By: Marcos Torres | Religious Trauma Coach

Location: Australia

Fifteen years ago, I walked into a counselor’s office for the first time in my life.

I was supposed to have it all figured out. I was in pre-seminary, training to be a pastor. I had devoted my life to God, to the church, to the mission I was told mattered most.

But I was breaking.

On the outside, I did what I was supposed to do—smiled, prayed, preached, kept up appearances. But inside I carried a pain so heavy it was tearing me apart.

Every day felt like walking through quicksand. My mind was a constant storm of guilt and fear. I couldn’t turn it off. The sermons, the rules, the impossible expectations—they followed me everywhere. No matter how much I repented, no matter how hard I tried to be "right" with God, the fear never left.

I would wake up each morning with .008 seconds of peace—the semi-conscious moment before my mind caught up with reality. Then, like clockwork, the weight would settle in again.

My heart would race. My stomach would drop. My legs—weak from exhaustion and anxiety—would turn to spaghetti, barely able to carry me through the day.

And the worst part?

I thought it was my fault.

Maybe I wasn’t praying enough. Maybe I wasn’t believing enough. Maybe God was waiting for me to get my act together before He’d give me peace.

That’s what they told me, after all.

But that day in the counselor’s office, something shifted. I sat there, gripping the edges of the chair, unsure how to explain the storm inside me. But finally, when I opened my mouth, all I could say was:

"I have no peace."

My counselor looked at me—really looked at me—and after a long pause, she said something that changed my life.

"We’re going to unravel this together."

That’s it.

No guilt, no pressure, no “maybe you should fast more” or “are you sure there’s no unconfessed sin?”

Just a simple, human touch.

“I’m with you in this.”

For the first time in my life, I felt… seen. As if God himself was holding space for me and whispering, “You are safe here.”

That moment was the beginning of my healing—not the end, but a beginning.

Because here’s what I know now: religious trauma is real.

High-control religion doesn’t just hurt people—it reshapes their nervous systems, their relationships, their entire sense of self. It teaches you that love must be earned, that fear is holiness, and that God is watching, always waiting for you to mess up.

But that’s not God. That’s control.

My partner Candice and I are both religious trauma survivors. And we both know how deep this damage runs. We’ve lived it. And as a coach/ psychotherapist team, we’ve worked with countless survivors who are trying to rebuild their faith—or simply trying to breathe again.

And that’s why we created something we wish we had back then—a simple, light-filled, no-pressure space where you can start untangling the lies and finding your way back to peace.

It’s a FREE 3-Step Religious Trauma Recovery Course inside The Hunger App—a one-of-a-kind trauma-informed devotional app that we built just for you.

A space to explore, to release, to start walking a new path.

No heavy theology. No pressure to have it all figured out. Just three simple steps to help you start healing.

Because you were never meant to carry this weight.

And you don’t have to anymore.

When Faith Breaks You Instead of Healing You…

Religious trauma isn’t just hurt feelings. It’s a wound that seeps into the deepest parts of you—your identity, your relationships, your ability to feel safe in your own skin.

Maybe you know the weight of it all too well:

• Guilt that won’t let go. No matter what you do, it’s never enough. There’s always another sin, another failure, another way you’ve let God down.

• A fear that follows you. Of judgment. Of punishment. Of what happens if you walk away, or if you stay.

• The exhaustion of always performing. Trying to be “holy enough.” Trying to keep up. Trying not to disappoint.

• The loss of who you are. When your worth was defined by obedience, how do you even begin to reclaim yourself?

• The grief no one talks about. The loss of community, the betrayal of leaders, the deep ache of realizing the faith you trusted in was built on control.

What If the God You Were Taught to Trust… Was the One Who Hurt You the Most?

Religious trauma isn’t just painful—it’s disorienting.

It rewires your brain, shapes your self-worth, and leaves you questioning everything. It doesn’t just sit in your past—it follows you, whispering in your thoughts, hijacking your body with guilt, fear, and shame.

Maybe you were told that questioning meant rebellion. That obedience was the price of love. That your suffering was part of “God’s plan.”

But here’s what the experts have to say about what really happens when faith is weaponized:

“Religious trauma occurs when a person’s religious experience is stressful, degrading, dangerous, abusive, or damaging. Traumatic religious experiences may harm or threaten to harm someone’s physical, emotional, mental, sexual, or spiritual health and safety. “ —Therapist.org

“Believing in a god who is punishing or abandoning you, or following a religion that advocates hatred of non-believers instead of love and compassion, negatively affects the individual and the way the brain works.” —NorthBrisbanePsychologists.com.au

“According to estimates in the United States, one-third of the adult US population have experienced RTS (Religious Trauma Syndrome) at some point in their life.” —National Library of Medicine

Break Free & Reclaim the Life Faith Was Supposed to Give You

Spiritual abuse and church harm has kept you small for way too long—trapped in fear, shame, and exhaustion.

But healing isn’t just possible.

It’s already happening.

Thousands of religious trauma survivors are breaking free, finding peace, and rebuilding their faith (or letting go with love) using this simple 3-step process.

This FREE course will help you:

✅ Detach from fear-based beliefs – Learn why religious trauma keeps you stuck in anxiety, guilt, and self-doubt—and how to finally release it.

✅ Recognize & unlearn toxic teachings – Discover how high-control religion hijacked your view of God, yourself, and the world—and replace those lies with life-giving truth.

✅ Rebuild a faith (or future) that feels safe – Whether you want to reconnect with spirituality or simply heal from the past, this course gives you a framework to move forward—on your terms.

✅ Heal without pressure or expectation – No judgment. No forced conclusions. Just clarity, relief, and the tools to create a life of peace, freedom, and joy.

Religious trauma doesn’t get the last word. You do.

What Makes This Course Different?

Most religious trauma resources leave you with two options: walk away from faith completely or stay stuck in toxic systems.

This course does neither. Instead, it gives you the tools to heal, reimagine, and rebuild—on your terms.

Here’s what sets it apart:

• Instant Access, Anytime, Anywhere – No clunky PDFs, no overwhelming content dumps. This course is hosted on a mobile app so you can start healing straight from your phone—on your schedule.

• Tailored to Your Unique Experience – Religious trauma isn’t one-size-fits-all. That’s why this course personalizes your journey based on your specific religious trauma type (with a personal assessment to help you identify it).

• Deconstruction & Decolonization—Without Cynicism – Unlike other programs that either shame deconstruction or abandon faith altogether, this course embraces deconstruction and decolonization as essential tools for reconstructing a faith (or worldview) that is socially just, healing, and truly free.

No Pressure, No Judgment, Just Healing.

Whether you want to reclaim faith, redefine it, or leave it behind, this course meets you where you are with practical steps, emotional validation, and a pathway forward.

Healing is possible. And this course gives you the tools to start.