Spiritual Abuse Recovery in Pasadena & Los Angeles

Therapy for Therapy for Spiritual Abuse, Coercive Church Leadership & Spiritual Gaslighting.

Teletherapy

We offer in-person counseling for spiritual abuse recovery at our Pasadena office, serving Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Mount Washington, South Pasadena, La Canada, La Crescenta, San Marino, Alhambra, Arcadia, and the greater Los Angeles area. In-person sessions available at our Highland Park and Koreatown Mid City office. Virtual sessions are also available for clients in California, Washington, and select international locations via a HIPAA-compliant platform.

Information

Photo of a Christian man suffering from Christian spiritual abuse

Serving Pasadena, Eagle Rock, La CanadA, & Nearby Cities

Spiritual Abuse Recovery

Spiritual abuse recovery is a focused therapeutic approach for individuals who have experienced harm within religious or faith‑based environments. While religious trauma therapy addresses the wider impact of harmful religious experiences, spiritual abuse recovery focuses on what was done to you: coercive or controlling leadership, misuse of Scripture, spiritual gaslighting, public shaming, and environments where questioning was discouraged or obedience was demanded. The goal is not to direct you toward or away from faith, but to help you understand what happened, how it shaped your emotional and relational wellbeing, and how to reclaim your sense of agency and spiritual autonomy.

At Oak and Stone Therapy in-person at our Pasadena office, Highland Park office, Koreatown Mid City office, and virtually across California and Washington, our therapists offer a secure, non‑judgmental environment where you can explore your emotions, fears, and concerns at a pace that feels safe. We help you untangle internalized messages, understand your bodily and emotional responses, and move toward a spiritual life or another personal path that feels grounded, authentic, and free from coercion.

You may benefit from spiritual abuse recovery if:

You’ve experienced fear‑based teaching, coercive leadership, or misuse of Scripture

You were in a church or faith environment where questioning was discouraged or obedience was demanded

You feel confusion, shame, or tension when thinking about God, church, or Scripture

You’re struggling with internalized messages that impact your identity or emotional wellbeing

You want help understanding how spiritual harm has shaped your relationships, self‑worth, or sense of safety

You’re seeking a safe, non‑judgmental space to process painful or complex faith experiences

You want to reclaim your voice, agency, and spiritual autonomy without pressure toward a specific belief outcome

*Offerings also include therapy with Christian integration and Christian faith deconstruction.

Frequently Asked Questions About Spiritual Abuse Recovery

In-person spiritual abuse recovery therapy at our Highland office, Pasadena office, and Los Angeles Office in Koreatown. Virtual therapy across California and Washington State.

  • Spiritual abuse happens when a religious leader, group, or system uses faith to control, shame, or silence people. It can include coercive leadership, misuse of Scripture, demands for unquestioning obedience, public shaming, spiritual gaslighting, and punishing people who ask questions or set boundaries.

  • Common signs include leaders who cannot be questioned, pressure to obey or to give beyond your means, secrecy, fear of punishment or of being cast out, using Scripture to silence doubts or excuse harm, and treating people who leave as enemies. Many survivors only recognize these patterns after they step away.

  • Spiritual gaslighting is when your feelings, perceptions, or concerns are dismissed as sin, rebellion, a lack of faith, or spiritual attack. Over time it can make you doubt your own judgment. Therapy helps you rebuild trust in what you see, feel, and know.

  • They are related but not the same. Spiritual abuse describes what was done to you by a leader, group, or system. Religious trauma describes the lasting impact, such as anxiety, shame, or fear, which can come from spiritual abuse or from fear-based teaching more broadly. Our therapists treat both.

  • Yes. Pastors, ministry staff, missionaries, and pastors' kids often carry spiritual abuse privately because their identity, work, or family is tied to the church. We offer a confidential space to process what happened without judgment or pressure about what comes next.

  • It varies. Some clients feel meaningful relief within a few months, while others do longer-term work, especially when the abuse lasted years or involved family. We use talk therapy and Brainspotting to work at a pace that feels safe, and we check in regularly about your goals.

  • Yes. Many of our clients come from evangelical, nondenominational, Baptist, Pentecostal, and other conservative Christian churches, including youth group, worship, and missions culture.

    Elizabeth Yoshonis, AMFT 157277, brings a deep understanding of evangelical church culture in the Midwest, and many therapists on our team also have lived experience in the evangelical Christian experience and support our clients make sense of what they were taught and what they want to keep.

    Associates are employed by Oak and Stone Therapy and supervised by a licensed marriage and family therapist.