Recovering From Religion

Have you ever wondered what brings religion and people together? Do you wish you would have let go of religion sooner? In this session we will examine the depths of our relationship to religion: What drew us to it in the first place? We will explore the signs that our faith was unravelling, and what kept us hanging on. As a registered professional counsellor with a personal history of religious tr...

Dating, seeking romantic partnerships, and establishing personal connections can be extremely challenging. As nonbelievers, it is important to evaluate our approaches and thinking, as well as manage our expectations in order to achieve the types of relationship(s) we want.  Mandisa Thomas will offer advice and insight, as well as discuss possible solutions to assist with dating as a nonbeliev...

We sit down with RfR Helpline agent, RfR Resource team volunteer, and IT guru, Chris Boothman. We get to know what makes Chris tick, how a childhood game resulted in a lifelong passion, his views on letting projects go and how his struggle with bullying motivated him to volunteer. He also shares his views on religion, nature, his “video on demand library” idea and a final hopeful message.  &n...

What is the meaning of life? For those who do not believe in God or religious faiths, the meaning or purpose of one’s life or of life in general can seem unclear, confusing, or simply absent. Philosopher Danielle LaSusa will discuss the various ways that we can create a strong and anchoring sense of meaning that is authentic to a secular worldview. Danielle LaSusa Ph. D. helps moms grapple with wh...

The adjustment to parenthood is one of the most stressful transitions of a lifetime. The sleep deprivation alone is enough to make you question how the human race has survived. This conversation will provide tips for managing the overwhelming demands of life with a newborn, setting boundaries with religious grandparents, and coping with postpartum depression and anxiety. We’ll also cover some real...

What is going on in your life for which you could use the advice and counsel from a professional therapist? For this RfRx session we’ve invited 3 mental health professionals to answer your questions. They are professionals in the fields of individual therapy, relationships, pregnancy, child raising, family counselling, sex therapy, alcohol/substance abuse, stress management, grief, end-of-life, pe...

The future of our society rests in many ways on how the ongoing challenge of racial injustice in the country is addressed. We also may not understand how racism affects the mental health and overall perspectives of people leaving religion. Yet, atheists/humanists remain divided over what, if anything, should guide humanist thought and actions toward matters of racial and other societal injustices....

Have you ever struggled setting boundaries? Do you always feel like you have to please people over your own needs? Religion of all types has a tendency to tell you what you can and can’t do with your own body and thoughts. Coming out of religion one can begin to recognize that there is no longer a need to operate as if still under that old control. In this discussion, we will gain an understanding...

The feelings of isolation and despair that many experience when leaving religion can be overwhelming. Many still think they must endure the attacks and questions that come from their family and friends alone. However, secular communities abound and are waiting for you to plug into them. This week we will talk about the importance of having communities, how to find, build, get involved in and suppo...

Religion can distort many things in our lives that are natural, including sex!  Have you been taught that sex is only permitted in the context of marriage or procreation? Or that anything other than a monogamous heterosexual relationship will lead to damnation? That porn is addictive and will lead to a degenerate behavior? Do you struggle with guilt because you masturbate? We’ll be tackling t...

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...

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 Se...

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 p...

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 strug...

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 tr...

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 doubt...

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 d...

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 t...

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...

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...

In this RfRx session we will talk about cognitive dissonance. We will begin by discussing what it is and its evolutionary origins, and we will also analyse how it relates to mental health and religion. Finally, we will study how to recognize cognitive dissonance and how to deal with it once we know it's there. Kayce Hodos, LCMHC is a licensed therapist specializing in postpartum mood and anxiety d...

The history of Christianity is a combination of individual struggles, institutional power and the profoundly human desire to find an answer to existence. The tension we all experience in the search for that answer is between the singularity of fundamentalism and the pluralism of a world that is so much bigger than any single perspective can hope to hold. We’ll be looking at Christianity as a whole...

In this RfRx session Andy Thomson will deliver a presentation on the basic mechanisms the mind uses to produce and accept religious beliefs. He will explore multiple topics such as human evolution, the neurobiology of ritual or how certain cognitive mechanisms generate religion. Andy Thomson is a psychiatrist at University of Virginia Student Health Services. The 9.11 attacks triggered an interest...

For this one year anniversary RfRx show we’re talking about Beginnings! New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings… and we’ve had many. From grief to greatness, Janice will let you in on some of her successful strategies for surviving the end and boldly beginning again. As a registered professional counsellor with a personal history of religious trauma syndrome, Janice is passionate abo...

Nearly everyone’s life has been touched by addiction. It could be your addiction or a family member or a friend. Recovery programs are primarily faith-based, but there are secular options. In this RfRx event, we will compare and contrast secular evidence-based addiction recovery, such as SMART Recovery, with faith-based addiction recovery, such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Brian is a 5-year volunteer...