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
Individualized, online sessions and intensives for people recovering from high demand/high control and fundamentalist systems.
Therapy
Coaching
Individualized, online sessions and intensives for people recovering from high demand/high control and fundamentalist systems.
Professional Services
Dr. Laura’s body-based, nervous system-centric foundation for working with clients easily translates to the consultation and educational spaces as she customizes sessions according to the individual or group she is working with.
Licensure Supervision
Dr. Laura Anderson is an American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT) Approved Supervisor.
Podcasts & Interviews
Dr. Laura is available for podcast interviews, article features, and expert commentary on topics related to religious trauma, purity culture, domestic violence, faith deconstruction, themes of healing and recovery, and the psychology of high-control environments.
Courses & Trainings
Dr. Laura creates courses and trainings to make healing-informed, trauma-conscious education more accessible. These offerings bridge clinical expertise, lived experience, and liberatory frameworks to support deep learning, embodied healing, and sustainable transformation.
“Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire”- William Butler Yeats
Other Ways to Learn from Dr. Laura
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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.
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Podcasts I’ve been on:
Reality Steve: He Said, She Said (Talk on Domestic Violence)
Straight White American Jesus : It’s In the Code: Understanding Trauma Part I
Straight White American Jesus : It’s In the Code : Understanding Religious Trauma Part II
Sexvangelicals - Deadly Sexual Sin #6 (According to the Church): Don’t Say No - Part 1
Sexvangelicals - Deadly Sexual Sin #6 (According to the Church): Don’t Say No - Part 2
Descent into Hell : Fundamentalism in Religion and Its Effects on the Body
IndoctriNation : An Abusive Relationship With God w/ Dr. Laura Anderson
Holy Ghosting : I Don't Want It: The Pain of Purity Culture with Dr. Laura Anderson, PHD
Uncertain Podcast : Second Wave Fundamentalism with Dr. Laura Anderson
Gravity Leadership : Healing From Religious Trauma & High-Control Faith
Cheers to Leaving - Trauma Doesn't Live in Our Minds (with Dr. Laura Anderson), Part 1
Cheers to Leaving - Trauma Doesn't Live in Our Minds (with Dr. Laura Anderson), Part 2
Straight White American Jesus : When Religion Hurts You w/ Dr. Laura Anderson
A Little Bit Culty : Wise Jezebel: Dr. Laura Anderson On When Religion Hurts
Survivors Discuss - CTPSD -The Great Parting Gift From Toxic Religion
Everything Belongs - Healing from High Control Religion & Relationships With Dr. Laura Anderson
Sexvangelicals - Episode #61: Banned Books, with Laura Anderson (part 2 of 2)
I Was a Teenage Fundamentalist - You Can Take the Girl Outta Fundamentalism…
Holy Ghosting - Election Tensions: Managing Political Anxiety
Barely Naked - Overcoming Religious Trauma with Dr. Laura Anderson
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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.
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Instagram Live with Dr. Camden about Laura’s book “When Religion Hurts You”
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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.
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What Exvangelicals can Teach us about 'Trump Christians' by Chrissy Stroop for Dame Magazine
Celebrity Culture isn't the Problem by Blake Chastain on the Post-Evangelical Post
Can Religion Give you PTSD? featured on New Republic by Stephanie Russell-Kraft
Brides are Suffering Under the Weight of Tradition featured in Jezebel by Emily Leibert
How to Find Healing From Religious Trauma featured in Sojourners by Matthias Roberts
Dr. Laura Anderson wants you to know what to do when religion hurts you featured in Reckon Media by Anna Beahm
Defining religious trauma and training mental health professionals to deal with it | Q&A featured on The Tennessean by Liam Adams
In ‘When Religion Hurts You,’ a psychotherapist argues religious trauma is trauma featured on Religion News Service by Kathryn Post
Religion that harms | The Christian Century by Morganne Talley
When Religion Traumatizes by Scot McKnight
New Books Address Surviving Toxic Religion (publishersweekly.com)
Christian Counseling Connection - Page 22
"Tradwives" offer an alluring vision of right-wing Christianity — online warriors are fighting back” featured in Salon by Amanda Marcotte
“For Christians raised in ‘high-control’ settings, elections may trigger religious trauma” featured in Religion News by Kathryn Post
“Local Stories: Check Out Laura Anderson’s Story” in Nashville Voyager
“Treating the Trauma in Religious Trauma:Body-Based Healing for Faith-Based Harm in Psychotherapy Networker
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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.
