Sam Sellers 20/1/25 Sam Sellers 20/1/25

Spiritual Abuse Awareness Month: Shedding Light on a Silent Struggle

It’s Spiritual Abuse Awareness Month. Spiritual abuse hides in subtle behaviours, using religious authority to control, shame, or manipulate. Its impacts—shame, fear, and identity loss—are deeply tied to religious trauma. This blog explores the harm, the healing, and the hope that survivors can reclaim their voice and story. You are not alone.

Jane Kennedy 16/1/25 Jane Kennedy 16/1/25

What do you need?

It can be mortifying to ask for what you need. Especially if you’ve spent any time in high-control / high-demand faith settings. You learn quickly that the needs of others come before your own and it becomes clear that it’s easier to just not have any.

Elise Heerde 10/1/25 Elise Heerde 10/1/25

Finding Freedom in Feeling

Religious trauma often teaches us to fear our emotions, labeling them as too messy, too wrong, or too dangerous to trust. In this blog, I share my journey of reclaiming emotional safety and learning to embrace my feelings as vital signals guiding me toward healing and wholeness.

Sam Sellers 20/12/24 Sam Sellers 20/12/24

Christmas, Reimagined: Navigating the Holidays After Religious Trauma

For many survivors of religious trauma, the holiday season isn’t all joy and carols—it’s a time laden with triggers, grief, and complex emotions. Whether it’s the sting of strained family dynamics, the loss of once-beloved traditions, or the pressure to conform to a “perfect” holiday ideal, Christmas can feel more like a challenge than a celebration. This blog explores why the season hits differently for those with religious trauma and offers heartfelt, practical strategies for navigating it with care. From setting boundaries to creating new traditions, this is your guide to reclaiming the holidays on your own terms—messy, imperfect, and wholly yours.

Sam Sellers 10/12/24 Sam Sellers 10/12/24

The Layers of Loss: Grief and Religious Trauma

Grief in the context of religious trauma is complex, layered, and often unspoken. It’s not just the loss of faith but also of community, identity, and belonging. This blog dives into the unique challenges of grieving a faith system, exploring the tangled web of sadness, anger, and shame that often accompanies it.

Elise Heerde 22/11/24 Elise Heerde 22/11/24

The Narcissist’s Playground: Understanding Narcissism in High-Control Religious Environments

High-control environments can serve as fertile ground for individuals with narcissistic traits, offering built-in hierarchies, unquestioning loyalty, and a ready-made audience to manipulate. These individuals often present as charismatic, morally superior leaders, but beneath the surface lies a pattern of control, lack of empathy, and spiritual abuse. Understanding the traits of narcissism and their allure to these environments is key to recognising and breaking free from their harm.

Sam Sellers 10/11/24 Sam Sellers 10/11/24

Navigating the Complexities of Spiritual Gaslighting

This blog examines spiritual gaslighting from both external sources and our internal dialogues, emphasising how it distorts our reality and leads to shame. It highlights symptoms of spiritual gaslighting and offers insights into healing through self-compassion, connection, and therapy. Ultimately, it encourages reclaiming our voices and narratives to foster community support in the healing journey.

Jane Kennedy 25/10/24 Jane Kennedy 25/10/24

Trusting ourselves as we heal.

I love food, I love the joy it brings, I love the colours, the textures, the tactile practice of preparing meals and of course the taste. I’m so sad that so many of us were taught this could be wrong or a path to sin. Learning to trust ourselves, our body and its desires and the ways in which we are being led by these, not led astray, is a powerful part of our healing from religious trauma.

Sam Sellers 11/10/24 Sam Sellers 11/10/24

Leaving the Church, Finding Myself: A Journey of Queer Identity and Healing

This is my journey as a Queer woman who left the church, facing shame, rejection, and ultimately finding healing. It reflects on the struggle to embrace my authentic self and the joy of finding love and acceptance, a path shared by many LGBTQIA+ individuals from religious communities.

Elise Heerde 28/9/24 Elise Heerde 28/9/24

Shared Journeys – The Benefit of Practitioner’s Lived Experience

When navigating recovery from religious trauma, finding a practitioner with lived experience can be profoundly impactful. Their unique understanding of the subtle triggers and emotional scars that accompany such trauma fosters a deeper connection, allowing clients to express their feelings without fear of judgment. This shared journey not only validates the pain but also inspires hope, demonstrating that healing and reclaiming one's identity is possible.

Jane Kennedy 16/9/24 Jane Kennedy 16/9/24

What sort of space is a Religious Trauma Collective?

The Religious Trauma Collective is a space for those navigating the pain and isolation of leaving faith. We’re here to say, “You’re not alone.” Whether you’re rethinking spirituality or rebuilding your identity, this is a place for connection, support, and finding new ways to belong.

Elise Heerde 20/8/24 Elise Heerde 20/8/24

The Little Voice In Our Head…Born From Religious Trauma

Discover the freedom of embracing your inner voice. Break free from the societal norms that keep you from living authentically.

Elise Heerde 20/8/24 Elise Heerde 20/8/24

Religious Enmeshment - The Loneliness of Exiting

Understanding the hidden challenges of leaving religious environments. Learn how to cope with the feelings of alienation, longing, and bewilderment from loneliness.