Post-Mormon Therapy
In the wake of an LDS faith crisis, you stand at a crossroads, knowing what you have to do... but not knowing if you're brave or strong enough to do it.
I know, because I've been there. I once stood where you do now, feeling as if I were on the edge of a cliff... Or at the foot of a vast mountain range.
Could I survive the fall? Could I endure the climb?
Turns out, I could.
And you can too.
As scary and overwhelming as this might feel now, one day you are going to look back at this moment and be so grateful you started rebuilding today.
You can thrive after Mormonism.
Let me show you how.
Specialized Care for the Post-Mormon Journey, with a therapist who has been there.
You took that brave first step into the abyss of life after Mormonism.
Now, you don't have to do this alone.
Specialized Support for the Mormon Faith Crisis
Most people really don't understand how earth-shattering and life-altering leaving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) can be. Whatever you're feeling or thinking right now, I promise you are not alone. You are not going "crazy." Everything you thought you knew about... well, EVERYTHING is now in question.
Who am I? What is the meaning of life? What do I DO now??
The answers to these questions deserve to be reckoned with. Together, we can process the grief of losing your faith and work to heal the trauma of being deeply betrayed by an institution you trusted.
You don't have to carry this burden on your own anymore. I have created a safe space for you to talk about all the complicated thoughts and messy emotions that come with leaving/questioning the church. I will listen to it all. There is a lot to unpack. I know, because I've been there myself. I won't tell you how to think or feel. I believe that all of your thoughts and feelings are there for a good reason and I would be honored to hear your story and truly understand you.
Through this process of unpacking and processing your thoughts and feelings, I will help you uncover what is authentically YOU. We will grapple with how the church shaped your identity and groomed you to question and suppress your authentic self. And then I will gently guide you in strengthening your connection to your innermost self.
What can I expect in Post-Mormon therapy?
Your therapy will be individually tailored to you. With that being said, below I've listed several common areas of focus that arise in Post-Mormon therapy.
Cultivating New Relationships
Leaving the church can be the most isolating time of your life. For many members, the LDS community is their ONLY community.
Now that you've left, you may not know who you can trust or how to make new friends after such a significant betrayal.
As a marriage and family therapist, I am specially trained to understand relationship dynamics and how they impact the individual. I can support you in forming healthy, authentic relationships.
Navigating Spirituality in New Ways
Embracing Post-Mormon Freedom
The freedom that comes with breaking free from those invisible chains… It’s bittersweet, isn’t it? On one hand, it’s thrilling to finally have limitless possibilities ahead of you. But on the other hand, you’ve never had to navigate this many choices on your own before.
How do you know what you really want? Can you trust yourself to make the right choices? What if it’s too late to chart your own path?
You might feel completely overwhelmed right now. It’s like you’ve been dropped off in the middle of the wilderness without a map to guide you home. You’re not wrong. That old map is long gone. You’re going rogue.
Rediscovering Your Identity
Whether you're needing help strategizing how you're going to tell your still-believing family members, set new healthy boundaries with current members, or navigate dating outside the church, our therapy sessions can give you the information, skills, and courage to seek the relationships you deserve.
"I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints..."
I remember joyfully singing those words as a child. I know you do too.
When you're a member of the LDS Church, it isn't just part of your identity - it is your identity.
Now that you've left the church, there is a terrifying void inside. You don't know who you are without the church. You don't know where to even begin to find out.
Take a breath. Let it out.
I promise, there is so much more to you than the church. And I would be honored to support you during this discovery process.
Many therapists do not understand the severe impact of religious trauma and will quickly suggest that you find a new religious community to replace the old one. I completely disagree with this approach.
In the wake of the Mormon Faith Crisis, it is tempting to rush to join another group to replace the void left behind from leaving the LDS church. But without first processing your LDS experience, this may put you at increased risk of finding yourself in another abusive situation.
And not many people, ExMormon or otherwise, are brave enough to do what you’re doing right now.
On the journey of life, most people use the maps that have been handed down to them - from their parents, their church, or society at large - never questioning it. But what if I told you that you already have everything you need within you to navigate this terrain? That you have an Inner Compass waiting to guide you?
When you’re ready to work together, I can teach you how to tune in to and Trust Your Inner Compass. By the time our work is done, you’ll walk away knowing that no matter what obstacles await on the path ahead, you’ll never be truly lost again.
Instead, in our work together, I will assist you in healing religious trauma, clarifying your core values, and integrating spirituality into your life in authentic, personally fulfilling ways.
If you miss feeling spiritually aligned, we can find your footing again. Alternatively, if you’re relieved to just let all of that go, that’s fine too. Rest assured, you do not need religion to have a rich, beautiful life. Atheism and agnosticism are more than welcome at Trust Your Inner Compass. Whatever your path, we can explore this terrain together.
Healing from LDS Indoctrination
One of the most maddening parts of leaving Mormonism is that, even though you don’t consciously agree with the doctrine anymore (in fact, you may have passionate objections to it), the LDS programming doesn’t automatically disappear just because you stopped going to church. Despite your best efforts to talk yourself out of having these intrusive thoughts, self-destructive emotions, and irrational phobias, you simply can’t escape them.
LDS programming runs much deeper than your conscious mind. You can’t out-think it. This isn't about intelligence. Even the smartest among us aren't immune - because indoctrination isn't about rational thinking.
If you still feel assaulted by LDS-related guilt, shame, and fear, know that you can heal. As your therapist, I can integrate somatically-informed approaches into your therapy to target the indoctrination at its source and unburden you of it for good.
Signs of LDS programming are diverse and unique to your experience in the church. However, it often shows up as: a brutal inner voice that criticizes your every thought, feeling, and action; an unshakeable feeling of dread that something bad might happen to you; or a profound sense of worthlessness and low self-esteem. If any of these sound like you, please reach out for help. You don’t need to suffer at the hands of the church any longer.