It’s time to
heal your
religious trauma
And experience new meaning, vitality, and profound connection
(Whether you identify as spiritual, atheist, religious, or something else)
Are you experiencing distress because of harm from a religious or spiritual group? Maybe you’ve been spinning your wheels trying to get help through online forums or even therapy but haven’t found someone to work with who really understands what you’ve been through. Perhaps you long for a new sense of purpose and profound experiences of connection and community but are afraid of getting conned again. You may be struggling with mental health issues because of religious harm, or you’ve lost your career and community and don’t know how to transition into a new life in the secular world. Or perhaps you’re religious but you’re having doubts and don’t know anyone to ask for help who will respect your process and won’t pressure you to change.
For many people, belonging to a religious group is one of the most important aspects of their lives, but it can also be psychologically traumatizing. Harmful religious teachings can crush your self-worth and self-esteem, leaving you anxious, depressed, sexually repressed, angry, powerless, isolated, and spiritually disillusioned. Questioning your religious beliefs can be a terrifying process and changing your religious identity can feel like you’re losing everything and having to start over from scratch. People who’ve left a religious group may even suffer from Religious Trauma Syndrome (a form of complex PTSD).
I’m Andrew Jasko, psychotherapist, M.Div., MA in Counseling Psychology. As a former Princeton Seminary-educated minister, I had to leave my religious faith and community because of the severe psychological trauma I experienced. After spending years healing my trauma and helping hundreds of people transform their lives, I am considered an expert in healing religious trauma. My clients hire me to heal and find healthy, authentic spirituality that suits them.
If you would like to talk with me for support, schedule a free Inner Freedom Session. As a psychotherapist, coach, and religious trauma specialist, I help people heal and reclaim a healthy connection with spirituality by using trauma-informed therapeutic techniques and psychospiritual practices. During this call, my intention is to help you feel deeply heard and supported, gain clarity, learn a few expert tips, and if it seems like I can support you further, see whether individual coaching or my group program is a fit for you.
Join our Facebook support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/religioustrauma.
Testimonials
“Before working with Andrew, I was struggling with ongoing worry about the future, eternity, and what my life without religion would look like. During the Life After Dogma Program, I was able to face my fears, understand the root of my trauma and ways of healing. After taking his program, I have been able to discover myself and determine the life I want to live. This has been one of the most spiritually exciting breakthroughs for me. Beforehand, I carried subtle but ongoing feelings of guilt and anxiety. Now I have the tools to cope with those fears and live each day with gratitude and excitement. If I could share one piece of advice for other people with similar experiences – it would be to embrace this journey and be excited for what you will learn about yourself. Growing and healing is something to be celebrated, not feared.” – Jamie
“When I began working with Andrew, I was devastated by a dream living situation and job opportunity that had fallen apart. Because this crisis happened simultaneously with a spiritual awakening, I was overwhelmed, confused, and in emotional turmoil. Part of me felt like I was going to be stuck with this forever. Andrew skillfully navigated me through difficult mental and emotional terrain with a calm and steady presence. With his help, I was able to see into fresh territory in this domain that had plagued me, including how my traumas, childhood history, and past religious background played into my present situation. After a few sessions of working with Andrew, I had experienced a big shift. I was able to transform my painful situation into a stepping stone for becoming a greater version of myself. I learned to ground and integrate my spiritual experiences. Now, my life is quite strikingly different. I developed my own Entrepreneurial brand based on extracting the gems from that challenging situation and I’m now making a living doing what I love.” – Daniel
“Before working with Andrew, I was curious about life without religion but I was afraid that getting help might result in losing my faith and going to hell. I was also devastated by a divorce that left me with no job and no money. I’m so glad I faced my fears and signed up, even though I couldn’t afford it. Andrew made me feel safe and helped me believe in myself and I found two jobs soon after we started working together. I discovered a spirituality that worked for ME and processed my grief. Today, my mind is open, I feel a freedom in my spirituality no longer afraid of God and hell, and I’m able to live for myself instead of trying to please other people. I think one key thing is to not let fear hinder you from getting the help you need. Working with my fears instead of letting them control me helped me grow so much to create the positive changes I needed. What also contributed to my success was meeting with Andrew every week and putting in the spiritual work during my free time. Andrew is a great coach because he is kind, and is a very good listener, and not pushy about things you need to do, but tells you to “get curious” instead, which I found extremely helpful.” – Erin
“I hired Andrew as my secular spirituality coach. Finally, I was talking to someone who is spiritually educated AND knows the kind of spiritual and religious abuse someone like me grew up with. I had previously struggled to find a meditation practice that worked for me with my ADHD and didn’t want to get caught up in dogma again. Andrew helped me work through my fears and problems with meditation and find an intuitive, pleasurable spiritual practice that works for my unique makeup. He’s a great coach. Highly recommend you check him out if you’re interested.” – Marie
About me: I was born into a minister’s family and became a preacher and missionary to India, after studying theology at Wheaton College and Princeton Seminary. As an Evangelical, Pentecostal Christian, my relationship with God was my passion, but unhealthy religious teachings caused me an anxiety disorder, sexual repression, and spiritual disillusionment. I felt alone, traumatized, and abandoned. After an agonizing crisis of faith, I rejected religion and spirituality. Unexpectedly, I found healing through practices like meditation, psychedelics, and breathwork that introduced me to profound mystical experiences for the first time, unlike anything I had ever experienced in my previous religious life. I learned to integrate spirituality with rationality and science in a grounded, healthy way. My passion is to help you in your spiritual, religious, or life transition to heal and find your wholeness and passion. I am an acclaimed writer, speaker, and psychotherapist in the fields of religious trauma and the integration of psychology and mystical, non-dogmatic spirituality. On this site, I offer coaching and group programs for healing from religious trauma, as well as many articles and talks on specific topics to aid you in your healing journey.
BOOK ME TO SPEAK: andrew@lifeafterdogma.org about healing religious trauma and psychology, psychedelics, spiritual healing, and other topics. I also provide consultations for helping professionals and speak on podcasts and video channels.
