Religious Trauma and Cults: Sam Sellers & Elise Heerde on Healing After High Control Churches (Part 2)

What this episode covers

Sam Sellers and Elise Heerde return for Part 2 to unpack what healing actually looks like after leaving high-control religious environments. Spoiler: it is not neat, linear, or especially glamorous. Sam talks about getting married, being shunned, learning to live with religious trauma, and slowly rebuilding after years of dissociation. Elise shares how counseling helped her connect the dots between assault recovery, body-based trauma responses, and the God-image she had been handed.A big thread here is how these systems train people to distrust their own minds, especially through weaponized Bible passages, predestination logic, and the kind of “God said it, I believe it, end of discussion” authority that makes your inner compass feel illegal. Both guests also dig into the messy aftermath of deconstruction, including functional freeze, black-and-white thinking, and the way survivors can accidentally recreate some of the same dynamics they’re trying to escape.Our convo ends with a practical note of hope: Religious Trauma and Cults is expanding its work to support survivors and practitioners across Australia and New Zealand, with a focus on high-control groups of all kinds—not just religious ones.Follow Religious Trauma and Cults at religioustraumaandcults.com, Sam’s website and podcast at anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au and Elise’s website and books at eliseheerde.com.And to follow the Victorian Parliamentary inquiry into the recruitment and impact of cults and other fringe groups submission: https://religioustraumaandcults.com/victorian-cult-inquiry-submissionTrigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of religious trauma, coercive control, assault recovery, dissociation, queer identity, emotional and spiritual abuse, and family/community rejection.Also…let it be known that:The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business, individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon or order a signed copy.Check out our amazing sponsorsJoin A Little Bit Culty on PatreonGet poppin’ fresh ALBC SwagSupport the pod and smash this linkCheck out our cult awareness and recovery resourcesWatch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, ScarredCREDITS:Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony AmesProduction Partner: Citizens of SoundCo-Creator: Jess TardyAudio production: Will RetherfordProduction Coordinator: Lesli DinsmoreWriter: Sandra NomotoSocial media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke KeaneTheme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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