Therapy for Unpacking Spiritual Trauma, Shame, and Identity Suppression
Recognizing religious harm can come in many forms and show up in many ways in our lives.
A Place to Heal from What Was Supposed to Be “Safe”
Religion and spirituality can be powerful sources of meaning, belonging, and identity. But when faith communities impose fear, control, or shame, especially around sexuality, gender, and worth — those same systems can become deeply wounding.
Whether you’re questioning your upbringing, healing from purity culture, or untangling painful religious experiences, therapy can offer a space to gently explore what you carry. Together, we’ll honor your story, hold space for grief and anger, and begin the process of reclaiming your values, body, and voice — on your own terms.
What Is Religious Harm?
Religious harm can take many forms — some overt, some quiet and internal. It might include:
- Purity culture messaging that taught you your body or sexuality was dangerous
- Spiritual abuse by leaders, caregivers, or community members
- Fear-based doctrines tied to sin, hell, or divine punishment
- Control over identity — including your gender, sexuality, relationships, or life choices
- Pressure to forgive without accountability
- Silencing of questions, doubt, or autonomy
If religion left you feeling like you were never enough, constantly watched, or afraid of your own desires, your pain is real. And you are not alone.
How Therapy Can Help
Learn more about how we can work together to support you in your healing.
Common Themes We Explore in Therapy
- “Is it okay to be angry at God, my church, or my family?”
- Religious trauma that shows up as anxiety, panic, or shame
- Body image issues tied to modesty teachings or purity culture
- Confusion around consent, sexuality, and pleasure
- How to rebuild your identity outside a religious lens
- Grieving lost community, certainty, or rituals
- Setting boundaries with religious family or institutions
- Learning how to trust yourself again
You Are Allowed to Question, Grieve, and Rebuild
You don’t have to believe what you were told. You don’t have to forgive what harmed you. And you don’t have to make peace with it all right away.
You deserve a space where your story is held with reverence — not minimized, pathologized, or dismissed. If you’re ready to begin untangling the shame, fear, and confusion that faith systems may have left behind, I’d be honored to walk alongside you.
How Therapy Can Help
- Unpack messages around shame, sin, sexuality, and control
- Reclaim body autonomy, pleasure, and trust in yourself
- Explore grief, anger, or spiritual confusion without judgment
- Build new values that feel true to you, not imposed by others
- Make peace with identity, gender, or sexuality
- Heal from trauma stored in the nervous system
- Rebuild your relationship to spirituality, or let it go altogether
Whether you’re deconstructing your faith or still holding parts of it close, therapy offers space for you to explore freely, without pressure to land anywhere but where you feel whole.
Work with Miri Sampson
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, MA, LMFTA
Welcome. I’m so glad you’re here.
I’m a person-centered therapist who offers a warm, nonjudgmental space for self-discovery, healing, and growth. I work with teens, adults, couples, and families, with a special focus on sex therapy, religious harm, ADHD, and EMDR for trauma recovery.
My approach is relational, compassionate, and tailored to your unique needs. I believe in your inherent worth and will hold your story with care. Whoever you are, and wherever you are in your journey, you are welcome here.
