If you were taught the devil could be lurking in everything—from music to your own thoughts—you’re not alone. This blog explores how high-control religion creates spiritual paranoia, and how survivors of religious trauma can begin to unlearn that fear.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your experience “counts” as religious trauma, or you’ve felt like no one would understand, this post is for you.

Faith deconstruction isn’t rebellion — it’s a valid response to spiritual harm or misalignment. Here’s what it is, why it happens, and how to cope.

Like many people this week, I watched the Severance Season 2 finale. (Don’t worry—no spoilers here if you haven’t seen it yet!)  It got me thinking: there are a lot of parallels to religious trauma in the storyline of this show and what the characters are navigating. Fans of Severance, this one’s for you!

For years, I was conditioned to believe that a man and a woman being alone together—regardless of the context—was inappropriate or dangerous. Even after leaving that world behind, I was surprised by how quickly that old conditioning crept in during a simple lunch with a colleague.