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RELIGIOUS TRAUMA + SPIRITUAL ABUSE + CULT RECOVERY

RESOURCES

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Title
Resource Type
Author/Host
Tags
Link
A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Hope, Deception, and Survival at Jonestown
Book
Julia Scheeres
Historical,Cults,Spiritual Abuse
After Purity: Race, Sex, and Religion in White Christian America
Book
Sara Moslener
Sex/Purity Culture,Christian Nationalism
All the Buried Women
Podcast
Beth Allison Barr, Savannah Locke
Patriarchy,Sex/Purity Culture,Evangelical
BITE Model of Authoritarian Control
Article
Steven Hassan
Spiritual Abuse,Cults,Research
https://freedomofmind.com/cult-mind-control/bite-model-pdf-download/
Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape
Book
Jenna Miscavige Hill, Lisa Pulitzer
Memoir,Scientology,Cults
Beyond Shame: Creating a Healthy Sex Life on Your Own Terms
Book
Matthias Roberts
Self-Help,Sex/Purity Culture
Biblical Porn: Affect, Labor, and Pastor Mark Driscoll's Evangelical Empire
Book
Jessica Johnson
Sex/Purity Culture,Patriarchy,Evangelical
Boys & Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent, and Navigating the New Masculinity
Book
Peggy Orenstein
Non-Religious,Sex/Purity Culture
Broken Faith: Inside the Word of Faith Fellowship, One of America's Most Dangerous Cults
Book
Mitch Weiss, Holbrook Mohr
Historical,Cults
Children of God: Lost and Found (2007)
Documentary
Noah Thomson
Cults,Evangelical,Children of God
ChurchToo: How Purity Culture Upholds Abuse and How to Find Healing
Book
Emily Joy Allison
Sex/Purity Culture,Deconstruction
Combating Cult Mind Control: The Guide to Protection, Rescue and Recovery from Destructive Cults
Book
Steven Hassan
Self-Help,Cults,Spiritual Abuse
Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life
Book
Emily Nagoski
Non-Religious,Sex/Purity Culture
Cracking the Cult Code for Therapists: What Every Cult Victim Wants Their Therapist to Know
Book
Bonnie Zeiman
Cults,Therapy Tools
Cult Recovery 101
Website
Cult Recovery 101
Cults,Education,Research
https://cultrecovery101.com/
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism―Understanding the Social Science of Cult Influence
Book
Amanda Montell
Cults,Spiritual Abuse
Cults and Extreme Belief (2018)
Documentary
Elizabeth Vargas
Cults,Spiritual Abuse
Deconstructing My Religion (2018)
Documentary
Elizabeth Kineke
Deconstruction,Childhood Religious Trauma
Deconstructing Patriarchy & Masculinity After High-Control Religion: A Workshop for Men
Workshop
Julie Bloom, LPC-Associate
Patriarchy,Sex/Purity Culture,Support Groups
https://www.kindredholistictherapy.com/workshops
Deconstruction Dictionary
Website
Grisel Lopez-Escobar
Deconstruction,Education
https://www.drgrisel.com/deconstruction-dictionary
Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Podcast
Mike Cosper
Deconstruction,Documentary,Satanic Panic
Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion
Book
Daryl Van Tongreren
Deconstruction,Religious Abuse,Religious Trauma
EXJW Diaries
Podcast
Justin
Jehova's Witness
https://www.youtube.com/@exjwdiaries
EXJW Recovery Workbook
Workbook
Justin
Jehova's Witness,Therapy Tools
https://exjw.gumroad.com/
Educated: A Memoir
Book
Tara Westover
Memoir,Childhood Religious Trauma
Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress
Book
Steven Pinker
Deconstruction,Humanism
Escaping Twin Flames (2023)
Documentary
Cecilia Peck
Cults,Spiritual Abuse,Sexual Abuse
For the Love with Jen Hatmaker
Podcast
Jen Hatmaker
Spirituality,Deconstruction,Sex/Purity Culture
GRACE: Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment
Organization
GRACE
Abuse,Religious Abuse,Religious Leaders,Christian
https://www.netgrace.org/
Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape
Book
Peggy Orenstein
Non-Religious,Sex/Purity Culture
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015)
Documentary
Alex Gibney
Scientology,Deconstruction
Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults (2020)
Documentary
Clay Tweel
Cults,Spiritual Abuse
Hellbound? (2012)
Documentary
Kevin Miller
Evangelical,Hell,Religious Trauma
Heretic Happy Hour
Podcast
Keith Giles, Matthew Distefano
Deconstruction,Reconstruction,Evangelical
High Control Group Inventory
Assessment
Anna Clark Miller
Religious Abuse,Cults,Therapy Tools
https://www.empathyparadigm.com/highcontol
Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed (2022)
Documentary
Discovery+
Evangelical,Clergy Abuse,Religious Abuse
Holy Hell (2016)
Documentary
William Francesco Allen
Cults,Hell,Religious Abuse
Holy Hurt: Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing
Book
Hillary McBride
Spiritual Abuse,Religious Trauma,Religious Abuse
How the Bible Actually Works
Book
Peter Enns
Deconstruction,Christian,Reconstruction
How to End Christian Nationalism
Book
Amanda Tyler
Christian Nationalism,Evangelical,Religious Abuse
I Survived "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" (2018)
Documentary
Joshua Harris
Evangelical,Sex/Purity Culture,Patriarchy
International Cultic Studies Association
Organization
ICSA
Cults,Education,Research,Therapy Tools
https://www.icsahome.com/
Jesus Camp
Documentary
Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
Childhood Religious Trauma,Religious Abuse
Jesus Land: A Memoir
Book
Julia Scheeres
Memoir,Racism,Deconstruction
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation
Book
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
Historical,Patriarchy,Evangelical
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006)
Documentary
Stanley Nelson Jr.
Cults,Spiritual Abuse
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (2022)
Documentary
Rachel Dretzin, Grace McNally
Funamentalism,LDS/Mormon,Patriarchy
Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath
Documentary
Leah Remini
Scientology,Cults
Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion
Book
Marlene Winell
Religious Trauma,Spiritual Abuse
Leaving the Witness: Exiting a Religion and Finding a Life
Book
Amber Scorah
Memoir,Jehova's Witness,Religious Abuse
Life Unwasted: A Missionary Kid Podcast
Podcast
Caleb & Kyumin
Children,Childhood Religious Trauma,Missionaries
LulaRich (2021)
Documentary
Jenner Furst, Julia Willoughby Nason
Cults,Non-Religious,Corporate
Martyr, She Wrote
Podcast
Anna Clark Miller
Religious Trauma,Childhood Religious Trauma,Therapy Tools
Mormon No More (2022)
Documentary
Keturah Gray
LDS/Mormon,LGBTQ+,Deconstruction
My Body is Not a Prayer Request: Disability Justice in the Church
Book
Amy Kenny
Disabilities,Religious Abuse
My Scientology Movie (2015)
Documentary
John Dower
Scientology
Once You Go In: A Memoir of Radical Faith
Book
Carly Gelsinger
Religious Trauma,Assemblies of God
Outlove: A Queer Christian Survival Story
Book
Julie Rogers
LGBTQ+,Memoir,Conversion Practices,Evangelical
People Leave Cults
Organization
Ashlen Hilliard
Cults,Intervention,Spiritual Abuse,Support Groups
https://www.peopleleavecults.com/
Pray Away (2021)
Documentary
Kristine Stolakis
LGBTQ+,Conversion Practices,Evangelical,Religious Abuse
Prophet’s Prey (2015)
Documentary
Amy J. Berg
Polygamy,Cults,Clergy Abuse,Sexual Abuse
Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free
Book
Linda Kay Klein
Sex/Purity Culture,Religious Trauma,Evangelical,Patriarchy
Purity Culture Recovery, High-Control Religion and Queerness
Workshop
Julie Bloom, LPC-Associate
Sex/Purity Culture,LGBTQ+,Support Groups
https://www.kindredholistictherapy.com/workshops
Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories
Book
Tikva Frymer-Kensky
Deconstruction,Patriarchy,Reconstruction
Reclamation Collective
Organization
Reclamation Collective
Religious Trauma,Religious Abuse,Therapists,Support Groups
https://www.reclamationcollective.com/
Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church
Book
Diane Langberg
Religious Abuse,Education,Clergy Abuse
Releasing Financial Shame After High-Control Religion and Faith Deconstruction
Workshop
Julie Bloom, LPC-Associate
Money,Support Groups
https://www.kindredholistictherapy.com/workshops
Religious Abuse Power & Control Wheel
Article
Anna Clark Miller, Domestic Abuse Intervention Project
Therapy Tools,Religious Abuse,Spiritual Abuse
https://www.empathyparadigm.com/powercontrol
Religious Deconstruction Definition
Article
Anna Clark Miller
Deconstruction,Education
https://www.empathyparadigm.com/deconstruction
Religious Trauma Inventory
Assessment
Anna Clark Miller
Religious Trauma,Religious Abuse,Therapy Tools,Assessment
https://www.empathyparadigm.com/inventory
Religious Trauma Survival Guide
Workbook
Anna Clark Miller
Religious Trauma,Education,Childhood Religious Trauma
Religious Trauma Syndrome
Article
Marlene Winell
Religious Trauma,Therapy Tools
https://www.journeyfree.org/rts/
Secular Therapy Project
Organization
Secular Therapy Project
Support Groups,Therapists,Non-Religious
https://www.seculartherapy.org/
Shameless: A Case for Not Feeling Bad About Feeling Good (About Sex)
Book
Nadia Bolz-Weber
Sex/Purity Culture,Shame,Self-Help
Shiny Happy People (2023)
Documentary
Olivia Crist, Julia Willoughby Nason
Evangelical,Religious Abuse,Funamentalism
Something's Not Right: Decoding the Hidden Tactics of Abuse--and Freeing Yourself from Its Power
Book
Wade Mullen
Education,Abuse,Self-Help
Sons of Perdition: The Story of Polygamy's Exiled Youth (2010)
Documentary
Tyler Measom, Jennilyn Merten
Cults,Childhood Religious Trauma,Polygamy
Spiritual Abuse Questionnaire (SAQ)
Assessment
Kathryn Keller
Therapy Tools,Spiritual Abuse,Assessment
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HWFVfCSgEa-G5OMquMBryCO7AZvLgKlh/view?usp=sharing
Spiritual Bypassing Overview
Article
Anna Clark Miller
Spiritual Bypassing,Theology,Deconstruction
https://www.empathyparadigm.com/spiritualbypassing
Spiritual Harm & Abuse Scale Clinical Screener (SHAS)
Assessment
Dan Koch
Therapy Tools,Spiritual Abuse,Assessment
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fIpAb2PIXOA--Z26MCRSVGHNGofkrTMK/view?usp=sharing
Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding A True Faith
Book
April Ajoy
Deconstruction,Reconstruction,Christian Nationalism
Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence (2023)
Documentary
Andrew Helms
Cults,Abuse,Non-Religious
Strongwilled
Podcast
DL Mayfield, Krispin Mayfield
Parenting,Childhood Religious Trauma,Patriarchy,Evangelical
https://strongwilled.substack.com/
Talk Purity To Me
Podcast
Blair Rabun
Sex/Purity Culture,Evangelical
Ten Lies The Church Tells Women: How the Bible Has Been Misused to Keep Women in Spiritual Bondage
Book
J Lee Grady
Religious Abuse,Patriarchy,Sex/Purity Culture
Terror, Love and Brainwashing: Attachment in Cults and Totalitarian Systems
Book
Alexandra Stein
Cults,Education
The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It
Book
Peter Enns
Deconstruction,Reconstruction,Evangelical
The Clergy Project: Current & Former Religious Professionals Without Supernatural Beliefs
Organization
Clergy Project
Religious Leaders,Deconstruction,Non-Religious,Support Groups
https://clergyproject.org/
The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine
Book
Sue Monk Kidd
Memoir,Deconstruction,Patriarchy
The Deconstructionists Podcast
Podcast
Adam Narloch, John Williamson
Deconstruction,Evangelical,Reconstruction
The Deep End: Teal Swan (2022)
Documentary
Jon Kasbe
Cults,Spiritual Abuse
The Diabolical Trinity: Healing Religious Trauma from a Wrathful God, Tormenting Hell, and a Sinful Self
Book
Mark Gregory Karris
Religious Abuse,Hell,Deconstruction,Evangelical
The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America
Book
Frances FitzGerald
Christian Nationalism,Evangelical,Historical
The FoMo Podcast
Podcast
Melissa Hannan, Rae Gross
Religious Trauma,LDS/Mormon,Sex/Purity Culture
The Gateway: Teal Swan
Podcast
Jennings Brown
Documentary,Cults,Spirituality
The Great Sex Rescue: The Lies You've Been Taught and How to Recover What God Intended
Book
Sheila Wray Gregoire & Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach
Sex/Purity Culture
The Keepers (2017)
Documentary
Ryan White
Catholocism,Clergy Abuse
The Kingdom of Children
Book
RL Stoller
Parenting,Children,Childhood Religious Trauma,Theology
https://rlstollar.com/
The Liturgists Podcast
Podcast
Michael Gungor, Mike McHargue
Deconstruction,Reconstruction,Evangelical
The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth
Book
Beth Allison Barr
Patriarchy,Religious Abuse,Sex/Purity Culture
The Modesty Files
Podcast
Taft Media
Sex/Purity Culture,Deconstruction,Patriarchy
The Poisonwood Bible
Book
Barbara Kingsolver
Fiction,Missionaries,Religious Abuse
The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism
Book
Katherine Stewart
Christian Nationalism,Religious Abuse,Evangelical
The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young Women
Book
Jessica Valenti
Sex/Purity Culture,Religious Trauma,Patriarchy
The Religious Trauma Institute
Organization
Religious Trauma Institute
Religious Trauma,Research,Education
https://www.religioustraumainstitute.com/
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill
Podcast
Mike Cosper
Documentary,Religious Abuse,Evangelical,Patriarchy
The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse
Book
David Johnson, Jeff VanVonderen
Religious Abuse,Spiritual Abuse
The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology Tried to Destroy Paulette Cooper
Book
Tony Ortega
Scientology,Historical
The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe
Book
Richard Rohr
Deconstruction,Reconstruction
The Varieties Of Religious Experience: A Study In Human Nature
Book
William James
Spirituality,Humanism,Historical
The Vow (2020)
Documentary
Jehane Noujaim, Karim Amer
Cults,Sexual Abuse
The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin (2021)
Documentary
Ann Finnegan, Gina Scarlata
Cults,Corporate
The Witness Wore Red: The 19th Wife Who Brought Polygamous Cult Leaders to Justice
Book
Rebecca Musser
LDS/Mormon,Historical,Polygamy
This American Life: Chip in my Brain (Episode 635)
Podcast
David Kestenbaum
Spiritual Abuse,Non-Religious
Tips For Finding a Therapist
Article
Empathy Paradigm
Therapists
https://www.empathyparadigm.com/tips
Trauma in the Pews: The Impact on Faith and Spiritual Practices
Book
Jayne McConnaughey
Religious Leaders,Religious Trauma
Traumatized by Religious Abuse: Courage, Hope and Freedom for Survivors
Book
Connie Baker
Religious Trauma,Spiritual Abuse
Uncertain: A Tears of Eden Podcast
Podcast
Katherine Spearing
Spiritual Abuse,Deconstruction
Uncultured: A Memoir
Book
Daniella Mestyanek Young
Memoir,Cults,Sexual Abuse
Untamed
Book
Glennon Doyle
Memoir,Deconstruction,Patriarchy
Virgin Nation: Sexual Purity and American Adolescence
Book
Sara Moslener
Sex/Purity Culture,Childhood Religious Trauma
When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community From Emotional and Spiritual Abuse
Book
Chuck DeGroat
Religious Abuse,Clergy Abuse
Wild Wild Country (2018)
Documentary
Chapman Way, Maclain Way
Cults,Spirituality
You Are Your Own: A Reckoning with the Religious Trauma of Evangelical Christianity
Book
Jamie Lee Finch
Memoir,Sex/Purity Culture,Evangelical,Deconstruction
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