Definitions
What Is Religious & Spiritual Harm?
Religious and spiritual harm can occur when beliefs, teachings, communities, leaders, or spiritual practices cause emotional, psychological, relational, or spiritual distress. These experiences may involve fear-based teachings, shame, exclusion, coercion, abuse, or the loss of community following a change in beliefs.
What is a High-Control Group?
Some individuals describe their experiences using terms such as cult, high-control group, or high-demand religion. High-control groups can be religious or non-religious. While these experiences can vary, high-control groups often exert significant influence over members' beliefs, behaviours, relationships, access to information, and decision-making.
People who have been involved in these environments may experience difficulties related to identity, trust, boundaries, belonging, grief, shame, anxiety, or relationships.
I recognize that individuals use different language to describe their experiences. In therapy, I follow your lead and respect the terms that feel most accurate and meaningful to you.
What Is Religious Deconstruction?
Religious deconstruction is the process of examining and re-evaluating beliefs, teachings, and experiences that have shaped your understanding of yourself, others, and the world around you. This process may involve questioning long-held beliefs, exploring personal values, navigating changes in faith or spirituality, and making sense of experiences within religious or spiritual communities.
For many people, deconstruction can bring a mix of emotions, including grief, uncertainty, anger, relief, and growth. Therapy can provide a supportive space to explore these questions, process difficult experiences, and develop a relationship with faith, spirituality, or personal meaning that feels authentic to you.
What is a Faith Transition?
A faith transition refers to a change in someone’s religious or spiritual beliefs, identity, practices, or sense of community. It may involve moving away from a previous faith, exploring another tradition, developing a more personal form of spirituality, or adjusting how you relate to a belief system you continue to value.
Faith transitions can affect more than belief alone. They may bring changes to relationships, family roles, community connections, routines, identity, and your sense of belonging. For people from high-control religious environments, the transition may feel especially difficult when questioning, doubt, or leaving has been discouraged or associated with serious personal or relational consequences like being disfellowshiped, shunned, or excommunicated.
Everyone has the right to ask questions, explore different perspectives, and make informed decisions about their beliefs. At In-Between Therapy, you can process the emotional and relational impacts of a faith transition while clarifying what feels authentic and meaningful to you.
Religious Neutrality
I adopt a stance of religious neutrality in my practice, meaning I do not impose my own beliefs or lack of beliefs on clients. You have the right to hold, explore, change, or question your beliefs.
During a free 15-minute consultation, we can discuss what brings you to therapy and determine whether my services are an appropriate fit. While In-Between Therapy specializes in religious and spiritual harm, deconstruction, and recovery from high-control environments, I also provide broader psychotherapy services in another practice setting. If I am not the right fit for your needs, I will do my best to provide appropriate referrals.