Coaching, consulting & education

Religious trauma is trauma.

That means, contrary to what was believed in the past, simply embracing atheism does not heal the embodied messages, adverse religious experiences, and trauma that may have resulted from religion.

Whether you are a client coming to me for support, a professional seeking consultation or supervision, or an advocate who is looking for ways to help those around you who are experiencing the impact of high demand/high control religions, systems, or cults, I want to walk alongside you on the path of religious trauma resolution and recovery.

Though I do not subscribe to a specific modality of healing, I believe that trauma is stored in the body (not the mind!) and therefore requires a nervous system and body-centered approach that is tailored to the unique needs of the individual.

Working with Laura

 

Coaching

Individualized, online sessions and day-long intensives for people recovering from high demand/high control and fundamentalist systems.

Consulting

Customized individual or group consultation for professionals seeking to provide meaningful support to religious trauma survivors. 

Education

Using education to spread awareness about religious trauma, adverse religious experiences, faith deconstruction, high demand/high control religions and dynamics of power and control.

 

Religious Trauma

Consultation

Laura provides consultation for individuals in helping/people oriented professions, advocates, clergy, and community members who are interested in learning about, supporting, and working with survivors of high demand/high control religious systems and religious trauma. Laura’s body-based, nervous system centric foundation for working with clients easily translates to the consultation space as she customizes consultation sessions according to the individual or group she is working with.

    • Foundational education regarding religious trauma and the nervous system

    • Trauma informed practices for faith deconstruction and identity reconstruction

    • Healing from purity culture, abstinence, and virginity cultures

    • Dynamics of power and control in religious systems

    • Adverse Religious Experiences

    • Harm reduction in religious spaces

    • Rebuilding healthy relationships and boundaries

    • Developing spiritual identity after faith deconstruction or deconversion

    • Guidance on individual client cases, friends, families, or acquaintances

    • And more…

  • Laura offers basic consultation (1-2 people) for 90-minutes or 120 minutes per session. Consultations may be scheduled on an ongoing or regular basis, as needed, or a single session. The topics covered during consultation are tailored to your specific profession, clients, or areas of interest and are designed to be both easy and quick to implement.

    INFO SHEET: BASIC CONSULTATION

    To book Basic Consultation Services, click the button below.

  • This service is an intensive one-on-one consultation with Dr. Laura Anderson for non-professionals or non-academics who are seeking initial support and guidance on their path of healing.

    This consultation is ideal for someone who wants to share their story with Dr. Anderson, receive feedback, learn some basic skills and interventions, and receive resources that can help guide the next steps of healing. People who may be interested in signing up for a consultation like this may include, but are not limited to:

    • Individuals who want to share their story with Dr. Anderson and are seeking direction regarding next steps for healing.

    • Individuals who need to dive deeper in an area they are stuck

    • Individuals who are just starting out and need a “jump start” on their healing journey

    • Individuals who aren’t really sure if they want to work with someone long-term (like a coach or a therapist) but want to try talking to someone to see what it’s like.

    Participants of this service will receive a follow up email within 2 business days of meeting with Dr. Anderson outlining the plan as well as linking all resources they discussed during the consultation.

    Please note: participating in a Mini-Intensive does not constitute a therapeutic or coaching relationship and should not be mistaken as medical or mental health care services.

    To book a Mini-Intensive, click the button below or click here.

  • Laura offers tailored consultation for individuals, groups, and companies who are interested in course and resource creation, group consultation (up to 12 participants), evaluating current system/dynamics to make it more trauma informed, harm reduction education + training in religious and ministry settings, learning techniques and interventions and other tailored needs (please indicate in the inquiry form what your needs are and Dr. Anderson will put together a proposal for you).

    INFO SHEET: TAILORED CONSULTATION

    To book a Tailored Consult, please fill out the contact form below.

  • Laura offers drop-in group consultations several times each year to provide opportunities for professionals to gain client insight, education, support, and creative interventions. Groups are three hours and are held online. One week prior to the group, participants will be sent an email with a call for cases and questions to be discussed during the consultation group.

    INFO SHEET: DROP-IN GROUP CONSULTATION

    To sign up for Drop-In Group Consultation Services, click the button below.

Trauma is something that happens initially to our bodies and our instincts. Only then do its effects spread to our minds, emotions, and spirits.
- Peter Levine

 

Trauma Resolution & recovery

Coaching

Trauma can result from anything that is too much, too soon, too scary, or too fast that overwhelms our ability to cope and return to a sense of safety. Often, for individuals coming out of high demand/high control religious groups, this describes their day-to-day life. While gaining cognitive understanding through faith deconstruction and leaving harmful environments is necessary to heal, this alone does not alleviate the physiological and psychological symptoms that many people experience long term. Folks with religious trauma often report symptoms in line with diagnoses such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) but often don’t know where or how to receive care and support. 

  • While many individuals are resistant to professional help due to many high demand/high control religious groups warning against it, still others feel overwhelming shame or guilt for experiencing triggers, reactions and symptoms even after they have deconstructed or deconverted from their faith. Moreover, up until recently, the leading voices in religious trauma recovery suggested atheism as a cure for religious trauma and/or viewed religious trauma as a separate category of trauma that required different treatment than other forms of trauma. This has led to many people feeling confused, ashamed, scared and with worsening mental and physical health impacts as effective treatment has not been available.

    Laura believes that religious trauma is trauma; “religious” serves as an adjective to help better understand where the trauma originated and gives clues as to more specific areas that may need to be addressed. However, how religious trauma lives in one’s body and how it is resolved is the same as trauma that is a result from other experiences that are too much, too soon, too scary, or too fast. To that end, Laura works with clients using well researched modalities that prioritize trauma resolution from a body-based and nervous system centric foundation that is also tailored to each client to ensure that the work we do together is meaningful and effective for YOU.

  • All scheduling for potential coaching clients is done on the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery’s website.

    Currently Laura is not taking new one-on-one clients for ongoing work and does not have a wait list. However, there are many other excellent practitioners at the Center who have availability in their schedule, each highly recommended by Laura. You can meet them here.

  • Laura offers day-long trauma coaching intensives several times each month with availability beginning January 2023. These intensives are designed to jump-start or dig-deeper into body-based trauma work with a focus on embodiment, resourcing, establishing internal safety, grounding, and trauma resolution while also considering your unique needs and goals.

    If you are interested in an intensive you can read more about it here: INFO SHEET: INTENSIVES

    In order to secure your spot you must complete a 30-45 minute call with Laura in order to assess if this is a good fit for you; the cost of this mini-session is $75.

    You can schedule an Inquiry Call by clicking the button below.

  • If you are interested in a tailored consultation, you can read more about it here: INFO SHEET: TAILORED CONSULTATIONS

 

“Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire”- William Butler Yeats

Education

Laura believes that one of the most powerful tools for people coming out of high demand/high control systems, cults, or those with adverse religious experiences and/or religious trauma is education. While the entirety of career has been rooted in providing educational support and resources for people, as people have begun to recognize religious trauma as trauma, her efforts to educate others have become central to her platform. Since religion has colloquially been thought of as a pro-social or supportive factor for many years, Laura is passionate about bringing education and awareness around the potentially harmful effects and results of high demand/high control religious systems and cults.

 
 

01

Podcasts

Laura enjoys the medium of podcasting as she prioritizes being able to educate people at low or no cost. Click below to listen to podcasts Laura has been on. To book Laura for a podcast, fill out the contact form.

 
 

02

Video Interviews

Laura has done several video interviews on topics relating to religious trauma and adverse religious experiences. Click below to access those videos. To book Laura for a video interview, fill out the contact form.

 

03

Articles

Laura has been featured in articles as it relates to religious trauma, trauma education, adverse religious experiences, and post-religious issues. If you are interested in interviewing Laura for an article or would like to request that Laura write for your publication, fill out the contact form.

04

Speaking & Courses

Laura has created courses through the Religious Trauma Institute (click below). Additionally, Laura is available to provide education, resources, and support through speaking and seminars,. If you are interested in having Laura speak, fill out the contact form.

 

Visit the shop