top of page

Faith Deconstrution and Leaving Religion 

A space to process

Hi, I'm David, an integrative therapist working online from the UK.

 

When beliefs change, therapy can offer space to grieve, rebuild, and find your own voice. Every faith story or story of religious experience (positive and negative) that I've heard from a client has been different, yet there are also lots of similarities. My own experience of faith deconstruction helps provide clients a great deal of empathy and non-judgement, yet I know your story will be completely unique to you (as I believe the rest of your life is also). I'd love for you to get in touch if some of the below resounds with you, and I offer a free 20 minute consultation to see if we could work well together.  

It’s Hard to Explain What You’re Going Through
​

Maybe your faith used to give you identity, meaning, or belonging - but something has shifted.
You’re questioning what you were taught.
You’ve stepped back, or walked away, from a belief system that no longer feels like home.
But even if leaving was the right choice, you’re left with grief, fear, anger - or a deep sense of disorientation.

You may not be able to talk about it with your family or community.
You may not even have the words for what you’re feeling.

Therapy can be a space where it’s safe to explore the emotional weight of religious change - without judgement, shame, or pressure to “get it right.”

​​​What You Might Be Feeling
​

  • Loss of community, meaning, or certainty

  • Fear of disappointing others or being “cast out”

  • Anxiety, shame, or spiritual confusion

  • Anger at what you were taught or how you were treated

  • Guilt for questioning or leaving

  • Grief for what faith once gave you

  • Disorientation about who you are now

  • Isolation in your current beliefs (or lack of them)

​

Why This Hurts So Much
​

Faith deconstruction isn’t just an intellectual journey - it can be emotional, lonely, relational and sometimes traumatic.


You might be grieving:

​

  • The loss of a spiritual home

  • A version of God you can’t believe in anymore

  • Childhood beliefs that shaped your identity

  • Being harmed, silenced, or excluded by religion

  • Relationships that no longer feel safe

​

How Therapy Can Help with Faith Transition
​

  • Make space for the grief, rage, and confusion of deconstruction

  • Understand religious trauma or harmful spiritual experiences

  • Reconnect with your voice, agency, and values

  • Work through shame or fear about “going astray”

  • Explore what spirituality, meaning, or belonging might look like now

  • Feel less alone in your journey

​

​

My Approach
​

I’ve worked with people from a wide range of faith traditions - including Christian (evangelical, Catholic, charismatic etc), Muslim, and more - who are in the process of deconstructing or leaving religion.

​

I hold space for:

​

  • Religious trauma

  • LGBTQ+ experiences of exclusion

  • Former religious leaders and volunteers

  • Previously committed believers

  • Quiet doubters who feel stuck

  • Those who still want to keep some connection to faith

​

This is a space where you don’t have to censor or curate your story; you can share exactly where you are at. 

​

Remote Therapy for Faith Deconstruction & Religious Trauma - Online Counselling

 

You don’t have to do this alone. Whether you’re quietly questioning or completely stepping away, therapy can support your process of healing, unlearning, and reclaiming your self.

bottom of page