In this bonus episode of the Inner Light Companion, Tamara slows the series cadence to one Tuesday bonus episode for the next three weeks so she can honor her body, her nervous system, and the sacredness of this work—while giving you more space to integrate. She then names what so many raised in Mormonism and other high-control religions have felt but struggled to articulate: the invisible abuse of psychological harm wrapped in spiritual language. Tamara walks through four forms of psychological harm in high-control religion—emotional suppression, induced fear and anxiety, shame and scapegoating, and constant criticism and humiliation—and shows how they sever you from your emotional reality, your body’s wisdom, and your sense of direct connection with the Divine. She shares powerful personal stories from temple marriage, missionary culture, worthiness interviews, and public “correction,” alongside research on trauma, perfectionism, and mental health in high-control systems, to validate that the harm you experienced was real and not your fault. You’ll also hear how religious trauma lives in the nervous system as chronic fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, and why regulation is such a subversive act of freedom. Tamara offers concrete somatic practices (breathwork, gentle movement, vagus nerve support, grounding), reframes emotions as sacred feedback rather than sin, and names therapeutic modalities that support recovery from religious trauma, including EMDR, IFS, somatic work, and narrative therapy. The episode closes with a guided reclaiming exercise to help you come back into your body: placing hands on heart and belly, breathing slowly, naming suppressed emotions, and practicing new internal statements like “My emotions are my friends” and “My body is a safe place.” This is an invitation to name what happened to you as abuse, rebuild self-trust, and remember that the Divine has been loving your whole, unperformed self all along. Send us a text If your nervous system feels tired—and you’re longing for a deeper, more embodied connection with the Divine—I’d love to invite you to my free Sacred Intimacy Snapshot. In just a few minutes, you’ll discover which area of intimacy in your life is asking for care right now—and you’ll receive a gentle four-part mini-course to help you tend what’s next on your journey. You can take it at innerlightcompanion.com Tamara is developing a four‑week online retreat called Awakening Your Inner Light, created specifically for people coming out of high‑control religion who want to learn meditation, trust their intuition, and rebuild a direct connection with the Divine. If you’d like to be on the Early Access list for this retreat, email her at tamara@innerlightcompanion.com. A quiet invitation to Grace's World appears in this episode. 🌿 The Inner Light Companion is hosted by Tamara Ridge, LMFT — guiding spiritually curious souls into deeper connection, intuitive healing, and divine remembrance. 💌 Connect with me: Website & Guest Submissions: www.innerlightcompanion.com Spiritual Counseling: www.guidinglightspiritualcounseling.com Instagram: @innerlightcompanion 🎧 Subscribe for weekly stories, tools & reflections to help you reconnect with your inner light. However you show up on this path, your story is sacred. Let’s walk it together. 💫
