Religious Trauma Therapy In Lake Oswego, Oregon
What is religious trauma?
Religious trauma can happen when beliefs, teachings, or communities leave you feeling afraid, ashamed, or disconnected from yourself. Love and acceptance may feel conditional on following the rules, and asking questions may be discouraged. Your own feelings and instincts may be treated as untrustworthy or even “evil.” These environments are sometimes described as high-control or spiritually abusive.
Over time, these messages can become deeply internalized. You might struggle with guilt, shame, perfectionism, or religious OCD (scrupulosity). You might find it hard to trust your own judgment, make decisions, set boundaries, or feel connected to your body and sexuality.
Leaving a religion or a spiritually abusive relationship doesn't automatically heal these wounds. You might no longer believe what you were taught but still feel that familiar anxiety. You may also grieve the loss of community, identity, structure, or a self that never got expressed.
Religious trauma isn't defined by whether you believe in God or choose to leave a faith. No religion, spiritual tradition, or church has a monopoly on harm or healing. Like any community, some are healthy, and some are harmful. What matters is processing how your experiences have impacted you.
Areas of focus in individual therapy
Chronic stress and anxiety that your usual coping tools aren’t helping
Experiencing distress within close relationships; partners, family, friends
Body image concerns, disordered eating patterns and chronic dieting
Sexual shame and a desire to explore your sexual self
Religious trauma, deconstruction, and shifts in faith or identity
Perimenopause, menopause, and women’s health
Interest in exploring one’s inner world, perhaps feeling disconnected
What to expect from therapy
In session we may start with a stressful moment from work that week or something you thought of at the grocery store. I may also share observations from our work together. No two sessions are the same.
I’m highly collaborative. My clients appreciate that I engage, explain concepts (sometimes the whiteboard comes out), share observations, and feel into their story alongside them. My job is to catch the moments that bring us deeper into the work, the ones we might not notice in our daily lives. Often, we’re too close to something to recognize what may be happening beneath the surface.
Also, expect to laugh, share about your pets, and generally find therapy to be many things all at once. I aim to provide a cozy, come-as-you-are space. I kick off my shoes; you can too.
Is this the right fit for you?
Depth-oriented therapy isn’t the right fit for everyone, and that’s okay. My work is best suited for people who are curious about themselves, willing to explore their life story, and interested in understanding patterns rather than simply finding a quick behavioral fix.
This approach may not be the best fit if you’re looking for short-term, symptom-focused treatment, or if you’re currently experiencing a level of distress that calls for more intensive support. This includes acute suicidality, high-acuity eating disorders, active addiction, or significant destabilization that may require a higher level of care.
That said, you don’t need to have everything figured out or feel stable all the time to do meaningful work here! Many people come to therapy feeling stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure of what they need.
My approach to individual therapy
My approach is depth-oriented and trauma-informed, grounded in the understanding that our past experiences shape how we relate to ourselves and move through the world. I draw from Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Health at Every Size (HAES®).
No pressure to understand these approaches before coming in (unless you want to!). I’ll introduce relevant concepts along the way and help you make sense of how they connect to your own experiences.
Ready to get started?
Wondering if we'd be a good fit? Schedule a consultation, and we can talk about what’s bringing you to therapy and what you’re hoping for.