Therapy for
Spiritual Trauma
Reclaim wholeness & hope
April Hankins (she/her)
Ohio & Pennsylvania Virtual Therapy
You have been hurt by something that mattered most to you. All you are left with are questions and anxiety.
My clients struggle just like you. Despite being resilient and thoughtful, spiritual trauma is hard.
When they first come in, they feel lost and may be disconnected from people who used to matter most. They no longer have the same comfort of the God they once did and are afraid of where this path of acknowledging spiritual trauma could lead them.
They are struggling with boundaries and feel anxious. Their family has shamed them or they have kept their trauma a secret. They could be experiencing a range of emotions; anger, sadness, resentment, confusion, regret.
Some remain committed to their faith yet don't know how to get over the trauma. Others feel like a middle schooler again as they try to figure out new relationships, identity and beliefs. Spiritual trauma impacts every area of life, shatters & shakes all that has been known.
Like my clients, you deserve to find confidence and clarity. Reclaiming wholeness and hope after spiritual trauma is not out of your reach. If you want to grieve the trauma and also celebrate who you are becoming, I’d love to walk that path with you.
You don’t have to do this alone. I’d love to connect.
Spiritual Trauma is not the end. Let’s grieve & imagine together.
WHAT IS SPIRITUAL TRAUMA?
Your nervous system overwhelmed by spiritual beliefs, experiences or institutions.
“Trauma is not what happens to you; it is what happens inside of you as a result of what happens to you.”
-Dr. Gabor Maté
Spiritual trauma can impact every area of your life.
BELONGING
Betrayed by leader
Shamed by group/family
Hiding an identity in secret
People pleasing Perfectionism
Lack of boundaries
BADNESS
I am bad
They are bad
The world is bad
Fear of hell
My emotions are bad
My desires are bad
BODY
Hiding and criticizing body
Unsure of sexual desires
Sex mixed with guilt & pain
Difficulty talking about sex
Strive to control body
Holding to a body standard
BELIEFS
Beliefs shaken or faith crisis
Wounded by group’s beliefs
Still believe but feel lost
Not connected to intuition
Questioning everything
Feeling stuck if in ministry
