For the One Healing from Religious Trauma

If you’re still flinching at worship music, still unraveling the voice of shame from the voice of God… this is for you.

I want to start here: you are not broken for feeling broken. You are not faithless for needing to walk away. You are not rebellious for refusing to let yourself be spiritually abused in the name of holiness.

Religious trauma is real. It burrows deep because it entwines itself with your very sense of self, your community, and your God. Unlike other forms of harm, it doesn’t just wound your body or your mind - it wounds your belonging. It tells you that your very soul is unsafe, and then it demands you feel grateful for the bruises.

Maybe you’ve found yourself scanning the radio dial to avoid a worship song that once made you cry holy tears but now only brings panic. Maybe you’ve left church but can’t shake the sermons that play like background noise in your head, berating you with “shoulds” and “musts.” Maybe you’ve tried to pray but can only hear silence, or worse, echoes of condemnation.

If that is you, let me speak something softer: healing takes time. And time in itself is holy.