The Desert Sanctuary

As I deepen my understanding of trauma and its healing, I’ve come to recognize that articulating my feelings and their location within me is crucial for recovery. This realization was transformative; however, I noticed that religion often overlooks this concept. By its nature, faith tends to dismiss feelings (and even certain facts) in order to […]

The preachers I once respected were exceptionally skilled at conveying the idea, “The world is against you.” This resonated with the congregations I attended, as they often preferred to escape reality by immersing themselves in an artificial community. However, if we take a step back and look at the universe more objectively, we may discover […]

If God is real, He should be better than me in many ways. He should use his ability and power to enhance everything in the world. If God has all these abilities that could help me, he/she/they should help me and not require or desire that I “worship” them for being better. The fact that […]

Just because the church service feels right and gives the illusion of something magical, doesn’t mean that it is necessarily the best thing for us spiritually—it’s entirely plausible that we are simply addicted to it. Travel Tips for the Desert – Part 3 Travel Tips for the Desert – Part 2 Travel Tips for the […]

We persist in posing the questions in this series. Some may think these inquiries lead to bitterness or that we’re simply stirring up trouble by raising them. My hope is that these questions guide us toward a more evolved state of being. Outside of organized religion, I can truly listen to the whispers and feel […]

My deconstruction began when I started asking questions. The questions weren’t the regular softball questions we asked Sunday school teachers, which propped up what the teacher was already trying to assert. These questions caused the rest of the class to groan, mumble, and, most likely, talk about me behind my back. I continue to ask […]

My deconstruction began when I started asking questions. The questions weren’t the regular softball questions we asked Sunday school teachers, which propped up what the teacher was already trying to assert. These questions caused the rest of the class to groan, mumble, and, most likely, talk about me behind my back. I continue to ask […]

My deconstruction began when I started asking questions. The questions weren’t the regular softball questions we asked Sunday school teachers, which propped up what the teacher was already trying to assert. These questions caused the rest of the class to groan, mumble, and, most likely, talk about me behind my back. I continue to ask […]

My deconstruction began when I started asking questions. The questions weren’t the regular softball questions we asked Sunday school teachers which propped up what the teacher was already trying to assert. These questions caused the rest of the class to groan, mumble, and most likely, talk about me behind my back. I continue to ask […]

My deconstruction began when I started asking questions. The questions weren’t the regular softball questions we asked Sunday school teachers which propped up what the teacher was already trying to assert. These questions caused the rest of the class to groan, mumble, and most likely, talk about me behind my back. I tried asking the […]

Our New Course is ready to review for FREE! Start Here YouTube Playlist – click here Religious Trauma Resources The Desert Sanctuary Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-desert-sanctuary/id1345562241 Karl Forehand is a former pastor, podcaster, and award-winning author. His books include Out into the Desert, Leaning Forward,  Apparent Faith: What Fatherhood Taught Me A...

Ginger Healy MSW, LCSW is a clinical social worker with almost 30 years of experience in the field. Ginger has worked as a child abuse investigator, hospital social worker, and school therapist. She spent 15 years as the social service supervisor at an international adoption agency and was able to travel to provide support for […]

Talk therapies engage only the mind, which helps with the awareness that hopefully leads to changes in behavior. Somatic Therapy cultivates body awareness so that people can explore thoughts, emotions, and memories together to enable change, increase resilience, and improve symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Then, we are not just aware but more able […]

Guy Stephens is a passionate advocate and a nationally recognized expert on restraint and seclusion. In 2019, Guy founded the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR), a highly respected national nonprofit organization. AASR’s mission is to inform changes in policy and practice to reduce and eliminate the use of punitive andexclusionary discipline and outdated behavioral […]

Parenting is a daunting endeavor. I always felt like it was the most monumental task I ever attempted, yet I had the least training of anything else. There were classes and books available, but they were all over the place regarding theories and practices. My parents got some interesting advice from their religious peers, which […]

Keynote Speaker, Trauma Responsive Education, Restorative Justice, Poverty Resolution, Reimagining At-Risk Learners as At-Promise, Building Educational and Community Systems for Better Outcomes “I see you, I hear you, I am with you” – is a phrase Rebecca coined to help people understand the foundational approach for building resilience in kids and staff. Rebecca is a […]

I went to church for most of my life. Much of that was in conservative, evangelical congregations. There were some positive aspects of being in a community with loving people. But I also understand that there are deep, systemic problems with religious organizations. In addition to trauma-related issues, organizations struggle with exclusion, othering, fear, and […]

Joe Brummer is a trauma survivor. Having lived through early exposure to violence, child abuse and neglect, and two violent anti-LGBTQ hate crimes, he turned his healing journey into a career in peacebuilding, restorative justice, and consulting in trauma-informed education. He supports schools and youth justice institutions internationally using a trauma-informed restorative lens to create [&#823...

Evolving From Religious Trauma is a book created by Karl and Laura Forehand © 2024 Images are courtesy of Filmora® https://thedesertsanctuary.org/ Religious Trauma Resources https://thedesertsanctuary.org/treasure-trove/ The Desert Sanctuary Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-desert-sanctuary/id1345562241

Evolving From Religious Trauma is a book created by Karl and Laura Forehand © 2024 Images are courtesy of Filmora® https://thedesertsanctuary.org/ Religious Trauma Resources The Desert Sanctuary Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-desert-sanctuary/id1345562241 Religious Trauma Resources The Desert Sanctuary Podcasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-desert-sanctuary/id134556224...

Evolving From Religious Trauma is a book created by Karl and Laura Forehand © 2024 Images are courtesy of Filmora® https://thedesertsanctuary.org/ Religious Trauma Resources The Desert Sanctuary Podcasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-desert-sanctuary/id1345562241 Karl Forehand is a former pastor, podcaster, and award-winning author. His books include Out into the Desert, Leaning For...

Evolving From Religious Trauma is a book created by Karl and Laura Forehand © 2024 Images courtesy of Filmora Treasure Trove of Trauma Resources Karl Forehand is a former pastor, podcaster, and award-winning author. His books include Out into the Desert, Leaning Forward,  Apparent Faith: What Fatherhood Taught Me About the Father’s Heart, The Tea Shop and […]

Evolving From Religious Trauma is a book created by Karl and Laura Forehand © 2024 Images courtesy of Filmora https://www.amazon.com/Evolving-Religious-Trauma-Karl-Forehand-ebook/dp/B0CWMJWY48/ Religious Trauma Resources Treasure Trove of Trauma Resources Religious Trauma Resources Treasure Trove of Trauma Resources The Desert Sanctuary Podcast

Evolving From Religious Trauma is a book created by Karl and Laura Forehand © 2024 Images courtesy of Filmora Religious Trauma Resources The Desert Sanctuary Podcast Religious Trauma Resources The Desert Sanctuary Podcast

Evolving From Religious Trauma is a book created by Karl and Laura Forehand © 2024 Religious Trauma Resources The Desert Sanctuary Podcast