the blog
Mental health resources & reflections
Therapist-written reflections on people-pleasing, religious trauma, anxiety, attachment, relationships & learning to trust yourself again. Written by me, Emilee, a licensed therapist offering online therapy for women in Alaska, Arizona, Texas, Utah & Washington.
HOW DO I STOP PEOPLE-PLEASING MY FAMILY AT THE HOLIDAYS?
You've done so much work all year, and then you walk into your family's house and you're refilling drinks and laughing at comments that sting. Here's why the holidays bring the old roles back, and how to stay with yourself this season.
CAN RELIGION MAKE YOU A PEOPLE-PLEASER?
When being good means being agreeable and saying no feels selfish, religion and people-pleasing can get really tangled up. Here’s how to tell your values apart from your fear.
NINE SIGNS OF ENMESHMENT IN RELIGIOUS ENVIRONMENTS
Religious communities can offer real connection and belonging, but closeness gets complicated when there’s no room to be a separate person. Here are nine signs of enmeshment in religious environments.
WHO AM I WITHOUT RELIGION? IDENTITY LOSS & SELF-DISCOVERY AFTER LEAVING A FAITH
Leaving or questioning religion can bring up an unexpected identity crisis: if I don’t believe this anymore, who am I? Here are eight areas where religious identity can hold both loss and self-discovery.
HOW DO I COPE WITHOUT PRAYER AFTER LEAVING RELIGION?
Leaving religion can leave a really practical gap where prayer used to be. Instead of hunting for one perfect replacement, let’s figure out what prayer actually did for you.
WHY DO I MISS RELIGIOUS RITUALS AFTER LEAVING MY FAITH?
You can miss a religious ritual without wanting your old religion back. When faith changes, it makes sense to grieve the traditions, rhythms and community that came with it.
WHAT IS RELIGIOUS DISENCHANTMENT?
Leaving a religion can be so much bigger than changing what you believe. Religious disenchantment gives us language for the grief and disorientation of watching your whole worldview shift.
HOW DO I BELONG WITHOUT CONFORMING?
Belonging doesn’t have to mean becoming the same as the people we love. Carl Rogers’s idea of being "strong in our separateness" offers a beautiful way to think about individuation, religion and staying connected through change.
HOW DO I REDEFINE MY BELIEFS AFTER LEAVING RELIGION?
When religious beliefs change, the language we use to understand ourselves doesn’t always change with them. Redefining, reclaiming and reframing can help you decide which words still feel like yours after religion.