Chula Vista Counseling Blog
Insights from a Trauma Therapist in Chula Vista
Spiritual Abuse: What It Is, How to Recognize It, and Why It's So Hard to Name
Spiritual abuse is one of the most difficult forms of abuse to name — because the very mechanisms that produce it make it hard to see. In this post, a San Diego trauma therapist explains what spiritual abuse actually is, who perpetrates it, what it looks like in practice, why it's so hard to recognize, and what recovery requires.
What Is Religious Trauma Syndrome? Understanding the Psychological Impact of Harmful Religion
Religious Trauma Syndrome — a term coined by psychologist Dr. Marlene Winell — describes the psychological impact of harmful religious experiences, particularly the experience of leaving an authoritarian or high-control religious system. In this post, a San Diego trauma therapist explains where the term comes from, what the symptoms look like, and why naming it matters for healing.