Spiritual Growth
-
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… Continue reading
authentic living, authentic self, faith deconstruction, mental health and wellness, religious deconstruction, religious freedom, Religious PTSD recovery, religious trauma, sacred healing, self discovery, self trust, soul discovery, spiritual abuse recovery, spiritual awakening, spiritual connection, spiritual journey, spirituality, system of abuse, Toxic religion recovery, Wholeheartednessauthentic connection, authentic living, breaking cycles, childhood trauma, church hurt, collective narratives, faith deconstruction, family dysfunction, finding voice, healing-journey, honest conversations, meaningful relationships, personal story, religious abuse, religious trauma, spiritual awakening, Spiritual Growth, trauma recovery, truth telling, vulnerability -
Walking in Shadows: A Journey from Darkness to Light
The toxic faith I grew up with convinced me that looking inward was dangerous—that if I dug beneath the surface, I’d discover nothing but the rot of an irredeemably sinful heart. But what happens when someone already drowning in that internal darkness looks outward and sees nothing but more of the same? When it finally… Continue reading
authentic self, belonging, childhood trauma, collective healing, collective hope, complex trauma, CPTSD, cult recovery, Deconstronstruction, developmental trauma, emotional manipulation, faith, faith and religion, Faith deconstruction help, narcissism, personal growth, religious abuse, religious trauma, Religious trauma syndrome, soul discovery, spiritual abuse, spiritual abuse recovery, spiritual journey, spiritual trauma, spirituality, trauma recovery coaching, Wholeheartednessauthentic spirituality, breaking cycles, church hurt, faith deconstruction, Faith Journey, Fiction, finding authentic faith, finding inner truth, healing from religion, inner healing, inner light, life, mental health, overcoming shame, personal transformation, poetry, religious conditioning, religious healing, religious manipulation, religious trauma, self discovery, spiritual abuse, spiritual awakening, spiritual empowerment, spiritual freedom, Spiritual Growth, spiritual recovery, spiritual resilience, spiritual transformation, toxic faith systems, toxic leadership, toxic religion, writing -
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 Continue reading
authentic self, Church trauma therapy, Deconstronstruction, mental health, personal journey, religious abuse, religious culture, religious deconstruction, religious freedom, Religious PTSD recovery, religious trauma, Religious trauma syndrome, sacredwounds, self-discovery, spiritual abuse, spiritual abuse recovery, spiritual journey, spiritual trauma, spirituality, Toxic religion recovery, trauma recovery, trauma recovery coachingauthentic living, breaking free from religion, church hurt, Church Trauma, deconstructing faith, faith crisis, faith healing, Faith Journey, faith transition, healing after religion, leaving religion, leaving the church, post-religious life, religious conditioning, religious deconstruction, religious exit, religious freedom, religious recovery, religious survivors, religious trauma, Religious trauma syndrome, spiritual abuse, spiritual awakening, Spiritual Growth, spiritual healing, spiritual independence, spiritual reconstruction, spiritual trauma, therapy for religious trauma, toxic religion -
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… Continue reading
abuse of power, adult clergy sexual abuse, adverse religious experiences, authentic self, belonging, breaking cycles, church, Church trauma therapy, clergy sexual abuse, complex trauma, CPTSD, Cults, Deconstronstruction, ego death, Emotional Intelligence, empathy, faith and religion, Faith deconstruction help, healing and recovery, healing process, hope, light, strength within, indigenous wisdom, mental health, Mental Wellness, narcissism, religious abuse, religious deconstruction, Religious PTSD recovery, religious trauma, Religious trauma syndrome, sacred healing, sacredwounds, self discovery, self-care, self-discovery, sexual abuse, soul discovery, spiritual abuse, spiritual abuse recovery, spiritual journey, spiritual trauma, spirituality, system of abuse, Toxic religion recovery, trauma bond, trauma practitioner, trauma recovery coachingauthentic self, authentic spirituality, church abuse, church hurt, Church Trauma, faith after abuse, faith and therapy, faith deconstruction, Faith Journey, faith reconstruction, finding authentic faith, pastor abuse, religious conditioning, religious cult behavior, religious gaslighting, religious healing, religious manipulation, religious PTSD, religious recovery, religious survivor, religious trauma, spiritual abuse, spiritual awakening, spiritual freedom, Spiritual Growth, spiritual healing, spiritual manipulation, spiritual survivor, toxic church, toxic religion -
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 Continue reading
A Liminal Space 