HUMANISTIC
COUNSELING
COLLECTVE
Religious Trauma, Deconstruction, & Cult Recovery Therapy in Sacramento, CA
when faith, ideology, or community becomes a soure of harm
Who We Help
We offer religious trauma therapy in-person in Gold River, CA and via telehealth for clients throughout California.
At Humanistic Counseling Collective, we work with people who are navigating the complex aftermath of:​
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Religious cults or high-control faith communities
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Spiritually abusive churches, ministries, or leaders
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Purity culture, modesty culture, or fear-based teachings
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Ideologic-Based Organizations (IBOs) that controlled identity, behavior, or relationships
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Family systems where faith was used to shame, silence, or control
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Deconstruction, deconversion, or questioning long-held beliefs
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Many of our clients:
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Feel isolated after being shunned or cut off from family or community
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Struggle with anxiety, panic, depression, or trauma symptoms
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Carry deep shame, self-blame, or fear of eternal punishment
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Are unsure what they believe now, or if they even want to believe anything
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Feel like they’ve lost their entire world and don’t know who they are without it
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Whether you're still inside a high-control system, quietly questions, or you've already left and are trying to rebuild, you're welcome here.
How Religious Trauma Shows Up in Daily Life
Religious and ideological trauma can touch almost every part of life. You might notice:
PTSD-like symptoms
nightmares, flashbacks, emotional numbing, or feeling “on edge”
Identity confusion
wondering, “Who am I if I’m not what they told me to be?”
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Hypervigilance
scanning for danger, sin, or “wrong” choices, even when you’re technically safe
Relationship strain
difficulty trusting others, setting boundaries, or feeling safe with authority figures
Deep shame or guilt
believing you’re broken, unworthy, or doomed if you don’t "follow the rules"
Isolation and loss
grieving family, friends, and community who no longer feel emotionally (or physically) safe
Fear of punishment
terror about hell, judgment, or losing love if you question or leave
​Therapy gives you a space to say things out loud you've been afraid to even think. A place where you won't be preached at, corrected, or told what you should believe​
Our Approach to Therapy
At Sacramento's Humanistic Counseling Collective, we see you as a whole person, not a list of symptoms to solve, not a diagnosis, not just "someone who left the faith." Our foundation is humanistic, person-centered therapy, grounded in three core conditions:
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Unconditional positive regard: You are worthy of respect and care exactly as you are.
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Empathy: We work to truly understand your lived experience, not explain it away.
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Genuineness: Your therapist shows up as a real human, not a distant expert behind a clipboard.
​As Dr. Carl Rogers wrote:
“People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be. When I look at a sunset, I don't find myself saying, ‘Soften the orange a bit on the right hand corner.’ I don’t try to control a sunset. I watch with awe as it unfolds.”
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We believe the same about you: the work isn’t to control you, but to help you unfold back into yourself.
Evidence-Based Modalities We Use
Alongside this deeply human, relational approach, our therapists integrate evidence-based trauma treatments chosen for your specific needs and pace:
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Trauma-Focused CBT & Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT):
To gently examine fear-based beliefs (“I’m bad,” “I’m doomed,” “I’m unsafe”) and replace them with more accurate, compassionate truths.​
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR):
To help your brain reprocess traumatic memories, so the memories feel less like they’re happening right now and more like something that is truly in the past.​
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT):
To reconnect you to your values (not someone else’s rules) and support you in building a life guided by what truly matters to you
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Internal Family Systems (IFS) / Parts Work:
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To honor the different “parts” of you (like the loyal believer, the terrified child, the angry protector, the exhausted skeptic, etc.) and help them find safety and connection within you.​
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Mindfulness & Regulation Skills (often borrowing from DBT):
To calm your nervous system, manage overwhelm, and build tools for grounding when triggers show up.
You set the pace, and we will follow your lead. We are not here to pressure believe changes; rather, we support your authentic journey and authentic self-discovery.
What a Session Can Look Like
Every survivor’s story is different, but a typical session might include:
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Checking in on how you’ve been feeling in your body, mind, and relationships
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Exploring memories, teachings, or rules that are still affecting you
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Naming trauma responses (like people-pleasing or dissociation) with curiosity instead of judgment
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Practicing simple grounding or regulation strategies when big feelings arise
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Gently challenging internalized messages about worth, “sin,” purity, or obedience
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Reclaiming your voice, your boundaries, and your right to say no
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We move at your pace. You don’t have to share everything at once. You’re allowed to pause, shift topics, or spend time just building safety in the room.
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Sessions typically last around 50 minutes and can be held in person at our Gold River office or virtually anywhere in California. Some clients come weekly, others biweekly. We’ll find the rhythm that fits your needs.
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Some clients work with us short-term around a specific transition (like leaving a church). Others choose longer-term work focused on deeper identity, attachment, trauma, or dissociation.
Special Considerations in Religious Trauma Work
Because of what you’ve been through, the therapy space has to be different from what harmed you. We hold several core commitments in this work:
While your goals will be uniquely your own, many survivors come to us hoping to:
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Heal from trauma symptoms like hypervigilance, nightmares, or dissociation
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Rebuild identity outside of the group’s doctrines, rules, or labels
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Separate self from indoctrination, learning to hear their own voice again
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Reduce shame, fear, and guilt tied to questioning or leaving
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Repair or redefine relationships with family, partners, and friends
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Engage with spirituality (or non-spiritual life) in ways that feel safe and self-directed
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Feel at home in their own mind, body, and choices
We’ll identify your initial priorities together and collaboratively update them as you grow.
What Healing Can Look Like Over Time
Religious trauma healing is rarely a straight line, but with consistent, compassionate support, many people begin to notice:
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Fewer intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmare cycles
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Less constant fear of “messing up” or being punished
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A stronger sense of, “I know what I think and feel, and that matters.”
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Ability to set boundaries without drowning in guilt
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Repaired or newly formed relationships based on mutual respect, not control
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A more grounded connection to their values, spirituality, or non-belief
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An internal shift from “Something is wrong with me” to “Something was done to me, and I can heal.”
Over time, the group, church, or ideology becomes part of your story, not the whole thing.
Religious Trauma Therapy in Sacramento, California
Many clients tell us they chose and stayed with our team because they finally felt treated as a whole person rather than a “project to fix.”
Therapy here is collaborative, not prescriptive. You get to decide the pace, the direction, and how deep we go. Survivors often describe feeling emotionally safe for the first time when naming experiences like purity culture, spiritual abuse, doctrinal fear, family pressure, or cult-like control. They feel validated by therapists who genuinely understand the lived experience and clinical reality of religious trauma, CI-PTSD, and coercive systems. Most of all, they feel encouraged rather than pushed as they explore new identities, beliefs, boundaries, relationships, and ways of existing in the world.
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We won’t replace one set of rigid beliefs with another. Instead, we walk beside you as you rebuild a life, identity, and belief system (or non-belief system) that feels like it truly, finally belongs to you.
You deserve care that feels safe, authentic, and empowering. Reach out today to schedule a consultation and begin your journey toward healing.
