We know it can feel overwhelming to figure out where to begin once you step away. Below are some resources that have helped us in our own leaving, deconstruction, and healing. Not everything will be resonant, but perhaps some of these will assist you in realizing that you are not alone, and there are so many of us on the other side of religious trauma. As a reminder, while these resources have been vetted, we are not therapists but a group of survivors who attended the Stone as partners, staff members, and volunteers. We understand that not everyone will gain something from this site, but for those who need it, we’re here.
DOCUMENTARIES
- Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed on HBO Max
- The Secrets of Hillsong on Hulu
- Shiny Happy People Season 2 on Amazon Prime
- Bad Faith Documentary
- The Family on Netflix
- Dancing for the Devil: 7M Cult
- The Vow (seasons 1 and 2)
- This docu-series is about a self improvement cult, but it’s important to see the commonalities that exist between this cult, other cults, and the austin stone (a religious cult). For many, watching this series helped illuminate what had been done to us and by us. It’s a hard watch, but highly recommended.
PODCASTS & PODCAST EPISODES
- Series: Bodies Behind the Bus Series
- Episodes: We Can Do Hard Things (Episodes w/ Sarah Edmonson from The Vow)
- Podcast: Sunday School Dropouts: Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery
- Everything Belongs podcast with Madison Morrigan
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
7 Ways Religion Traumatizes People (Kati Morton, LMFT)
WEBSITES
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: free, confidential help and a substantial cache of resources
- How to create a safety plan for leaving an abusive situation
- RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.
- Family Crisis Center, Inc. is a domestic violence and rape crisis center that provides services to victims and their families located in Harlingen, TX. This site includes many resources, some Texas-specific, others more general.
- The Texas Council on Family Violence is the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit coalition in Texas dedicated solely to creating safer communities and freedom from family violence.
- National Center on Domestic & Sexual Violence – Resources on abuse in faith communities
MUSIC
- Jesus and John Wayne
- Running Off the Angels
- Sam Huntingson
- White Lies, White Jesus And You
- You Might Not Like Her
- Canary
- Going On
- All I See is Red (not available on Spotify)
- Need a Compass (not available on Spotify)
- Esther, Ruth, & Rahab
- If You Ever Leave
BOOKS
- Jesus and John Wayne, Kristin Kobes du Mez
- The Family, Jeff Sharlet
- Pure, Linda Kay Klein
- You are Your Own, Jamie Lee Finch
- When Narcissism Comes to Church, Chuck Degroat
- A Church Called Tov, McNight & Barringer
ARTICLES
- The Toxic Triangle: Understanding how systems enable abuse
- Single Black Women in Evangelical White Space: 8 Things We Wish You Knew
- Strongwilled by Krispin and DL Mayfield
- Spiritual Abuse Screener—Spiritual Harm & Abuse Scale (SHAS) Clinical Screening Tool
SOMATIC PRACTITIONERS
- Madison Morrigan: queer, ex-evangelical, trauma informed, trained in Alchemical Alignment and offers sliding scale
REPUTABLE THERAPISTS
- National Coalition for Sexual Freedom – a directory of trauma-informed sex-positive therapists (mention of poly and kink) – link here
- Inclusive Therapists directory – Care from a therapist, healer or coach who gets you – Link here
- SAFE Alliance – The SAFE Alliance exists to stop abuse for everyone by serving the survivors of child abuse, sexual assault and exploitation, and domestic violence. They are dedicated to ending violence through prevention, advocacy, and comprehensive services for individuals, families, and communities that have been affected by abuse. https://www.safeaustin.org/
- HOPE Alliance: the mission of Hope Alliance is to empower victims of family and sexual violence to break all cycles of abuse with the help, generosity, and actions of donors, volunteers, and advocates.