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Art Therapy for Religious Deconstruction
I get it. Leaving a religious group is disorienting.
I've done it. Twice.
I was raised in a Christian fundamentalist family that lived at a Christian camp in the woods.
After I left Christianity, I struggled deeply. And it's no wonder I did.
High demand religions dictate what to believe, what is right/wrong, what is appropriate/inappropriate behavior, how to dress, what not to drink, a person's purpose in life, and more.
After being told who I was for so long, how was I supposed to figure it out for myself?
And then I did what many ex-members do: I subconsciously sought out the patterns I grew up with. I found another high-demand religion that I thought had the answers: mormonism.
It was only after serving an international mormon mission for 1.5 years that I realized I needed to leave religion for good.
And I finally began the work of religious deconstruction. Through reading, meeting with a therapist, and copious journaling, I slowly made sense of my life.
I then obtained a masters in mental health counseling and art therapy, where I wrote my capstone project on religious deconstruction.
I now provide therapy for people going through the process of religious deconstruction.
My recent articles about religious deconstruction
Why is therapy needed?
Because a high-demanding religion touches every part of our lives.
For those who grew-up in such environments, there was no space for them to individuate into their own unique person. They were told what to believe, how to behave, and what personality characteristics to develop. There is little to no tolerance for disagreement.
Children who grow up in these conditions often learn to disconnect from their own feelings, needs, opinions, and ideas. This disconnection from the self can lead to deep depression and anxiety.
Even if that child grows into adulthood and decides to leave the church, they still experience the disconnection from self. The religious teachings and beliefs live in them in the form of self-judgment, limiting beliefs, and life-corroding behaviors. They may choose relationships that repeat the patterns of their childhood.
Therapy helps break that cycle.
I work with these individuals to shift from external guidance (who the religion teaches they "should" be), to an internal connection with their own intuition. We work together to deconstruct unhelpful beliefs and patterns and heal the impact of being in a high demand religion.
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