The Religious Harm Recovery Digest | In childhood, autonomy develops when you get to notice your own internal signals, make age-appropriate choices, and discover you can survive being a separate person. This Digest looks at the nine ways high-control religion intentionally interrupts that process.
A Note From Megan | For many of us, high-control religion required more than belief. It asked us to sacrifice our dreams, our interests, and our aspirations. In this note, I share a piece of my own reclaiming process as I return to something I once gave up in pursuit of “God’s calling.”
The Religious Harm Recovery Digest | When you’re exposed to chronic, fear-based messages throughout childhood, it can influence how you learn to feel safe, connect to other people, and make sense of who you are. In this Digest, we’ll look at 6 areas of childhood development that are often negatively impacted by a high-control religious upbringing.
The Religious Harm Recovery Digest | This Digest focuses on Christianity’s martyr obsession and how it’s used as tool of coercive control to more deeply indoctrinate people into a specific system of beliefs. It also covers the lingering impact even after leaving a high-control religion.
The Religious Harm Recovery Digest | In this issue, you’ll get a clearer picture of what emotionally immature religious parents can look like, including six common “types” and the nuances between them. I also walk through how these dynamics may have impacted you as a child, and the ways they can keep showing up in your relationship with your parent now that you’re an adult.
The Religious Harm Recovery Digest | While Biblical discipline is often framed as loving correction, many adults are still living with its negative effects decades later. This RHR Digest explores how physical punishment, conditional connection, and religious teachings about obedience impacted the nervous system, attachment patterns, and sense of worth for children raised in high-control religions.
A Note From Megan | I had a heartening weekend visit with my youngest brother, who at 17, is navigating the complexities of faith and family with surprising critical thinking. It’s inspiring to see him question old beliefs while still feeling safe confiding in me, as we explore the idea that perhaps there isn’t just one “right” religion after all.
The Religious Harm Recovery Digest | If you were raised in a high-control religion, you may be carrying the moral injury of childhood indoctrination. This type of harm often includes lingering guilt and shame tied to what you were taught to believe, enforce, or participate in just to stay safe. This edition of The RHR Digest offers clarity around this wound and what supports healing.
A Note From Megan | As the holiday season approaches, I’ve been reflecting on the importance of chosen family, especially for those of us who have distanced ourselves from harmful relationships. This newsletter discusses how cultivating the supportive bonds of “chosen family” can provide healing and connection when traditional family ties feel strained or absent.
A Note From Megan | In this newsletter, I’m reflecting on my complex relationship with my older brother, exploring themes of survivor’s guilt and the painful realities of growing up in an abusive, religious household.