What do you do if you have religious trauma, but don't want to abandon your faith?

Catherine Quiring is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who specializes in helping ex-evangelicals overcome religious trauma. In this episode, she shares what that looked like for her, how to know if you have limiting thoughts leftover from controlling doctrine, how to keep your faith while you separate from systems of control & how to find your own thoughts in a sea of “shoulds.”

This episode originally aired June 12, 2023

If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 156 with Joshua Harris: SHOULD SEX BE SAVED FOR MARRIAGE?

Guest:

https://www.instagram.com/catherinequiring

https://www.cqcounseling.com/

https://www.facebook.com/cqcounseling

Host:

https://www.meredithforreal.com/

https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/

meredith@meredithforreal.com

https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal

https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert

Sponsors:

https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/

https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/

01:00 — Why harmful church experiences are more common than we think

03:00 — Fear tactics, hell doctrine & covert narcissism

04:00 — Codependent faith & the pressure to feel God

05:00 — OCD spirituality & micromanaging your soul

06:00 — When people become “projects,” not peers

07:00 — Catherine’s story: trauma at seven

11:00 — Deconstruction vs. deconversion (not the same)

12:00 — “You’re in or you’re out” — high-control community dynamics

13:00 — Wheaton College & the first cracks in certainty

14:00 — Reimagining God: from judge to shepherd

15:00 — Releasing harmful doctrine & reclaiming the divine

16:00 — Why this healing can take 20 years

17:00 — Step negative three: just notice how you feel

18:00 — Interoception vs. judgment

19:00 — Exploring Christian possibilities (hello, Jinger Duggar)

20:00 — Interoception vs. introspection

21:00 — Digging yourself out vs. listening to your body

22:00 — Your body has a language

23:00 — The painful “playback” of manipulation

24:00 — Talking to yourself like a friend would

25:00 — Reclaiming the parts that helped you survive

26:00 — When submission theology hits marriage

27:00 — The hidden pressure on men to be “the voice of God”

28:00 — Boundaries, anxiety & interrupting the cycle

29:00 — When honesty strengthens (or exposes) a marriage

30:00 — Practical healing recap

31:00 — Resources for staying Christian — but freer

32:00 — Books that unlock self-trust

33:00 — Curiosity as a spiritual superpower

34:00 — The Order of St. Hildegard & anti-oppressive faith

35:00 — Finding community after deconstruction

36:00 — Where to connect with Catherine

Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/