Religious trauma & cult recovery
Therapy for ex-Mormon and ex-LDS adults
From the outside, leaving looks like one decision. Inside it's a thousand of them — what you say to your mother, what Sunday is now, who you are when nobody is keeping score.
You might recognize
Some of this may sound familiar
- You left years ago and still hear the voice that grades you.
- Family conversations run on a script you didn't write.
- You can argue the history in detail and still feel the fear underneath it.
- Being good and being safe got welded together somewhere early.
In the work
What we actually do
Belief and nervous system, separately
What you think about the church and what your body does when you break a rule are two different systems, and they came apart at different speeds. For many people the first comes apart years before the second does. We work on the second, which is slower and less verbal than anyone wants it to be.
The part that still complies
Obedience kept you attached to the people you loved, so a part of you learned it well and hasn't been given a reason to stop. That part isn't stupid and it isn't weak. We meet it directly instead of overruling it, which is usually the first time anyone has asked it what it's afraid of.
Grief with nowhere to put it
You may have lost a community, a cosmology, a version of your family, and the future you assumed you'd have, all in a period when everyone around you wanted to talk about doctrine. That grief rarely gets a place to land. Here it can have one, at whatever pace it comes.
“I'm especially drawn to working with creatives, artists, entrepreneurs, queer folks, and people recovering from high-demand religions, because all of those things have been part of my personal experience.”
FAQ
Questions people ask
Do I have to be fully out to do this work?
No. People come at every point along that line, including undecided, and I'm not going to steer you toward a conclusion about your faith. What we work with is what your nervous system is carrying, whatever you decide about belonging. That work is usually gradual and uneven. Therapy outcomes are not guaranteed.
Do you have any personal experience with this?
I have personal experience of recovering from a high-demand religion. It's part of why this is work I'm drawn to, and it doesn't mean I'll assume your story looks like mine.
Will you talk about God with me, or avoid it?
Either, on your terms. I'm not evaluating your beliefs, and I don't have a preferred outcome for where you land.
I've moved out of New York. Can we still work together?
Not for psychotherapy. Weekly therapy takes place via telehealth. I am licensed in New York and can only offer psychotherapy services to people who reside in New York State.
What if things get bad between sessions?
If you are in danger right now, call or text 988 or dial 911. This site isn't a crisis service and email is not monitored for emergencies.
Start with a free consultation
A short conversation to see whether we would be a good fit for working together. Weekly therapy takes place via telehealth. I am licensed in New York and can only offer psychotherapy services to people who reside in New York State.