Welcome to the Inner Compass blog, where you’ll find insights, resources, and support for navigating life transitions, religious trauma, and personal growth. Each post is designed to help you gain new perspectives and practical tools for your journey. Explore topics that matter to you and discover ways to align your life with your true values.
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And What It Means for Your Healing Have you ever tried to explain your experience in a high-control religious group to someone who wasn’t there — and watched their eyes glaze over? “But wasn’t it your choice to stay?” they ask. Or: “Why didn’t you just leave?” These questions, however well-meaning, miss something fundamental: leaving […]
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Most people do not enter a high control religion because they are weak, unintelligent, gullible, or looking to be controlled. They enter because they are human. Humans are wired for belonging, meaning, safety, attachment, ritual, identity, and community. Religion can offer many of those things in beautiful and deeply supportive ways. For many people, faith […]
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Leaving a high-control religion does not just change what you believe. It changes where you belong. For many people leaving Mormonism, or another conservative high-control religion, one of the most disorienting losses is not only the doctrine, the certainty, or the identity. It is the loss of a built-in community structure. You may lose Sunday […]
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Rebuilding Safety, Identity, and Trust After a High-Control Religion I recently started reading Secure by Amir Levine after my therapist recommended it to me, and there was one section that immediately made me think about Mormonism, religious trauma, and the clients I work with every day. He talks about what he calls The Five Pillars of a Secure Life. Basically, the […]
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Emotional Shutdown in Relationships: Understanding Shame Collapse in Men Written by: Ashley Kirkpatrick, LAC Working with men in therapy has made something unmistakably clear: men feel deeply, often far deeper than anyone realizes. Many carry heavy burdens and intense emotions, yet they don’t feel safe, permitted, or equipped to talk about them. For some, even […]
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Leaving Mormonism: What Wicked’s “Bubble” Song Teaches About Faith Transitions In Wicked, the song “Thank Goodness” includes a moment where Glinda reflects on life inside the “bubble.” It’s meant to sound light and celebratory, but the metaphor underneath is more complex. The bubble represents safety, certainty, and insulation from conflict or doubt. For many people […]
Mellissa grew up in Southern California in a large family, heavily involved in high control conservative religion. She went on to attend college at Brigham Young University-Idaho where she studied sociology and family studies. She then spent 10 years as a stay at home parent. Life pivoted for Mellissa when she experienced a divorce and faith transition and began her own work in therapy.
She spent 5 years as an educator while obtaining her masters degree in professional counseling. She has spent the last 4 years specializing her practice to help others going through major unexpected life transitions, finding healing in the present moment and creating futures that align with their core values. Mellissa’s personal experiences, combined with her specialized expertise and focused study, create a uniquely supportive and effective clinical practice for individuals navigating major life transitions.
MELLISSA'S STORY
