Therapy for Deconstruction
& Faith Transitions
in Nashville, Tennessee

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud
was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

Anaïs Nin

A safe space to explore faith transitions.

Embarking on a faith transition can be a daunting journey. You could be unsure and nervous about where your questions might take you, not knowing where you might end up. Perhaps you are in the early stages of this process and struggling with the fear that that asking questions is dangerous or wrong? Maybe you are worried about the spiritual, cultural, emotional, and relational consequences of changing beliefs. It might seem that there is no one would you can talk to that would understand.

There are also those who have been on a faith transition/deconstruction journey for some time now, but need more support to process what has occurred now that they feel ready. Spirituality and religious beliefs are one of the deepest, core parts of our human experience. They impact multiple areas of life and often extend into our earliest life experiences and understandings. When those beliefs are challenged, or when they begin to shift, it can feel like an unraveling.

Evidence based treatment with your goals in mind.

You probably don’t want someone else to pressure you with their own agenda, or impose their belief system onto yours.

It is one of my highest values to honor your individual autonomy. That means that I am aware of the potential for an imbalance of power in the therapy setting. I am not here to be your teacher, pastor, or guru. I am not here to impose my own spirituality onto yours.

I am here to provide a client centered, therapeutic space where you can cultivate a deeper, more connected relationship with yourself using evidence-based therapy models.

What is deconstruction?

Deconstruction is a relatively new term for describing a type of religious transition. In a practical sense, to deconstruct, is the action of taking something apart. Within a religious context this word describes the experience of re-evaluating, or changing aspects of one’s religious faith, often changing core tenants. Deconversion, is the experience of completely unaffiliating with a religious identity. Some people who deconstruct their faith will also deconvert, while others will change some tenant’s of their faith but retain their faith as a whole.

Why go to therapy for faith transitions and deconstruction?

Large Scope of Impact

Going through a faith transition can impact:

  • Worldview, explanations for the why and how of existence

  • Meaning and Value Systems

  • Relationship to Self

  • Relationships, Community, Family

  • Rituals, Faith Practices, Spiritual Resources

Address Isolation

Experiencing a religious transition is not widely discussed or normalized in current culture. It can sometimes feel like a taboo topic or an unsafe conversation.

Supportive resources, education, and community for people experiencing religious transitions are often inaccessible.

Gain New Coping Skills

Some practices like prayer, belief in divine intervention, comfort during suffering can be altered during religious transitions. Learning new coping skills and rebuilding belief systems takes time. The in-between periods of leaving one system of belief and forming a new one can feel disorienting, existential, and crushing.

Treat Mental Health Symptoms

Feelings of depression and anxiety can increase during a faith transition. Other symptoms such as hypervigilance, fixation, and avoidance are possible was well as nervous system dysregulation including tremors, panic attacks, shortness of breath.

Websites and Support Groups for Faith Transitions

Support Groups
(for those leaving religion)

Journey Free: Recovery from Harmful Religion
Recovering From Religion

Support Groups
(for those retaining religious affiliations or for leaving religion)

Reclamation Collective
Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery