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Religious Trauma + Spiritual Abuse Recovery
RESOURCES
Religious trauma therapists
Support groups, training, resources
Virtual consults with Anna
Books, podcasts, articles, etc.
Formal and informal assessment tools
Religious trauma podcast
Scholarly sources and citations
Training for professionals
Religious trauma recovery
RECOMMENDED MEDIA
Books, podcasts, documentaries, and articles related to religious trauma and cults.
Resource Type | Title | Author/Host | Tags | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Book | After Purity: Race, Sex, and Religion in White Christian America | Sara Moslener | Sex/Purity Culture,Christian Nationalism | |
Movie | Apostasy (2017) | Daniel Kokotajlo | Jehova's Witness,Deconstruction,Spiritual Abuse | |
Book | Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape | Jenna Miscavige Hill, Lisa Pulitzer | Memoir,Scientology,Cults | |
Book | Beyond Shame: Creating a Healthy Sex Life on Your Own Terms | Matthias Roberts | Self-Help,Sex/Purity Culture | |
Book | Biblical Porn: Affect, Labor, and Pastor Mark Driscoll's Evangelical Empire | Jessica Johnson | Sex/Purity Culture,Patriarchy,Christian/Evangelical | |
Book | Boys & Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent, and Navigating the New Masculinity | Peggy Orenstein | Non-Religious,Sex/Purity Culture | |
Book | Broken Faith: Inside the Word of Faith Fellowship, One of America's Most Dangerous Cults | Mitch Weiss, Holbrook Mohr | Historical,Cults | |
Documentary | Children of God: Lost and Found (2007) | Noah Thomson | Cults,Christian/Evangelical,Children of God | |
Book | ChurchToo: How Purity Culture Upholds Abuse and How to Find Healing | Emily Joy Allison | Sex/Purity Culture,Deconstruction | |
Book | Combating Cult Mind Control: The Guide to Protection, Rescue and Recovery from Destructive Cults | Steven Hassan | Self-Help,Cults,Spiritual Abuse | |
Book | Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life | Emily Nagoski | Non-Religious,Sex/Purity Culture | |
Book | Cracking the Cult Code for Therapists: What Every Cult Victim Wants Their Therapist to Know | Bonnie Zeiman | Cults,Therapy Tools | |
Book | Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism―Understanding the Social Science of Cult Influence | Amanda Montell | Cults,Spiritual Abuse | |
Documentary | Cults and Extreme Belief (2018) | Elizabeth Vargas | Cults,Spiritual Abuse | |
Video | Dear Mormon Man, Tell Me What You Do | Amy McPhie Allebest | LDS/Mormon,Patriarchy | https://youtu.be/RqBWbJIBGdA?si=wlXB36-AHTeaSMym |
Documentary | Deconstructing My Religion (2018) | Elizabeth Kineke | Deconstruction,Childhood Religious Trauma | |
Website | Deconstruction Dictionary | Grisel Lopez-Escobar | Deconstruction,Education | https://www.drgrisel.com/deconstruction-dictionary |
Podcast | Devil and the Deep Blue Sea | Mike Cosper | Deconstruction,Satanic Panic | |
Book | Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion | Daryl Van Tongreren | Deconstruction,Religious Abuse,Religious Trauma | |
Podcast | EXJW Diaries | Justin | Jehova's Witness | https://www.youtube.com/@exjwdiaries |
Book | EXJW Recovery Workbook | Justin | Jehova's Witness,Therapy Tools,Recovery | https://exjw.gumroad.com/ |
Book | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | Memoir,Childhood Religious Trauma | |
Book | Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress | Steven Pinker | Deconstruction,Humanism | |
Documentary | Escaping Twin Flames (2023) | Cecilia Peck | Cults,Spiritual Abuse,Sexual Abuse | |
Podcast | For the Love with Jen Hatmaker | Jen Hatmaker | Spirituality,Deconstruction,Sex/Purity Culture | |
Book | Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape | Peggy Orenstein | Non-Religious,Sex/Purity Culture | |
Documentary | Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015) | Alex Gibney | Scientology,Deconstruction | |
Book | Healing Sacred Wounds | SC Nealy, LPC | Religious Trauma,Recovery,Christian/Evangelical,Childhood Religious Trauma,Self-Help | |
Documentary | Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults (2020) | Clay Tweel | Cults,Spiritual Abuse | |
Documentary | Hellbound? (2012) | Kevin Miller | Christian/Evangelical,Hell,Religious Trauma |
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ORGANIZATIONS
Support groups, training, workshops, and resources related to religious trauma and cult recovery.
Organization | Description | Resource Type | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cooperative Path | Consultation groups for religious trauma therapists. | Consutation,Counseling | https://www.cooperativepath.com/ | Counselors |
Cult Mediation | Resources designed to help thoughtful families and friends understand and respond to the complexity of a loved one’s cult involvement, controlling relationship and environments. | Intervention/Mediation | https://cultmediation.com/ | Cults |
Cult Recovery 101 | Assisting cult members and their families as they make the difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice. | Articles/Newsletters,Research,Provider Directory | https://cultrecovery101.com/ | Cults |
Empathy Paradigm | Resources for religious trauma survivors and the mental health professionals who work with them. | Continuing Education,Provider Directory,Articles/Newsletters,Consutation,Other Resources | https://www.empathyparadigm.com/ | Counselors |
Footsteps | Services and programs to people who have chosen to leave their ultra-Orthodox communities and build self-determined lives. | Support Groups,Workshops | https://www.footstepsorg.org/ | Jewish Orthodox,Deconstruction |
GRACE: Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment | Empowering Christian communities to recognize, prevent, and respond to abuse. | Investigation,Intervention/Mediation,Legal or Financial Services | https://www.netgrace.org/ | Religious Organizations,Christian |
International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) | Advancing education, research and understanding of cultic influence. | Research,Articles/Newsletters,Provider Directory,Conference | https://internationalculticstudies.org/ | Cults |
Kindred Holistic Therapy | Recovery groups and workshops for survivors of religious trauma and purity culture. | Support Groups,Workshops,Counseling | https://www.kindredholistictherapy.com | Purity Culture,Patriarchy,Grief,Processing Group |
LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative | Religious trauma groups and trainings facilitated by SC Nealy. See training details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-clinicians-guide-to-understanding-religious-trauma-in-clients-ceceus-tickets-1131362197789 | Support Groups,Continuing Education,Workshops,Counseling | https://lgbtcounselingdmv.com/ | Processing Group,Religious Trauma |
MK Safety Net | Support, education, and advocacy for current and former missionary kids. | Support Groups,Legal or Financial Services,Investigation,Intervention/Mediation,Articles/Newsletters | https://mksafetynet.org/ | Missionary Kids |
Michelle F. Moseley Counseling | Opportunities for mental health providers to expand their knowledge of religious trauma and spiritual abuse. | Continuing Education,Counseling,Consutation | https://michellefmoseley.com/continuing-education/ | Religious Trauma |
People Leave Cults | Cult intervention and recovery services for current and former cult members and their loved ones. | Intervention/Mediation | https://www.peopleleavecults.com/ | Cults |
Reclamation Collective | Holding space for religious trauma through counseling, group therapy, training and consults. | Continuing Education,Workshops,Provider Directory,Counseling,Consutation | https://www.reclamationcollective.com | Religious Trauma |
Recovering From Religion | Hope, healing, and support for those struggling with issues of doubt and non-belief. | Support Groups,Other Resources | https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org | Religious Trauma,Processing Group,Deconstruction |
Secular Therapy Project | A directory of secular mental health professionals. | Provider Directory,Counseling | https://www.seculartherapy.org/ | Secular |
The Aftermath Foundation | Support for individuals leaving Scientology | Support Groups,Legal or Financial Services,Other Resources | https://www.theaftermathfoundation.org/ | Scientology |
The Clergy Project | Current and former religious professionals without supernatural beliefs. | Support Groups,Online Forum | https://clergyproject.org/ | Religious Leaders/Clergy |
The Religious Trauma Dietitian | Trauma-informed nutrition therapy for religious trauma survivors, provided by board-certified dietitian, Lisa van Leeuwen, RDN, LDN | Dietician Services | https://www.religioustraumadietitian.com/ | Eating/Food |
The Welcome Table | Inclusive spiritual community for LGBTQ+ individuals who are active, struggling, or former Catholics. | Support Groups,Spiritual Direction | https://www.welcometablelgbtq.com/ | LGBTQ+,Catholic |
ASSESSMENT TOOLS + INVENTORIES
Title | Author | Link |
|---|---|---|
Codependency Inventory | Anna Clark Miller | https://www.empathyparadigm.com/codependency |
Developmental Religious Trauma: Harmful Childhood Messages Inventory | Anna Clark Miller | https://www.empathyparadigm.com/childhoodmessages |
FICA Spiritual History Tool: A Guide for Spiritual Assessment in Clinical Settings | Christina Puchalski, MD | https://gwish.smhs.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaskib1011/files/2022-06/FICA-Tool-PDF-ADA.pdf |
High Control Group Inventory | Anna Clark Miller | https://www.empathyparadigm.com/highcontol |
Inventory of Complicated Spiritual Grief 2.0 (ICSG 2.0) | Laurie Burke, A Elizabeth Crunk, Robert Neimeyer, Haiyan Bai | https://www.azspc.org/uploads/8/5/7/7/85775014/inventory_of_complicated_spiritual_grief_self-scoring.pdf |
Moral Injury and Distress Scale (MIDS) | Norman, S. B., Griffin, B. J., Pietrzak, R. H., McLean, C., Hamblen, J.
L., & Maguen, S. | https://ptsd.va.gov/PTSD/professional/assessment/documents/NCPTSD_MIDS.pdf |
Psychological Abuse Experienced in Groups Scale (PAEGS) | Saldaña, O., Rodríguez-Carballeira, Á., Almendros, C., & Escartín, J. | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Iub4w81s6wr7CopvMGdC-NVPnomHe1yL/view?usp=sharing |
Religious Trauma Inventory | Anna Clark Miller | https://www.empathyparadigm.com/inventory |
Spiritual Abuse Questionnaire (SAQ) | Kathryn Keller, PhD | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HWFVfCSgEa-G5OMquMBryCO7AZvLgKlh/view?usp=sharing |
Spiritual Harm & Abuse Scale (SHAS) | Dan Koch | https://www.religiononthemind.com/spiritual-abuse |
Values Inventory | Anna Clark Miller | https://www.empathyparadigm.com/valuesinventory |
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