That's exactly what I help people heal from. The deep pain of high-control religion and Purity Culture. The shame, the hypervigilance, the version of yourself you had to become to survive inside the system.
I’ll work with you in a way that honors your pace, while gently challenging you along the way.
Where you once found identity, belonging, and community, you now feel lost, isolated, and disillusioned.
What was once a resource and refuge for you now feels like your deepest wound
It doesn't just shape what you believe. It shapes how you see yourself, how you relate to other people, and how safe the world feels.
And the person who grew up hearing "God is always watching" doesn't just leave that behind by walking out the church doors.
The shame, the hypervigilance, the guilt, it follows.
*Sets my therapist hat down for a moment.*
Religious trauma is a very real wound. And it runs a lot deeper than simply ‘questioning your faith’.
Here's the thing about religious trauma...
Here's the thing about religious trauma...
I know, because I've lived it.
THAT STUFF GETS WIRED IN DEEP.
What happens to kids (and adults) inside high-control religious environments can be genuinely harmful.
Therapy is a space to shed the identities, rules, and belief systems you've learned to live inside of and rebuild something that actually feels like you.
…their worth is conditional on belief
…their thoughts are sinful
…a wrong move means eternal consequences
When a child is taught that...
When a child is taught that...
I'm not a Christian anymore. But I was raised in the Evangelical church, attended Fuller Theological Seminary for my graduate training, so believe me. I know the language, the culture, the specific ways these systems operate because I lived inside them.
And then I did my own deconstruction & religious trauma work. So when you walk in, you don’t have to explain what it feels like, I already know.
And if there’s one thing I believe, it’s that you can't lead someone through a place you haven't been yourself.
I’m an exvangelical Religious Trauma Therapist.
HI, I’M BROCK
HI, I’M BROCK
…in the questions they don't ask, the directions they subtly push toward, the outcomes they're more comfortable with than others. That can cause real harm, even when nobody intended it.
Whether you land in agnosticism, atheism, a completely rebuilt spirituality, or are still holding onto aspects of your faith that you still find meaningful.
I'm not here to steer. I'm here to support.
But unexamined belief has a way of showing up anyway.
A lot of therapists believe they can leave their faith at the door.
Leaving behind the faith system you’ve built your life around can be daunting.
You don't have to do it alone
You don't have to do it alone
The belief system you were handed before you were old enough to question it
The values you were told to have versus the values that are actually yours
The shame and guilt that followed you out the door
The community and identity you lost when you left
The fear of what it means to trust yourself
Everyone who comes in carrying religious trauma is carrying it a little differently. So the work looks different too.
The grief you haven't had space to feel yet
In our sessions, we look at the patterns that shaped your identity:
EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Sometimes your mind is saying one thing and your body is saying something completely different. That disconnect is one of the ways trauma shows up long after the experience itself is over.
EMDR helps get your mind and body on the same page — processing and releasing what's still lingering from the past so it stops having so much power over the present.
ACT — Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
ACT helps people stop organizing their entire life around fear.
For people coming out of high-control religion, where everything was rigid, prescribed, and conditional, that kind of flexibility can feel revolutionary.
Values Work
What were your old religious values versus what are YOUR values today?
That question alone can be one of the most grounding things someone asks themselves after leaving a high-control religion.
We figure out who you actually are — separate from who you were told to be.
WHAT ‘THE WORK’ ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE
You might be staring so hard at one tree that you've forgotten there's an entire forest out there. KAP can help you zoom out — opening up new perspectives on yourself and your experiences that can be hard to access any other way.
Think of it this way:
For some people, the patterns laid down by years of high-control religious indoctrination run deep enough that traditional therapy alone moves slowly.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
It's not a magic fix. But it can create movement in places that have felt immovable for a very long time.
It might look like making a real decision based on what you actually think and value — not what you were taught to fear.
It might look like listening to music, watching a movie, or experiences that used to trigger a wave of guilt… and realizing that guilt isn’t there anymore.
It might look like your first honest conversation about sexuality without shame woven into every word.
It might look like a close friendship with someone your old community would have warned you about, and realizing that person is one of the safest people in your life.
It might look like waking up one morning and realizing you trust yourself.
For people who've spent years (sometimes decades) living inside a system that told them exactly who to be, picturing what freedom looks like on the other side can be hard to even imagine.
On the other side of this work is a life that finally feels like yours.
Maybe for the first time.
That's what this work is for.
Not sure where you land?
This is probably a good fit if...
- You've left your faith, or you're in the process of leaving, and you need real support figuring out what comes next.
- You want a therapist who understands Evangelical and Christian systems from the inside — and who approaches other religious backgrounds with genuine curiosity rather than assumptions.
- You're done being told to pray more, have more faith, or find a better church.
- You want to figure out who you are and what you actually believe, without any outside influence telling you how to think.
- You're carrying shame, guilt, fear, or trauma that traces back to your religious upbringing — and you're ready to start setting it down
This might not be the right fit if...
- You're looking for a faith-based therapist or someone who'll integrate Christian ideology, beliefs, or practices (prayer, reviewing Biblical text, etc.) into your sessions.
- You want your therapist to help you find your way back to your faith. That's a valid goal, it's just not what this work is designed for.
- You don't feel that your religious experiences have caused you real harm. This work is specifically for people who do.
Here's how to know if it's for you.
That's exactly what the consultation call is for.
This work isn't for everyone.
This work isn't for everyone.
What Other Therapists Have to Say
- Jordan R. Francis
"His expertise in religious trauma gives him the ability to engage a unique demographic that is underserved."
“Brock is excellent at helping clients connect with their minds and bodies, identifying what they’re experiencing and charting a path forward."
- Jeff Skeens
"His calm, supportive presence helps clients feel safe and supported. I highly recommend his work."
“Brock is a thoughtful, trauma-informed clinician and experienced KAP practitioner."
No. Some people come in having already left. Some are still in the process of leaving. Some are questioning and not sure what they want yet. All of those are valid starting points.
Do I have to have officially left my religion to work with you?
No. I was raised in the Evangelical church and attended Fuller Theological Seminary for my graduate training, but I'm not a Christian therapist. I'm a secular therapist who understands Christianity and other high-control religions from the inside — which means I can speak the language without having an agenda about where you land.
Are you a Christian therapist?
That question itself is often part of the wound. A lot of people who grew up in high-control religious environments were taught to minimize their own experience — that what happened to them wasn't that bad, or that they're being dramatic. If something is showing up in your life and you can trace it back to your religious upbringing, it's worth exploring. You don't have to have a diagnosis to deserve support.
What if I'm not sure my experience "counts" as religious trauma?
Regular therapy can be helpful, but if your therapist doesn't understand the specific dynamics of high-control religion — the language, the culture, the particular ways these systems cause harm — you'll spend a lot of time explaining things that shouldn't require explanation. Religious trauma therapy means working with someone who already gets it, so we can skip the 101 and get into the actual work.
What's the difference between religious trauma therapy and regular therapy?
I don't take insurance. Sessions are $150 for 50 minutes. I offer a free 15-minute consultation call so we can figure out if this is a good fit before you commit.
Do you take insurance?
Yes — I see clients in person in Chandler, Arizona and virtually across the state.
Do you offer online sessions?
