Recovering From Religion

Latest Episodes:

E46: Sherrie D'Souza - Faces of RfR Aug 11, 2021

Show notes

This episode was recorded May 18, 2020. RfR Support Group Director and host, Eric Wells, sits down with Sherrie D'Souza, the Support Group Leader for the new group in Sydney, Australia! We get to know what makes Sherrie D’Souza tick, her journey from a dedicated Jehovah's Witness to thriving as a volunteer at RfR. She explains the scale of child abuse at the Jehovah's Witnesses and the cover up of the cases by the leaders of the church. We also discover her journey from shame to self-forgiveness and the power of meditation. The primary focus of Recovering from Religion (RfR) is to offer hope, healing, and support to those struggling with issues of doubt and non-belief. This transitional period is an ongoing process that can result in a range of emotions, as well as a ripple effect of consequences throughout an individual’s life. We are here to help each other through this journey. Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org. To talk over the phone, dial: (844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada +3 4505 2402 in Australia +20 3856 8791 in the UK +27 11 043 5323 in South Africa Peer support is also available through local support groups. These groups offer monthly in-person meetings as a place to express doubts, fears, emotions & concerns about religion you wouldn't normally feel comfortable expressing in a religious community. Find your nearest support group at https://www.meetup.com/pro/recovering-from-religion If you are in need of professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org. RfR has an immense collection of well-curated resources available as you go through your journey, including resources for mental and physical crises, working with relationships, issues stemming from specific religions, coming out stories, and much more. Head to https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/resources for these helpful resources. Subscribe to the RfR Blog: https://medium.com/excommunications Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RecoveringfromReligion Twitter: @RfRorg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rfrorg/ RfR is a non-profit organization reliant upon both its volunteers and donations. Like what RfR does? Why not volunteer! There are quite a few options and we are always in need of volunteers. Head over to https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer

E45: Thriving in a Mixed Secular/Religious Relationship w/ Rebecca Williams, LMFT Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

Originally premiered May 13, 2020 Have you walked away from your faith and your spouse hasn’t? Are you struggling to find common ground? How can you manage this difference in your marriage? Can you make your marriage work? This week we’ll be navigating through these tough questions and more. Join us as we talk with Rebecca Williams and provide you with some helpful tools on how to manage Mixed Secular/Religious Relationships. Rebecca Williams, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California. She is the owner of Inland Empire Couples Counseling and specializes in helping mixed faith and religious/secular couples have connected, intimate, satisfying relationships. In addition to education and professional experience, Rebecca knows from personal experience how hard it is to leave your faith but not want to leave your marriage too. Rebecca is developing an online course for religious/secular couples and also helps individuals who want to recover from the damaging or traumatizing effects of religion to go on and live their best lives. This discussion is hosted by Eric Wells, the RfR Support Group Director, and Todd Yoder, the RfR Helpline Director. Connect with Rebecca Instagram: @RebeccaRelationshipExpert Twitter: @RebeccaWLMFT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marriagecounselingriverside Resources - Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by Dr. John Gottman - Eight Dates: Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by Drs Julie and John Gottman - Hold Me Tight by Dr Sue Johnson - In Faith and In Doubt by Dale McGowan - Everyone’s Agnostic - Mixed Faith Marriage Episode #242 - Marriage on a Tightrope podcast (one Mormon couple sharing their journey) RfR is a non-profit organization reliant upon both its volunteers and donations. Like what RfR does? Why not volunteer! There are quite a few options and we are always in need of volunteers. Head over to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org... for more info. Donations can be made at http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org... Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org To talk over the phone: (844) 368-2848 in the US 3 4505 2402 in Australia 20 3856 8791 in the UK

E44: Grief Without God w/ Kayce Hodos, LPC Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

Originally premiered on RfRx YouTube Channel May 8, 2020 We are all grieving in some shape or form, some more than others. How do you handle your grief, how does one handle grief now if you’ve given up the belief that a god is in control? How should we respond to someone who is grieving? This week we’ll be navigating through these questions and more. Join us as we talk with Kayce Hodos, LPC and provide you with some tools on how to manage our grief. Resources - The Grieving Nonbeliever’s Bill of Rights: http://griefbeyondbelief.org/the-grieving-nonbelievers-bill-of-rights/ - Holmes and Rahe Social Adjustment Scale: https://www.stress.org/holmes-rahe-stress-inventory - Association For Death Education and Counseling: https://www.adec.org "Afterlife" - (Netflix) - Ricky Gervais’s beautiful depiction of a man’s grieving process after losing his wife. Accurately captures how complicated grief is and all the things people grieve throughout the lifespan. "Fleabag" - (Amazon Prime) - Irreverent amazon prime show about a woman’s lack of healthy coping after her friend’s death; Layers and layers of loss; explores relationships with family; the final season deals with religion. "The Good Place" - (Netflix) - More about morality and what it means to be a good person; what is good enough; does a great job of pointing out the absurdity of the idea of an afterlife and the notion that people are simply either good or bad. Stuff You Should Know Podcast - Episode 111: How Dying Works Kayce Hodos, LPC, a licensed therapist in Wake Forest, NC. She has advanced training in loss and grief and postpartum depression and anxiety. She is a screened mental health provider with the Secular Therapy Project and a large part of RfR’s new online mental health programming. Find her on the web at: Website: https://www.kaycehodos.com Educational and coaching resources: https://www.nuancecoaching.com Twitter: @kaycehodos Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KayceHodosLPC This discussion is hosted by Eric Wells, the RfR Support Group Director, and Todd Yoder, the RfR Helpline Director.

E43: Eric Finnegan - Faces of RfR Aug 08, 2021

Show notes

For this Faces of RfR episode, RfR Support Group Director and host Eric Wells, sits down with the Spokane, WA Support Group Leader, Eric Finnegan and get to know what makes him tick, his views on naturalism and wonder for science and physics. We also learn how the story of Noah's flood influenced his detachment from religion and his perspective of the role RfR has in the US. Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org. To talk over the phone, dial: (844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada If you are in need of professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok. Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

E42: The Psychology of Religious Trauma w/ Dr Hector Garcia & Dr Darrel Ray Aug 07, 2021

Show notes

PTSD is a well-known phenomenon stemming from traumatic experiences, such as war, car accidents, or physical abuse. Dr. Ray and Dr. Garcia will be bringing to light how religion can be added to that list of PTSD causes as well as the psychology behind Religious Trauma. They will also discuss concrete ways to identify and deal with the effects of Religious Trauma. Dr. Garcia is a world expert in treating PTSD. He is a respected psychologist, teacher & researcher in San Antonio who explores how evolutionary psychology and biology have influenced human tendencies toward violence in religion. He is also an Asst. Prof at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. He has a regular blog on Psychology Today and is the author of "Alpha God: The Psychology of Religious Violence and Oppression," along with “Sex, Power, and Partisanship: How Evolutionary Science Makes Sense of our Political Divide.” It's bound to be a good discussion as we will also discuss concrete ways to identify and deal with the effects of Religious Trauma that you may be experiencing. Dr Darrel Ray is the Founder & President of Recovering from Religion. He has been a psychologist for over thirty years and is the author of four books: including "The God Virus-How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture" and "Sex and God-How Religion Distorts Sexuality". Dr. Ray has been a student of religion most of his life and holds a Masters Degree in religion as well as a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology/Anthropology with a Doctorate in Psychology. For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org. Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org. To talk over the phone, dial: (844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada If you are in need of professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok. Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

E41: The Psychology of Religion During Crisis w/ Dr. Darrel Ray Aug 06, 2021

Show notes

This discussion was recorded in April of 2020 just as the initial Covid-19 lockdowns were taking effect. In this episode, Dr. Ray discusses several ways your psychology effects how you respond to crisis and how you can optimize to take on these challenges. For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org. Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org. To talk over the phone, dial: (844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada If you are in need of professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok. Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

E40: Maintaining Mental Health During Social Distancing w/ Dr Darrel Ray Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

Note: This was originally recorded in April 2020, just as Covid19 quarantine/social distancing procedures were implemented. This week’s discussion features RfR Founder & President, Dr. Darrel Ray hosted by the RfR Support Group Director, Eric Wells. The topic is Maintaining Mental Health During Social Distancing, something which is easily neglected these days. The first 30 minutes is a topic discussion between guests and hosts, followed by a Q&A session. RfR is a non-profit organization reliant upon both its volunteers and donations. Like what RfR does? Why not volunteer! There are quite a few options and we are always in need of volunteers. Head over to www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer for more info. Donations can be made at https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org. To talk over the phone: (844) 368-2848 in the US 3 4505 2402 in Australia 20 3856 8791 in the UK If you are in need of professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org. RfR has an immense collection of well-curated resources available as you go through your journey, including resources for mental and physical crises, working with relationships, issues stemming from specific religions, coming out stories, and much more. Head to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org for these helpful resources Subscribe to the RfR Blog: https://medium.com/excommunications Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RecoveringfromReligion Twitter: @RfRorg

E39: Coming out as Atheist in 2021 w/ Mandisa Thomas Aug 04, 2021

Show notes

In the midst of a new Presidential administration and battling a global health pandemic, many atheists still face challenges with openly expressing their views, and fear ostracism from family members and friends. Mandisa Thomas will discuss navigating coming out, the resources available, and also the changing climate of acceptance, and what it means to have “religious freedom”. Mandisa Thomas is the Founder and President of Black Nonbelievers. She currently serves on the Boards for American Atheists and the American Humanist Association, and facilitates the Morrow, Georgia chapter of Recovering from Religion. In 2019, Mandisa was named the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s Freethought Heroine, and was the recipient of the Secular Student Alliance’s Backbone Award. Hosted by Amaia Perez, the RfR Online Programming Director. Recorded on February 15th, 2021 Discussion resources: https://www.ifyc.org/article/celebrating-nonbelievers-interfaith-america “Coming Out Atheist” by Greta Christina https://www.amazon.com/Coming-Out-Atheist-audiobook/dp/B00JPZDUF8 Street Empistemology: https://streetepistemology.com Being Non-Religions in America: https://www.secularsurvey.org RfRx - Our Community is Here - USE AND SUPPORT US!!! with Mandisa L. Thomas: https://youtu.be/vkP6C9FL51g Learn more about Mandisa L. Thomas https://blacknonbelievers.org YouTube: @BlackNonBelieversInc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bnonbelieversinc/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/bnonbelievers Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackNonbelievers

E38: Judgement & Awkward Conversations: Dealing w/ Religious Extended Family w/ Rebecca Williams Aug 03, 2021

Show notes

From holidays and gifts to kids and grandkids, dealing with religious in-laws and extended family members can be a minefield of hurt feelings and hard conversations. Mixed-faith marriage expert Rebecca Williams, LMFT will give you some tips for navigating the minefield while preserving your important relationships without sacrificing your values. Rebecca Williams is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California. She is the owner of Inland Empire Couples Counseling and specializes in helping mixed faith and religious/secular couples have connected, intimate, satisfying relationships. She’s offering a free mini-course for mixed-faith couples. One of Rebecca’s therapy superpowers is helping people connect across the religious-secular divide. Hosted by Amaia Perez, the RfR Online Programming Director, and Medelin Nolasco, RfR Helpline Volunteer and Social Host. Recorded on February 22nd, 2021 Resource List - Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life book by Marshall Rosenberg - In Faith and In Doubt book by Dale McGowan - the.holistic.psychologist on Instagram - boundariesarebeautiful on Instagram - RfRx - Boundaries: How to respond to praying, preaching, & proselytizing with Rebecca Williams, LMFT - https://youtu.be/QimzLsILGzE Learn more about Rebecca Williams, LMFT - Instagram: @RebeccaRelationshipExpert - Twitter: @RebeccaWLMFT - Facebook: Inland Empire Couples Counseling https://www.iecouplescounseling.com/the-united-couple

E37: Sacred Harm: Abuse Within Religious Fundamentalism w/ David Teachout, LMHC Aug 02, 2021

Show notes

Experiencing abuse is already difficult, yet it can be made more so when systems in place to support your growth are themselves the source of the abuse. The social relationship embodied as religious ideology is powerful because it connects us to one another, and provides a structure for meaning/purpose and ethics for one’s life. We’ll look at how this structure can be and is used to undermine the building of self-worth, perpetuating a moral injury form of abuse, and how to move through and beyond it with resiliency. As an educator and trainer for health providers and other professionals, David Teachout also has a private practice helping adults and couples with learning resiliency skills related to relationship difficulties and trauma. He maintains a podcast, “Humanity’s Values,” and a blog related to mental health topics. David has worked in mental health care for 15 years, and holds a master’s in both forensic and counseling psychology, as well as currently working towards a PsyD in Clinical Psychology. He’s also worked in community mental health, social work, criminal justice, elder care, and child advocacy. Hosted by Eric Wells, the RfR Support Group Director and Sacha D’Souza, RfR Regional Support Group Director. Recorded on June 15, 2021 Resource list: - “A Liberated Mind” by Steven C. Hayes - “Leading the Life You Want” by Stewart Friedman - “The Moral Injury Workbook” by Wyatt R. Evans - “Resilient” by Rick Hanson - “ACT on life, not on Anger” by Georg H. Eifert - “The Meaning of Human Existence” by Edward O. Wilson - “The confidence Gap” by Russ Harris - “Searching for sunday” by Rachel Held Evans - “Trusting Doubt” by Valerie Tarico - “Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Errors” by Kathryn Schulz Learn more about David Teachout, LMHC - https://www.lifeweavings.com - https://www.humanitysvalues.com - https://www.facebook.com/lifeweavingsllc - https://www.twitter.com/lifeweavings Atheist Community of Discord: https://discord.com/invite/B28xRKb

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