Ashley Buckner

If you need coping strategies to endure a space of faith, maybe the problem isn’t you.

The single most important thing we can say to someone who shares they’ve experienced harm and trauma from Mormonism is this: I believe you.

Brainspotting is a powerful & effective trauma treatment. It helps clients process activated states in their nervous system caused by distress, allowing them to release what’s been stored. At its core, brainspotting guides us back to feeling & reconnecting with ourselves.

The new year isn't about becoming someone new—it's about stepping into a deeper alignment with who you already are.

If you could go back in time, what advice or comfort would you offer to your younger self who grew up in a high-control religion?

Obedience is an adaptation of the nervous system to manage distress that stems from the fear and shame based doctrine present in Mormonism and many other high control religions.

Being "human" is not justification for repetitive mistreatment of others. You are not responsible for what caused your trauma, but you are responsible for how your own pain impacts your relationships.

Mormon culture pressures youth into early marriage. This practice can be harmful as it discourages young adults from engaging in developmentally appropriate dating behaviors and often leads to lingering distress for many individuals & couples.

Speaking authentically about your feelings and experiences will be met with contention from those who have benefited from your silence. I hope you speak up anyway.

The number of clients who identify ‘God’ as a source of trauma in Mormonism is overwhelming. While religion may be well-intentioned, the shame, judgment, and fear stemming from church doctrine often present as religious trauma.

No all knowing, all loving higher power has conditions for your worthiness. Your worth is inherent & it DOES NOT matter what clothes you choose to wear. If a religion (or anyone) tells you otherwise, it is not love - it's about having power & control.

Brainspotting someone is witnessing them realize that feeling what has hurt them gets to become what heals them and that will always be a moment that moves me.

We live in a world that has taught us to be afraid of our feelings & many industries benefit from this fear. To lean into our emotions, to feel them fully, is genuinely one of the purest forms of courage I have had the opportunity to witness in my work as therapist.

For whoever needs to hear this - it’s okay to mute accounts of family members whose posts/shares create dysregulation in your nervous system.

For those of you who feel the need to chase love in order to experience love, what if the person (or organization) you are chasing needs to be chased in order to experience love?

Healing is not the elimination of emotions. It’s our ability to coexist with our feelings and experience more regulation around what is happening internally.

Unless the feedback is positive about Mormon culture, the pushback is relentless, which is why many people are silently suffering. PSA: mental health support is more accessible when we are allowed to talk about the harmful aspects that can occur within ANY entity.

What comes up frequently in my therapy sessions in Utah is the link to dysregulation in the nervous system due to religious teachings and constricting norms within Mormon culture. Hard truth: the LDS church can & does cause religious harm & trauma.

Growing up in the church, I remember being taught that members were the righteous & everyone else was missing something. What a skewed perspective of the world to teach! Leaving Mormonism allowed me to see that ALL humans are capable of feeling joy, with or without religion.