You may be carrying RTS if you are living with:
Persistent guilt, shame, or fear-based thinking often accompanies experiences of grief, especially after encountering religious trauma or spiritual abuse. This can lead to feelings of isolation or identity disruption following these life-altering events, making it difficult to trust your perceptions, body, or instincts. Additionally, many face spiritual disorientation and a sense of meaning collapse after such experiences.
I guide people in what I call Third Space, the territory between what harmed you and what heals you. I will not rush you toward false arrival.
Your first session is free (30 minutes). This is a calm, structured conversation to assess fit. You will leave knowing whether I understand your terrain of grief and trauma, and what a next step could be.
What is Religious Trauma Syndrome?
Religious Trauma Syndrome (RTS) is a framework used to describe patterns of distress that can emerge after experiencing harm within religious contexts, especially in high-control environments often linked to spiritual abuse. While RTS is not currently listed in the DSM-5, it is gaining recognition in both clinical and academic discussions as a way to identify a specific type of injury.
RTS may encompass:
- Fear-based thinking: characterized by black-and-white reasoning, persistent dread, and difficulties in trusting your own perceptions.
- Shame and guilt: leading to anxiety, depression, self-condemnation, and chronic second-guessing.
- Relational loss: which may manifest as isolation, grief, identity disruption, and obstacles in establishing new connections that provide belonging.
- Spiritual disorientation: resulting in a collapse of meaning, fear of divine punishment, and challenges in reconstructing a coherent inner framework, highlighting the need for grief support in the recovery process.
How I Work
I do not rush you toward false arrival. I help you name what happened without requiring you to minimize it or excuse it, especially in the context of grief support stemming from experiences like religious trauma or spiritual abuse.
My approach is:
Trauma-informed: your pace matters, your nervous system matters, and your boundaries matter when addressing such difficult experiences.
Salutogenic: we focus on what supports the origins of health, not on labels that reduce you after facing grief or trauma.
Third-space grounded: you do not need to pick extremes, isolation or replacement certainty. There is a third way.
This Is For You If
You are recovering from spiritual abuse and the impacts of religious trauma. You may be deconstructing and grieving what was lost in the process. You seek grief support that does not demand performance, certainty, or conformity.
This Is Not
A debate space for discussing grief support, an apologetics project addressing issues of religious trauma, and a place where respect is often contingent on adopting my beliefs, all while navigating the challenges of spiritual abuse.
Your First Session Is Free
If you're seeking grief support in a calm and structured conversation to explore feelings of belonging, I offer a complimentary 30-minute consultation. We can also address experiences related to religious trauma and spiritual abuse. You will leave this session knowing whether I comprehend your unique terrain and what potential next steps may be.