Religious Deconstruction

Deconstruction

Deconstruction is a process where someone begins asking questions of the faith system they inherited. These questions might be sparked by a loss or change, or they could be brought on by curiosity. When someone is embedded in a faith community and they begin having questions and doubts, it can be lonely to keep all of these thoughts inside. I encourage you to ask these questions and I will support you as you risk naming something tender out loud for the first time.

Religious Trauma

Religious trauma occurs when someone is significantly harmed by their religious leader, community, or belief system. This form of trauma can lead to chronic self-doubt, anxiety or fear about hell, and difficulty making choices for oneself. Working through this form of trauma can be a slow process as religious and spiritual beliefs touch all areas of a person’s life, and involve recovering from embodied experiences of shame and fear.

Reconstruction

After deconstructing faith, many (but not all) people become interested in reclaiming some beliefs, but doing so in a very intentional and careful way. Rebuilding a belief system can be exhausting and isolating work, especially when one’s community still holds beliefs you no longer hold. I support you in thinking through and reclaiming or reconstructing beliefs you find life-affirming.