Therapy for Religious Trauma in Austin, TX

What Is Religious Trauma?

Religious trauma refers to the emotional and psychological distress that can result from adverse religious experiences, spiritual abuse, or rigid belief systems. These experiences may involve fear, guilt, shame, or confusion tied to religious teachings or authority figures and can significantly affect one’s mental health, relationships, and sense of self.
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Religious trauma therapy provides a non-judgmental space to explore how these experiences may have impacted your identity, values, and emotional well-being. Whether your trauma stems from purity culture, authoritarian doctrines, or exclusion from your faith community, therapy offers a supportive environment to begin your healing journey.

Man sitting on a couch with his elbows on his knees, holding his head in his hands, appearing stressed or overwhelmed, in a softly lit room with another chair in the background.

Phase 1: History Taking

Before beginning EMDR, your trauma therapist will get to know more about your experiences and symptoms. This step is for you to share about events in your past that may be affecting your current mindset.

Phase 2: Preparation

This stage is about ensuring your readiness for EMDR. Even though EMDR therapy for trauma is completely safe, it can be problematic for individuals who commonly experience dissociation. As a safeguard, your trauma therapist will work with you to create your own “calm place” to concentrate on if you feel distressed.

Phase 3: Assessment

It’s now time to choose a target to be reprocessed during your next few sessions. In doing so, you’ll need to identify a vivid image related to the memory, a negative cognition about yourself associated with it, and emotions and bodily sensations that accompany both. Your therapist will then have you challenge that negative cognition with a cognitive one. They will have you rate how true your positive cognition feels and how much distress the target memory causes you on a scale from 1-10.

Phase 4: Desensitization

This is where Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing comes into play. When you feel ready, your therapist will guide you to process your negative feelings and memories using bilateral eye movements to facilitate the brain’s healing process. This will help to ground you and take more directed focus on the thoughts, feelings, and images associated with your target. Every minute or so, your therapist will check in on what you’ve noticed and ask you to rate how much discomfort you’re now feeling. When you no longer report distress related to your targeted memory, you move onto the next step.

Phase 5: Installation

Next, your attention will be brought back to the positive cognition you identified earlier. Your trauma/PTSD therapist will recheck how true this belief now feels. The goal is to get this belief to feel like it’s 100 percent true.

Phase 6: Body Scan

You will now be asked to check your body for any areas of tension in your body caused by the target memory. Are your teeth clenched? Is your chest tight? Any uncomfortable physical sensations will be reprocessed using the same procedure as before until you can think of the target memory without feeling any tension.

Phase 7: Closure

At the end of every session, your trauma counselor will make sure that you are leaving feeling more relaxed than when you arrived. If you are feeling agitated, they will lead you through self-calming techniques until you regain your sense of control.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

At the beginning of each subsequent session, your therapist will ask you questions to ensure your positive beliefs have been maintained. This will also help them to identify any new problem areas that may need to be targeted.

EMDR therapy for trauma is considered a success once you are able to bring up memories of trauma without feeling the distress that brought you to therapy. Your trauma therapist will also provide you with the techniques and skills you need going forward to deal with upsetting feelings.

What To Expect During Therapy for Religious Trauma

In therapy, you’ll work at your own pace with a therapist trained to support clients who have experienced spiritual abuse, shame, or adverse religious environments. Your sessions may involve exploring memories, questioning long-held beliefs, or developing tools to reconnect with your authentic self.
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Our trauma-informed approach blends experiential dynamic psychotherapy with other modalities to help you process feelings like fear, guilt, grief, and anger in a safe and empathetic space. By untangling the emotional and cognitive impacts of past experiences, clients can discover new meaning, rebuild a healthy sense of identity, and find peace beyond their trauma.
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Whether your experiences were recent or rooted in childhood, our therapists provide a respectful and affirming space to explore your story without pressure, expectation, or spiritual agenda.

Phase 1: History Taking

Before beginning EMDR, your trauma therapist will get to know more about your experiences and symptoms. This step is for you to share about events in your past that may be affecting your current mindset.

Phase 2: Preparation

This stage is about ensuring your readiness for EMDR. Even though EMDR therapy for trauma is completely safe, it can be problematic for individuals who commonly experience dissociation. As a safeguard, your trauma therapist will work with you to create your own “calm place” to concentrate on if you feel distressed.

Phase 3: Assessment

It’s now time to choose a target to be reprocessed during your next few sessions. In doing so, you’ll need to identify a vivid image related to the memory, a negative cognition about yourself associated with it, and emotions and bodily sensations that accompany both. Your therapist will then have you challenge that negative cognition with a cognitive one. They will have you rate how true your positive cognition feels and how much distress the target memory causes you on a scale from 1-10.

Phase 4: Desensitization

This is where Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing comes into play. When you feel ready, your therapist will guide you to process your negative feelings and memories using bilateral eye movements to facilitate the brain’s healing process. This will help to ground you and take more directed focus on the thoughts, feelings, and images associated with your target. Every minute or so, your therapist will check in on what you’ve noticed and ask you to rate how much discomfort you’re now feeling. When you no longer report distress related to your targeted memory, you move onto the next step.

Phase 5: Installation

Next, your attention will be brought back to the positive cognition you identified earlier. Your trauma/PTSD therapist will recheck how true this belief now feels. The goal is to get this belief to feel like it’s 100 percent true.

Phase 6: Body Scan

You will now be asked to check your body for any areas of tension in your body caused by the target memory. Are your teeth clenched? Is your chest tight? Any uncomfortable physical sensations will be reprocessed using the same procedure as before until you can think of the target memory without feeling any tension.

Phase 7: Closure

At the end of every session, your trauma counselor will make sure that you are leaving feeling more relaxed than when you arrived. If you are feeling agitated, they will lead you through self-calming techniques until you regain your sense of control.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

At the beginning of each subsequent session, your therapist will ask you questions to ensure your positive beliefs have been maintained. This will also help them to identify any new problem areas that may need to be targeted.

EMDR therapy for trauma is considered a success once you are able to bring up memories of trauma without feeling the distress that brought you to therapy. Your trauma therapist will also provide you with the techniques and skills you need going forward to deal with upsetting feelings.

Who Is This Therapy Useful For?

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Therapy for religious trauma is valuable for anyone feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected from themselves due to past religious or spiritual experiences.

It’s especially helpful for those who have:

Experienced spiritual abuse or exclusion
Left a high-control or fundamentalist faith tradition
Struggled with purity culture, low self-esteem, or internalized shame
Felt fear, confusion, or anxiety related to faith, sexuality, or identity
Endured emotional abuse within religious or family systems
Faced religious rejection due to being a sex worker, LGBTQIA+, or from a marginalized background
Been impacted by intimate partner violence, domestic violence, or other traumatic experiences tied to religion

Our work is person-centered, which means your therapist will tailor the approach to support your goals, your story, and your unique healing path.

Phase 1: History Taking

Before beginning EMDR, your trauma therapist will get to know more about your experiences and symptoms. This step is for you to share about events in your past that may be affecting your current mindset.

Phase 2: Preparation

This stage is about ensuring your readiness for EMDR. Even though EMDR therapy for trauma is completely safe, it can be problematic for individuals who commonly experience dissociation. As a safeguard, your trauma therapist will work with you to create your own “calm place” to concentrate on if you feel distressed.

Phase 3: Assessment

It’s now time to choose a target to be reprocessed during your next few sessions. In doing so, you’ll need to identify a vivid image related to the memory, a negative cognition about yourself associated with it, and emotions and bodily sensations that accompany both. Your therapist will then have you challenge that negative cognition with a cognitive one. They will have you rate how true your positive cognition feels and how much distress the target memory causes you on a scale from 1-10.

Phase 4: Desensitization

This is where Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing comes into play. When you feel ready, your therapist will guide you to process your negative feelings and memories using bilateral eye movements to facilitate the brain’s healing process. This will help to ground you and take more directed focus on the thoughts, feelings, and images associated with your target. Every minute or so, your therapist will check in on what you’ve noticed and ask you to rate how much discomfort you’re now feeling. When you no longer report distress related to your targeted memory, you move onto the next step.

Phase 5: Installation

Next, your attention will be brought back to the positive cognition you identified earlier. Your trauma/PTSD therapist will recheck how true this belief now feels. The goal is to get this belief to feel like it’s 100 percent true.

Phase 6: Body Scan

You will now be asked to check your body for any areas of tension in your body caused by the target memory. Are your teeth clenched? Is your chest tight? Any uncomfortable physical sensations will be reprocessed using the same procedure as before until you can think of the target memory without feeling any tension.

Phase 7: Closure

At the end of every session, your trauma counselor will make sure that you are leaving feeling more relaxed than when you arrived. If you are feeling agitated, they will lead you through self-calming techniques until you regain your sense of control.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

At the beginning of each subsequent session, your therapist will ask you questions to ensure your positive beliefs have been maintained. This will also help them to identify any new problem areas that may need to be targeted.

EMDR therapy for trauma is considered a success once you are able to bring up memories of trauma without feeling the distress that brought you to therapy. Your trauma therapist will also provide you with the techniques and skills you need going forward to deal with upsetting feelings.

What Religious Trauma Therapy Can Help With

Therapy for religious trauma empowers you to reconnect with your authentic self and make peace with your past. At Louis Laves-Webb, LCSW, LPC-S & Associates, we’ve helped clients find relief from a range of emotional challenges by offering a space grounded in empathy, respect, and trauma awareness.

 Schedule A Consultation Today

Rebuilding Identity and Self-Worth

Clients often report feeling unworthy, ashamed, or confused after leaving harmful religious systems. Therapy helps you rebuild your sense of self, uncover your values, and foster a healthy internal belief system grounded in personal truth, not fear.

Processing Emotions Like Shame, Guilt, and Fear

Religious teachings can create deeply ingrained emotional patterns. Using trauma-informed care and modalities like internal family systems and cognitive processing therapy, we help clients explore and process painful emotions, promoting healing and self-discovery.

Healing from Spiritual Abuse and Control

If you’ve experienced spiritual abuse, emotional manipulation, or authoritarian control within a faith system, therapy provides a safe space to examine those dynamics and begin reclaiming your autonomy, freedom, and voice.

Navigating Life Transitions After Leaving a Faith Tradition

Leaving a religious community can lead to grief, isolation, and anxiety. Therapy supports you through these life transitions, helping you explore what comes next while nurturing meaningful connections, relationships, and a renewed sense of purpose.

Managing Anxiety, Depression, and Trauma Symptoms

Religious trauma can mirror symptoms of traumatic stress disorder, including flashbacks, anxiety, depression, or difficulty trusting others. Through approaches like ACT, interpersonal therapy, and experiential work, we help address the lingering impact of trauma on mental health.

Phase 1: History Taking

Before beginning EMDR, your trauma therapist will get to know more about your experiences and symptoms. This step is for you to share about events in your past that may be affecting your current mindset.

Phase 2: Preparation

This stage is about ensuring your readiness for EMDR. Even though EMDR therapy for trauma is completely safe, it can be problematic for individuals who commonly experience dissociation. As a safeguard, your trauma therapist will work with you to create your own “calm place” to concentrate on if you feel distressed.

Phase 3: Assessment

It’s now time to choose a target to be reprocessed during your next few sessions. In doing so, you’ll need to identify a vivid image related to the memory, a negative cognition about yourself associated with it, and emotions and bodily sensations that accompany both. Your therapist will then have you challenge that negative cognition with a cognitive one. They will have you rate how true your positive cognition feels and how much distress the target memory causes you on a scale from 1-10.

Phase 4: Desensitization

This is where Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing comes into play. When you feel ready, your therapist will guide you to process your negative feelings and memories using bilateral eye movements to facilitate the brain’s healing process. This will help to ground you and take more directed focus on the thoughts, feelings, and images associated with your target. Every minute or so, your therapist will check in on what you’ve noticed and ask you to rate how much discomfort you’re now feeling. When you no longer report distress related to your targeted memory, you move onto the next step.

Phase 5: Installation

Next, your attention will be brought back to the positive cognition you identified earlier. Your trauma/PTSD therapist will recheck how true this belief now feels. The goal is to get this belief to feel like it’s 100 percent true.

Phase 6: Body Scan

You will now be asked to check your body for any areas of tension in your body caused by the target memory. Are your teeth clenched? Is your chest tight? Any uncomfortable physical sensations will be reprocessed using the same procedure as before until you can think of the target memory without feeling any tension.

Phase 7: Closure

At the end of every session, your trauma counselor will make sure that you are leaving feeling more relaxed than when you arrived. If you are feeling agitated, they will lead you through self-calming techniques until you regain your sense of control.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

At the beginning of each subsequent session, your therapist will ask you questions to ensure your positive beliefs have been maintained. This will also help them to identify any new problem areas that may need to be targeted.

EMDR therapy for trauma is considered a success once you are able to bring up memories of trauma without feeling the distress that brought you to therapy. Your trauma therapist will also provide you with the techniques and skills you need going forward to deal with upsetting feelings.

Techniques in Therapy for Religious Trauma

At Louis Laves-Webb, LCSW, LPC-S & Associates, our therapists offer trauma-informed, compassionate therapy for religious trauma in Austin, TX, rooted in deep understanding and respect for your lived experience. Each approach is tailored to your individual needs, helping you reconnect with your authentic self, rebuild trust, and find healing in a non-judgmental space.

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Cognitive processing therapy helps clients reframe distressing thoughts tied to religion, identity, and belief systems. This approach is valuable for unpacking harmful teachings and discovering a new, self-directed path forward, especially when beliefs have created low self-esteem or internal conflict.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT guides clients to build a new relationship with difficult emotions and memories by promoting psychological flexibility. This method empowers individuals to live by chosen values, rather than rigid doctrines, while honoring their healing journey and identity.

Interpersonal Therapy

This technique emphasizes the healing power of relationships. Many who have experienced religious trauma also struggle with interpersonal challenges and boundary-setting. Interpersonal therapy supports clients in developing healthy communication patterns, especially after feeling silenced or judged in spiritual communities.

Phase 1: History Taking

Before beginning EMDR, your trauma therapist will get to know more about your experiences and symptoms. This step is for you to share about events in your past that may be affecting your current mindset.

Phase 2: Preparation

This stage is about ensuring your readiness for EMDR. Even though EMDR therapy for trauma is completely safe, it can be problematic for individuals who commonly experience dissociation. As a safeguard, your trauma therapist will work with you to create your own “calm place” to concentrate on if you feel distressed.

Phase 3: Assessment

It’s now time to choose a target to be reprocessed during your next few sessions. In doing so, you’ll need to identify a vivid image related to the memory, a negative cognition about yourself associated with it, and emotions and bodily sensations that accompany both. Your therapist will then have you challenge that negative cognition with a cognitive one. They will have you rate how true your positive cognition feels and how much distress the target memory causes you on a scale from 1-10.

Phase 4: Desensitization

This is where Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing comes into play. When you feel ready, your therapist will guide you to process your negative feelings and memories using bilateral eye movements to facilitate the brain’s healing process. This will help to ground you and take more directed focus on the thoughts, feelings, and images associated with your target. Every minute or so, your therapist will check in on what you’ve noticed and ask you to rate how much discomfort you’re now feeling. When you no longer report distress related to your targeted memory, you move onto the next step.

Phase 5: Installation

Next, your attention will be brought back to the positive cognition you identified earlier. Your trauma/PTSD therapist will recheck how true this belief now feels. The goal is to get this belief to feel like it’s 100 percent true.

Phase 6: Body Scan

You will now be asked to check your body for any areas of tension in your body caused by the target memory. Are your teeth clenched? Is your chest tight? Any uncomfortable physical sensations will be reprocessed using the same procedure as before until you can think of the target memory without feeling any tension.

Phase 7: Closure

At the end of every session, your trauma counselor will make sure that you are leaving feeling more relaxed than when you arrived. If you are feeling agitated, they will lead you through self-calming techniques until you regain your sense of control.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

At the beginning of each subsequent session, your therapist will ask you questions to ensure your positive beliefs have been maintained. This will also help them to identify any new problem areas that may need to be targeted.

EMDR therapy for trauma is considered a success once you are able to bring up memories of trauma without feeling the distress that brought you to therapy. Your trauma therapist will also provide you with the techniques and skills you need going forward to deal with upsetting feelings.

Start Healing Today

Phase 1: History Taking

Before beginning EMDR, your trauma therapist will get to know more about your experiences and symptoms. This step is for you to share about events in your past that may be affecting your current mindset.

Phase 2: Preparation

This stage is about ensuring your readiness for EMDR. Even though EMDR therapy for trauma is completely safe, it can be problematic for individuals who commonly experience dissociation. As a safeguard, your trauma therapist will work with you to create your own “calm place” to concentrate on if you feel distressed.

Phase 3: Assessment

It’s now time to choose a target to be reprocessed during your next few sessions. In doing so, you’ll need to identify a vivid image related to the memory, a negative cognition about yourself associated with it, and emotions and bodily sensations that accompany both. Your therapist will then have you challenge that negative cognition with a cognitive one. They will have you rate how true your positive cognition feels and how much distress the target memory causes you on a scale from 1-10.

Phase 4: Desensitization

This is where Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing comes into play. When you feel ready, your therapist will guide you to process your negative feelings and memories using bilateral eye movements to facilitate the brain’s healing process. This will help to ground you and take more directed focus on the thoughts, feelings, and images associated with your target. Every minute or so, your therapist will check in on what you’ve noticed and ask you to rate how much discomfort you’re now feeling. When you no longer report distress related to your targeted memory, you move onto the next step.

Phase 5: Installation

Next, your attention will be brought back to the positive cognition you identified earlier. Your trauma/PTSD therapist will recheck how true this belief now feels. The goal is to get this belief to feel like it’s 100 percent true.

Phase 6: Body Scan

You will now be asked to check your body for any areas of tension in your body caused by the target memory. Are your teeth clenched? Is your chest tight? Any uncomfortable physical sensations will be reprocessed using the same procedure as before until you can think of the target memory without feeling any tension.

Phase 7: Closure

At the end of every session, your trauma counselor will make sure that you are leaving feeling more relaxed than when you arrived. If you are feeling agitated, they will lead you through self-calming techniques until you regain your sense of control.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

At the beginning of each subsequent session, your therapist will ask you questions to ensure your positive beliefs have been maintained. This will also help them to identify any new problem areas that may need to be targeted.

EMDR therapy for trauma is considered a success once you are able to bring up memories of trauma without feeling the distress that brought you to therapy. Your trauma therapist will also provide you with the techniques and skills you need going forward to deal with upsetting feelings.

Benefits of Religious Trauma Therapy

Working with a trauma-informed therapist who understands the complexity of religion, identity, and healing can make all the difference. Here’s what therapy can help you uncover and rebuild:

Reconnection with Your Authentic Self

Many individuals recovering from purity culture or rigid religious teachings feel disconnected from their authentic selves. Therapy supports the rediscovery of personal truth, empowering clients to align with their values, desires, and sense of freedom.

Healing Shame and Releasing Guilt

Spiritual control often instills deep-rooted guilt and shame. Through tools like response prevention, we help clients gently challenge those emotional patterns and foster compassion toward the self. This opens the door to confidence and joy.

Improved Mental Health and Emotional Regulation

Religious trauma can lead to symptoms of depression, anxiety, and even traumatic stress disorder. Our integrative approaches help calm the nervous system and improve the regulation of emotions such as anger, grief, and fear.

Creating a New, Life-Affirming Belief System

Therapy creates space to explore and redefine your personal belief system, without judgment, dogma, or pressure. Whether you remain in your faith, leave it, or rebuild something new, our work together supports a transition that feels safe, grounded, and empowering.

Supporting Individuals with Overlapping Challenges

Religious trauma often intersects with other experiences such as intimate partner violence, traumatic brain injury, life transitions, or marginalization as a sex worker. Our approach embraces your full story with empathy, nuance, and care.

Reclaiming Safety in Your Body

Religious trauma doesn’t just affect thoughts and emotions, it often manifests physically. Many survivors feel disconnected from their own bodies, especially if they were taught to distrust bodily instincts, suppress natural responses, or associate physicality with shame or sin. Others may experience chronic tension, panic, or the inability to fully relax.

Phase 1: History Taking

Before beginning EMDR, your trauma therapist will get to know more about your experiences and symptoms. This step is for you to share about events in your past that may be affecting your current mindset.

Phase 2: Preparation

This stage is about ensuring your readiness for EMDR. Even though EMDR therapy for trauma is completely safe, it can be problematic for individuals who commonly experience dissociation. As a safeguard, your trauma therapist will work with you to create your own “calm place” to concentrate on if you feel distressed.

Phase 3: Assessment

It’s now time to choose a target to be reprocessed during your next few sessions. In doing so, you’ll need to identify a vivid image related to the memory, a negative cognition about yourself associated with it, and emotions and bodily sensations that accompany both. Your therapist will then have you challenge that negative cognition with a cognitive one. They will have you rate how true your positive cognition feels and how much distress the target memory causes you on a scale from 1-10.

Phase 4: Desensitization

This is where Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing comes into play. When you feel ready, your therapist will guide you to process your negative feelings and memories using bilateral eye movements to facilitate the brain’s healing process. This will help to ground you and take more directed focus on the thoughts, feelings, and images associated with your target. Every minute or so, your therapist will check in on what you’ve noticed and ask you to rate how much discomfort you’re now feeling. When you no longer report distress related to your targeted memory, you move onto the next step.

Phase 5: Installation

Next, your attention will be brought back to the positive cognition you identified earlier. Your trauma/PTSD therapist will recheck how true this belief now feels. The goal is to get this belief to feel like it’s 100 percent true.

Phase 6: Body Scan

You will now be asked to check your body for any areas of tension in your body caused by the target memory. Are your teeth clenched? Is your chest tight? Any uncomfortable physical sensations will be reprocessed using the same procedure as before until you can think of the target memory without feeling any tension.

Phase 7: Closure

At the end of every session, your trauma counselor will make sure that you are leaving feeling more relaxed than when you arrived. If you are feeling agitated, they will lead you through self-calming techniques until you regain your sense of control.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

At the beginning of each subsequent session, your therapist will ask you questions to ensure your positive beliefs have been maintained. This will also help them to identify any new problem areas that may need to be targeted.

EMDR therapy for trauma is considered a success once you are able to bring up memories of trauma without feeling the distress that brought you to therapy. Your trauma therapist will also provide you with the techniques and skills you need going forward to deal with upsetting feelings.

Group Therapy for Religious Trauma in Austin, TX

Healing from religious trauma doesn’t have to be a solitary journey. Our group therapy sessions offer a compassionate, confidential space where individuals with shared experiences can connect, process, and grow together. Led by trauma-informed therapists, these groups are designed to support emotional healing, reduce isolation, and foster a sense of community among those who have experienced spiritual harm.
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Each group is intentionally small to encourage connection, privacy, and mutual support. Whether you're in the early stages of deconstruction or working to reclaim your sense of self, group therapy can provide powerful validation, insight, and encouragement as you heal alongside others.

Phase 1: History Taking

Before beginning EMDR, your trauma therapist will get to know more about your experiences and symptoms. This step is for you to share about events in your past that may be affecting your current mindset.

Phase 2: Preparation

This stage is about ensuring your readiness for EMDR. Even though EMDR therapy for trauma is completely safe, it can be problematic for individuals who commonly experience dissociation. As a safeguard, your trauma therapist will work with you to create your own “calm place” to concentrate on if you feel distressed.

Phase 3: Assessment

It’s now time to choose a target to be reprocessed during your next few sessions. In doing so, you’ll need to identify a vivid image related to the memory, a negative cognition about yourself associated with it, and emotions and bodily sensations that accompany both. Your therapist will then have you challenge that negative cognition with a cognitive one. They will have you rate how true your positive cognition feels and how much distress the target memory causes you on a scale from 1-10.

Phase 4: Desensitization

This is where Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing comes into play. When you feel ready, your therapist will guide you to process your negative feelings and memories using bilateral eye movements to facilitate the brain’s healing process. This will help to ground you and take more directed focus on the thoughts, feelings, and images associated with your target. Every minute or so, your therapist will check in on what you’ve noticed and ask you to rate how much discomfort you’re now feeling. When you no longer report distress related to your targeted memory, you move onto the next step.

Phase 5: Installation

Next, your attention will be brought back to the positive cognition you identified earlier. Your trauma/PTSD therapist will recheck how true this belief now feels. The goal is to get this belief to feel like it’s 100 percent true.

Phase 6: Body Scan

You will now be asked to check your body for any areas of tension in your body caused by the target memory. Are your teeth clenched? Is your chest tight? Any uncomfortable physical sensations will be reprocessed using the same procedure as before until you can think of the target memory without feeling any tension.

Phase 7: Closure

At the end of every session, your trauma counselor will make sure that you are leaving feeling more relaxed than when you arrived. If you are feeling agitated, they will lead you through self-calming techniques until you regain your sense of control.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

At the beginning of each subsequent session, your therapist will ask you questions to ensure your positive beliefs have been maintained. This will also help them to identify any new problem areas that may need to be targeted.

EMDR therapy for trauma is considered a success once you are able to bring up memories of trauma without feeling the distress that brought you to therapy. Your trauma therapist will also provide you with the techniques and skills you need going forward to deal with upsetting feelings.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is therapy for religious trauma?



Therapy for religious trauma is a specialized form of individual therapy that helps people recover from harmful religious experiences. It provides a safe space to process past trauma, rebuild identity, and foster mental health in a supportive and non-judgmental environment.

How do I know if I’ve experienced religious trauma?



If you feel overwhelmed by teachings, struggle with anxiety, low self-esteem, or guilt related to your faith, or feel disconnected from your sense of self, you may have experienced adverse religious experiences. Our therapists can help you explore these feelings with compassion and care.

Is this therapy right for me if I haven’t left my religion?

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Yes. This therapy is for anyone seeking healing, whether you're questioning your beliefs, actively practicing your religion, or somewhere in between. We focus on your needs, not your affiliation.

What should I expect in a session?

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You’ll be met with respect and openness. Your therapist will help you explore your story, process complex feelings, and move at your own pace toward healing and self-empowerment.

Can therapy help me rebuild my sense of identity after religious trauma?



Yes. Therapy can support you in exploring and redefining your sense of self outside the confines of harmful or limiting belief systems. Clients can process past experiences, reconnect with their authentic self, and begin a healing journey rooted in personal values, autonomy, and self-acceptance.

Religious Trauma Therapy for LGBTQIA+ Individuals

Experiencing religious trauma as an LGBTQIA+ individual can deeply impact your sense of identity, belonging, and emotional well-being. Our trauma-informed, LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapy provides a non-judgmental space where you can explore the intersection of faith, identity, and healing.

Start Healing in a Safe, Affirming Space

Let’s Begin the Journey Together

We’re here to help you find peace, confidence, and clarity as you take the first step on your healing path.

 Schedule A Consultation Today

Specialties

Addiction Anger/ Aggression Anxiety Children/ Adolescents Chronic Illness Couple's Therapy Depression Eating Disorders Family Therapy Group Therapy Health IFS Therapy EMDR Trauma Therapy Individual Therapy LGBTQIA+Life Transitions Men's Issues Mindfulness Online Therapy Parenting PTSD Relationship/ Intimacy Self-Esteem Spirituality Student Concerns Trauma

Therapy for Religious Trauma in Austin, TX

What Is Religious Trauma?

We're Here To Help

Counseling On Your Schedule

Phase 1: History Taking

Phase 2: Preparation

Phase 3: Assessment

Phase 4: Desensitization

Phase 5: Installation

Phase 6: Body Scan

Phase 7: Closure

Phase 8: Reevaluation

What To Expect During Therapy for Religious Trauma

Phase 1: History Taking

Phase 2: Preparation

Phase 3: Assessment

Phase 4: Desensitization

Phase 5: Installation

Phase 6: Body Scan

Phase 7: Closure

Phase 8: Reevaluation

Who Is This Therapy Useful For?

Phase 1: History Taking

Phase 2: Preparation

Phase 3: Assessment

Phase 4: Desensitization

Phase 5: Installation

Phase 6: Body Scan

Phase 7: Closure

Phase 8: Reevaluation

What Religious Trauma Therapy Can Help With

Rebuilding Identity and Self-Worth

Processing Emotions Like Shame, Guilt, and Fear

Healing from Spiritual Abuse and Control

Navigating Life Transitions After Leaving a Faith Tradition

Managing Anxiety, Depression, and Trauma Symptoms

Phase 1: History Taking

Phase 2: Preparation

Phase 3: Assessment

Phase 4: Desensitization

Phase 5: Installation

Phase 6: Body Scan

Phase 7: Closure

Phase 8: Reevaluation

Techniques in Therapy for Religious Trauma

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Interpersonal Therapy

Phase 1: History Taking

Phase 2: Preparation

Phase 3: Assessment

Phase 4: Desensitization

Phase 5: Installation

Phase 6: Body Scan

Phase 7: Closure

Phase 8: Reevaluation

Phase 1: History Taking

Phase 2: Preparation

Phase 3: Assessment

Phase 4: Desensitization

Phase 5: Installation

Phase 6: Body Scan

Phase 7: Closure

Phase 8: Reevaluation

Benefits of Religious Trauma Therapy

Reconnection with Your Authentic Self

Healing Shame and Releasing Guilt

Improved Mental Health and Emotional Regulation

Creating a New, Life-Affirming Belief System

Supporting Individuals with Overlapping Challenges

Reclaiming Safety in Your Body

Phase 1: History Taking

Phase 2: Preparation

Phase 3: Assessment

Phase 4: Desensitization

Phase 5: Installation

Phase 6: Body Scan

Phase 7: Closure

Phase 8: Reevaluation

Group Therapy for Religious Trauma in Austin, TX