Journey Free is dedicated to helping people transition out of harmful religions, deconstruct their experience, recover from trauma, and rebuild their lives. We’ve developed programs for both individuals and groups. If you are recovering from religious harm, we have great respect for your strength and courage. Please know that you are not alone and things can get better. At Journey Free, all ethnicities, sexualities, and genders are welcome.
Our founder and director is Marlene Winell, Ph.D., psychologist and author of Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion. She has been working in religious recovery for over 30 years and originated the term, Religious Trauma Syndrome.
Trauma Informed, 1-on-1 Religious Recovery Coaching
Our online group, Release & Reclaim, is a private social network where you can connect with others through a video call 3x per month.
We have a monthly meeting for therapists hoping to grow their knowledge of religious trauma so they can best serve their clients.
Ready to leave the fold? Explore the book that has helped thousands transition from their religion.
The companion to the book "Leaving the Fold", the workbook is filled with exercises to support your recovery.
"It is amazing how limiting "thought" is within conservative religions. Once we're out... The world was once black and white, but now it's in Technicolor! So many options to choose from. And I don't know about you, but I want to make up for lost time."
"To discover myself, who I am under the layers of indoctrination, is an ongoing process. Sometimes it's a hard and confusing task; other times I thrill at the freedom with which I am able to commune with my heart in ways disallowed while held in the thrall of fundamentalist dogma."
"I feel free to explore the world, knowing that I’m no different than anyone else. I also feel free to pursue friendships that I would never have dreamed of. I feel I’ve got a long road ahead of me, but it’s my road. I’ll make mistakes, but I’ll also have triumphs too. All that said, I only wish I had left religion sooner!"
On “Good Friday,” I’m thinking about how little was good about it. The atonement is a Christian doctrine that is both absurd and horrible. The cross is a symbol of execution and represents Christianity. Iconic Read more…
We can probably agree we don’t like the commercialism of Christmas, the stress, or the holiday angst. Yet at the center of it all there is a powerful image that speaks to all of us Read more…
After going through your own deconstruction of religious belief, it can feel like a challenge to reveal your change to your religious parents. You might have a lot of fear about their reaction – anger, hurt, Read more…