what to believe? Sometimes they push so hard because they’re unsure of themselves and need you to mirror their choices to feel comfortable. When we abandon ourselves to become…

  • You ARE A Lot Stronger Than You Think You Are

    I struggle with the expectation that I should be stronger when facing people who think I’m sinning for disagreeing with their doctrine. My abuse happened in a mainstream evangelical church—not something people call a cult today. Many people I care about still attend churches with similar beliefs. I often wonder: am I traumatized by the…

  • Being Yourself in a World That Doesn’t Want You To

    Last night I watched the movie Sinners, and it left me thinking about the true power of our emotions. This film ranks among the best I’ve seen in a theater recently. If you enjoy vampire stories with rich storytelling, beautiful mythology, and deep historical context, you should definitely see this movie. What struck me most…