In this episode, we're joined by Nicole Clifton, a coach specializing in faith deconstruction, purity culture trauma, and chronic illness support. Nicole shares her personal journey navigating chronic pain for nearly 20 years while growing up in evangelical Christianity. We explore the often-overlooked connection between purity culture and chronic health conditions, discussing how high-control religious environments create constant hypervigilance and stress that can manifest as long-term physical symptoms. Nicole explains how messages about ignoring bodily signals, maintaining perfectionism, and living in perpetual fear of making mistakes kept her disconnected from her body's wisdom for years.

The conversation dives into practical healing approaches for those dealing with both religious trauma and chronic illness. Nicole emphasizes the importance of self-compassion, body neutrality (rather than toxic positivity), and learning to tune into bodily signals without judgment. We discuss how shame operates as both an emotional and physiological state, the value of acceptance-based approaches for chronic pain, and why rebuilding trust with your body is essential after years of being taught it's dangerous or sinful. Nicole offers hope through her own transformation—from viewing her body as "defective" and a "liability" to recognizing it as resilient and deserving of care and compassion.

Website: CTRR Bio

Social Media: @nicoleclifton_inyourcorner

Anything else (e.g. book title and link) 

Resources discussed in this episode: 

What Doesn’t Kill You by Tessa Miller

This podcast is brought to you by the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery: an online trauma coaching company whose practitioners are trauma informed and trauma trained to work with individuals, couples and families who have experienced high control religion, cults, and religious trauma. For more information on the support that CTRR provides, for resources–including courses, workshops, and more–head to traumaresolutionandrecovery.com or follow us on Instagram: @traumaresolutionandrecovery 

The views and opinions expressed by Sunday School Dropouts are those of the hosts and not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery. Any of the content provided by our guests, sponsors, authors, or bloggers are their own ideas and opinions.

The Sunday School Dropouts podcast is not anti-religion but it is anti -harm, -power and control, -oppression and, -abuse and will speak to the harmful practices and messaging of fundamentalist groups. 

Follow Andrew on Instagram @andrew_kerbs

Follow Andrew’s post-SDA account @lifeafteradventism

Follow Andrew’s account on neurodivergence and high control religion @divergent.faith 

Join Andrew’s Substack (Kerb Your Enthusiasm) www.andrewkerbs.substack.com 

To begin working with Andrew as a coach, schedule your FREE inquiry call here

Follow Laura on Instagram and TikTok @drlauraeanderson or on her website: www.drlauraeanderson.com 

Join Laura’s Substack (Therapy in the Headlines) www.drlauraeanderson.substack.com 

To work with Laura as a coach, therapist, consultant, or to inquire about other services, you can do so here

Hosts: 

Laura Anderson and A

In the conclusion of this two-part series, Andrew and Laura reunite with therapists Julia Postema and Jeremiah Gibson to reveal how purity culture reaches far beyond the bedroom. The conversation pulls back the curtain on the "Internal Panopticon," exploring how religious conditioning manifests as perfectionism, decision-making paralysis, and the compulsive emotional caretaking often found in high-control environments.

The guests discuss how these evangelical patterns are frequently replicated in progressive spaces and social media "call-out" cultures, where rigid performance often replaces human nuance. By shifting from a fixed mindset of "right vs. wrong" to one of growth and authenticity, Julia and Jeremiah provide a practical framework for naming needs and building relationships without the weight of inherited shame.

Share your purity culture stories with us by leaving a voicemail or sending your story to us!

Guest Info: 

www.sexvangelicals.com 

Substack (Relationship 101): https://sexvangelicals.substack.com/

IG: @sexvangelicals

Resources discussed in this episode: 

The Great Sex Rescue by Sheila Gregorie

Matthew Bodie book

This podcast is brought to you by the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery: an online trauma coaching company whose practitioners are trauma informed and trauma trained to work with individuals, couples and families who have experienced high control religion, cults, and religious trauma. For more information on the support that CTRR provides, for resources–including courses, workshops, and more–head to traumaresolutionandrecovery.com or follow us on Instagram: @traumaresolutionandrecovery 

The views and opinions expressed by Sunday School Dropouts are those of the hosts and not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery. Any of the content provided by our guests, sponsors, authors, or bloggers are their own ideas and opinions.

The Sunday School Dropouts podcast is not anti-religion but it is anti -harm, -power and control, -oppression and, -abuse and will speak to the harmful practices and messaging of fundamentalist groups. 

Follow Andrew on Instagram @andrew_kerbs

Follow Andrew’s post-SDA account @lifeafteradventism

Follow Andrew’s account on neurodivergence and high control religion @divergent.faith 

Join Andrew’s Substack (Kerb Your Enthusiasm) www.andrewkerbs.substack.com 

To begin working with Andrew as a coach, schedule your FREE inquiry call here

Follow Laura on Instagram and TikTok @drlauraeanderson or on her website: www.drlauraeanderson.com 

Join Laura’s Substack (Therapy in the Headlines) www.drlauraeanderson.substack.com 

To work with Laura as a coach, therapist, consultant, or to inquire about other services, you can do so here

Hosts: 

Laura Anderson and Andrew Kerbs

Music by Benjamin Faye Music @heytherebenji 

In the first half of a compelling two-part series, Andrew and Laura are joined by sex therapists and researchers Julia Postema and Jeremiah Gibson to unpack the enduring grip of purity culture. Moving beyond simple deconstruction, the conversation explores how high-control religious environments leave lasting "body memories" that manifest as sexual pain, orgasm gaps, and anxious attachment patterns decades later. From the political "Industrial Complex" of the 1990s to the modern-day "manosphere" and wellness culture, Julia and Jeremiah blend clinical data with raw personal vulnerability to illustrate why cognitive shifts aren't always enough to heal the nervous system. This episode is an essential look at the journey from performance-based morality to a values-based, embodied sexuality.

Share your purity culture stories with us by leaving a voicemail or sending your story to us!

Guest Info: 

www.sexvangelicals.com 

Substack (Relationship 101): https://sexvangelicals.substack.com/

IG: @sexvangelicals

Resources discussed in this episode: 

The Great Sex Rescue by Sheila Gregorie

Matthew Bodie book

This podcast is brought to you by the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery: an online trauma coaching company whose practitioners are trauma informed and trauma trained to work with individuals, couples and families who have experienced high control religion, cults, and religious trauma. For more information on the support that CTRR provides, for resources–including courses, workshops, and more–head to traumaresolutionandrecovery.com or follow us on Instagram: @traumaresolutionandrecovery 

The views and opinions expressed by Sunday School Dropouts are those of the hosts and not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery. Any of the content provided by our guests, sponsors, authors, or bloggers are their own ideas and opinions.

The Sunday School Dropouts podcast is not anti-religion but it is anti -harm, -power and control, -oppression and, -abuse and will speak to the harmful practices and messaging of fundamentalist groups. 

Follow Andrew on Instagram @andrew_kerbs

Follow Andrew’s post-SDA account @lifeafteradventism

Follow Andrew’s account on neurodivergence and high control religion @divergent.faith 

Join Andrew’s Substack (Kerb Your Enthusiasm) www.andrewkerbs.substack.com 

To begin working with Andrew as a coach, schedule your FREE inquiry call here

Follow Laura on Instagram and TikTok @drlauraeanderson or on her website: www.drlauraeanderson.com 

Join Laura’s Substack (Therapy in the Headlines) www.drlauraeanderson.substack.com 

To work with Laura as a coach, therapist, consultant, or to inquire about other services, you can do so here

Hosts: 

Laura Anderson and Andrew Kerbs

Music by Benjamin Faye Music @heytherebenji 

In Part 2 of their conversation with licensed marriage and family therapist Ashley Buckner, the Sunday School Dropouts crew explores the deeper psychological and therapeutic impact of Mormon purity culture. Ashley shares clinical insights into how LDS structures such as worthiness interviews, the Law of Chastity, and confession culture shape a person’s relationship with their body, sexuality, and sense of autonomy. Drawing from both her professional work and personal experience growing up in an unorthodox Mormon community, Ashley discusses the lasting effects purity culture can have on survivors of childhood sexual abuse, including shame cycles, anxiety, disembodiment, and difficulty trusting oneself. The conversation also addresses institutional failures within the church’s handling of abuse, gender specific harms caused by purity teachings, and what real healing can look like through body based therapies, supportive communities, and rebuilding safety and self trust outside high control religion.

Share your purity culture stories with us by leaving a voicemail or sending your story to us!

Guest Info: 

Social Media: @ashleyb_therapy

Resources discussed in this episode: 

Melissa Urban - The Book of Boundaries

Non Violent Communication book

Non Violent Communication graphic

This podcast is brought to you by the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery: an online trauma coaching company whose practitioners are trauma informed and trauma trained to work with individuals, couples and families who have experienced high control religion, cults, and religious trauma. For more information on the support that CTRR provides, for resources–including courses, workshops, and more–head to traumaresolutionandrecovery.com or follow us on Instagram: @traumaresolutionandrecovery 

The views and opinions expressed by Sunday School Dropouts are those of the hosts and not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery. Any of the content provided by our guests, sponsors, authors, or bloggers are their own ideas and opinions.

The Sunday School Dropouts podcast is not anti-religion but it is anti -harm, -power and control, -oppression and, -abuse and will speak to the harmful practices and messaging of fundamentalist groups. 

Follow Andrew on Instagram @andrew_kerbs

Follow Andrew’s post-SDA account @lifeafteradventism

Follow Andrew’s account on neurodivergence and high control religion @divergent.faith 

Join Andrew’s Substack (Kerb Your Enthusiasm) www.andrewkerbs.substack.com 

To begin working with Andrew as a coach, schedule your FREE inquiry call here

Follow Laura on Instagram and TikTok @drlauraeanderson or on her website: www.drlauraeanderson.com 

Join Laura’s Substack (Therapy in the Headlines) www.drlauraeanderson.substack.com 

To work with Laura as a coach, therapist, consultant, or to inquire about other services, you can do so here

Hosts: 

Laura Anderson and Andrew Kerbs

In this first of a two part conversation on Sunday School Dropouts, Andrew Kerbs and Laura Anderson sit down with Ashley Buckner, LMFT, to explore her journey growing up in an unorthodox Mormon home in Cedar City, Utah, and the lasting impact of purity culture and childhood sexual abuse. Ashley shares what it was like to grow up in a “less than” Mormon family with a Catholic father prior to his baptism, the pressure to perform worthiness, and the shame of being born to parents who were pregnant before marriage. She reflects on how purity culture shaped her understanding of her body, sexuality, and value, and how secrecy and silence created the conditions for abuse to remain hidden for years.

Ashley bravely recounts being sexually abused at age four by an older family member and the way cultural messaging around sex and worthiness reinforced silence and self blame. She opens up about not disclosing the abuse until age twenty, leaving the LDS church after moving to Los Angeles, and how experiences of unconditional love outside Mormonism shifted her perspective. The conversation also explores why talk therapy alone was not enough for trauma recovery and how brainspotting and other nervous system based approaches helped her access healing stored in the body. Together, they unpack how trauma and shame live in the hips and stomach, why embodiment and safe relationships are essential for recovery, and how sharing shame in safe spaces begins to loosen its grip.

Share your purity culture stories with us by leaving a voicemail or sending your story to us!

Guest Info: 

Social Media: @ashleyb_therapy

Resources discussed in this episode: 

Melissa Urban - The Book of Boundaries

Non Violent Communication book

Non Violent Communication graphic

This podcast is brought to you by the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery: an online trauma coaching company whose practitioners are trauma informed and trauma trained to work with individuals, couples and families who have experienced high control religion, cults, and religious trauma. For more information on the support that CTRR provides, for resources–including courses, workshops, and more–head to traumaresolutionandrecovery.com or follow us on Instagram: @traumaresolutionandrecovery 

The views and opinions expressed by Sunday School Dropouts are those of the hosts and not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery. Any of the content provided by our guests, sponsors, authors, or bloggers are their own ideas and opinions.

The Sunday School Dropouts podcast is not anti-religion but it is anti -harm, -power and control, -oppression and, -abuse and will speak to the harmful practices and messaging of fundamentalist groups. 

Follow Andrew on Instagram @andrew_kerbs

Follow Andrew’s post-SDA account @lifeafteradventism

Follow Andrew’s account on neurodivergence and high control religion @divergent.faith 

Join Andrew’s Substack (Kerb Your Enthusiasm) www.andrewkerbs.substack.com 

To begin working with Andrew as a coach, schedule your FREE inquiry call here

Follow Laura on Instagram and TikTok @drlauraeanderson

What happens when purity culture and diet culture collide? In this episode, Laura Anderson and Andrew Kerbs sit down with writer Ashley Dunston to unpack the complicated overlap between evangelical theology, fat phobia, and body shame. Ashley shares her story of growing up in Colorado Springs during the peak of 1990s and early 2000s purity messaging, navigating intense pressure to present a “perfect” family image, and being pushed into gastric bypass surgery at just 19 years old. After losing 100 pounds in a year, she faced not only the physical consequences but the emotional and spiritual fallout that followed.

Together, they explore how phrases like “your body is a temple” became tools of control, how food and weight were moralized in church spaces, and why purity culture often excluded or invisibilized girls who did not fit a narrow beauty standard. The conversation moves through grief, bodily autonomy, medical fat phobia, and the painful unraveling of a faith identity that once felt essential. Ashley also reflects on healing, learning to trust her body again, reclaiming desire as strength rather than weakness, and the hope she sees in younger generations finding more diverse and affirming representations of their bodies.

Guest Info: 

Website: AshleyDunstonWriter.com

Social Media: Instagram: @ashley_dunston_writer, https://substack.com/@ashleydunstonwriter

This podcast is brought to you by the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery: an online trauma coaching company whose practitioners are trauma informed and trauma trained to work with individuals, couples and families who have experienced high control religion, cults, and religious trauma. For more information on the support that CTRR provides, for resources–including courses, workshops, and more–head to traumaresolutionandrecovery.com or follow us on Instagram: @traumaresolutionandrecovery 

The views and opinions expressed by Sunday School Dropouts are those of the hosts and not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery. Any of the content provided by our guests, sponsors, authors, or bloggers are their own ideas and opinions.

The Sunday School Dropouts podcast is not anti-religion but it is anti -harm, -power and control, -oppression and, -abuse and will speak to the harmful practices and messaging of fundamentalist groups. 

Follow Andrew on Instagram @andrew_kerbs

Follow Andrew’s post-SDA account @lifeafteradventism

Follow Andrew’s account on neurodivergence and high control religion @divergent.faith 

Join Andrew’s Substack (Kerb Your Enthusiasm) www.andrewkerbs.substack.com 

To begin working with Andrew as a coach, schedule your FREE inquiry call here

Follow Laura on Instagram and TikTok @drlauraeanderson or on her website: www.drlauraeanderson.com 

Join Laura’s Substack (Therapy in the Headlines) www.drlauraeanderson.substack.com 

To work with Laura as a coach, therapist, consultant, or to inquire about other services, you can do so here

Hosts: 

Laura Anderson and Andrew Kerbs

Music by Benjamin Faye Music @heytherebenji 

This month we are talking about purity culture and its impact on individuals who grew up male in this system. We are thrilled to have Dr. Bradley Onishi on the podcast today as our professional who has done research on purity culture and client-facing work in this area as well as being a purity culture poster boy himself. Join Brad and Laura as they discuss the unique impacts of purity culture on men, shame, the expectations of being a “Godly man” and what happens when you don’t measure up to that, as well as the importance of men learning how to step out of of the prescribed roles and mentality that both purity culture and patriarchy prop up. 

Resources Mentioned: 

Fair Play (book and game) by Eve Rodsky 

Mild at Heart podcast series (can be found on the website below and using “Mild” in the search bar)

Guest: Brad Onishi

Website: https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com

Instagram/TT: @straightwhitejc

This podcast is brought to you by the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery: an online trauma coaching company whose practitioners are trauma informed and trauma trained to work with individuals, couples and families who have experienced high control religion, cults, and religious trauma. For more information on the support that CTRR provides, for resources–including courses, workshops, and more–head to traumaresolutionandrecovery.com or follow us on Instagram: @traumaresolutionandrecovery 

The views and opinions expressed by Sunday School Dropouts are those of the hosts and not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery. Any of the content provided by our guests, sponsors, authors, or bloggers are their own ideas and opinions.

The Sunday School Dropouts podcast is not anti-religion but it is anti -harm, -power and control, -oppression and, -abuse and will speak to the harmful practices and messaging of fundamentalist groups. 

Follow Andrew on Instagram and TikTok @deconstruct_everything 

To begin working with Andrew as a coach, schedule your FREE inquiry call here

Follow Laura on Instagram and TikTok @drlauraeanderson or on her website: www.drlauraeanderson.com 

To work with Laura as a coach, therapist, consultant, or to inquire about other services, you can do so here

Hosts: 

Laura Anderson and Andrew Kerbs

Music by Benjamin Faye Music @heytherebenji

In this episode, Reverend Brandan Robertson joins Sunday School Dropouts for a deeply honest conversation about growing up queer in the church, surviving purity culture, and finding a faith that no longer requires self-erasure. Brandan shares his journey from a fundamentalist Baptist background through Moody Bible Institute, including repeated discipline for asking hard questions and his experience with conversion therapy, and how those moments ultimately pushed him toward a more expansive and life-giving theology.

Together, we talk about the so-called “clobber passages,” why they’ve been misused to police LGBTQ+ people, how purity culture damages everyone it touches, and what it means to experience a kind of second adolescence after leaving religious shame behind. Brandan also reflects on digital ministry, TikTok theology, and the real hope he sees in inclusive faith communities that are thriving even in unlikely places.

Share your purity culture stories with us by leaving a voicemail or sending your story to us!

This podcast is brought to you by the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery: an online trauma coaching company whose practitioners are trauma informed and trauma trained to work with individuals, couples and families who have experienced high control religion, cults, and religious trauma. For more information on the support that CTRR provides, for resources–including courses, workshops, and more–head to traumaresolutionandrecovery.com or follow us on Instagram: @traumaresolutionandrecovery 

The views and opinions expressed by Sunday School Dropouts are those of the hosts and not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery. Any of the content provided by our guests, sponsors, authors, or bloggers are their own ideas and opinions.

The Sunday School Dropouts podcast is not anti-religion but it is anti -harm, -power and control, -oppression and, -abuse and will speak to the harmful practices and messaging of fundamentalist groups. 

Follow Andrew on Instagram and TikTok @deconstruct_everything 

To begin working with Andrew as a coach, schedule your FREE inquiry call here

Follow Laura on Instagram and TikTok @drlauraeanderson or on her website: www.drlauraeanderson.com 

To work with Laura as a coach, therapist, consultant, or to inquire about other services, you can do so here

Hosts: 

Laura Anderson and Andrew Kerbs

Music by Benjamin Faye Music @heytherebenji

In this episode of Sunday School Dropouts, licensed clinical mental health counselor Michelle Moseley joins Laura Anderson and Andrew Kerbs to explore the intersection of purity culture and neurodivergence. Michelle shares why rigid religious systems can initially feel safe for neurodivergent people while ultimately causing deep harm through shame, masking, and burnout. The conversation offers insight into why healing often looks less like fixing and more like rest, autonomy, and gently reconnecting with pleasure and self-trust.

Share your purity culture stories with us by leaving a voicemail or sending your story to us!

Find Michelle at MichelleFMoseley.com 

Educational Workshops and Seminars:  https://michellefmoseley.com/workshops-seminars/

This podcast is brought to you by the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery: an online trauma coaching company whose practitioners are trauma informed and trauma trained to work with individuals, couples and families who have experienced high control religion, cults, and religious trauma. For more information on the support that CTRR provides, for resources–including courses, workshops, and more–head to traumaresolutionandrecovery.com or follow us on Instagram: @traumaresolutionandrecovery 

The views and opinions expressed by Sunday School Dropouts are those of the hosts and not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery. Any of the content provided by our guests, sponsors, authors, or bloggers are their own ideas and opinions.

The Sunday School Dropouts podcast is not anti-religion but it is anti -harm, -power and control, -oppression and, -abuse and will speak to the harmful practices and messaging of fundamentalist groups. 

Follow Andrew on Instagram @andrew_kerbs

Follow Andrew’s post-SDA account @lifeafteradventism

Follow Andrew’s account on neurodivergence and high control religion @divergent.faith 

Join Andrew’s Substack (Kerb Your Enthusiasm) www.andrewkerbs.substack.com 

To begin working with Andrew as a coach, schedule your FREE inquiry call here

Follow Laura on Instagram and TikTok @drlauraeanderson or on her website: www.drlauraeanderson.com 

Join Laura’s Substack (Therapy in the Headlines) www.drlauraeanderson.substack.com 

To work with Laura as a coach, therapist, consultant, or to inquire about other services, you can do so here

Hosts: 

Laura Anderson and Andrew Kerbs

Music by Benjamin Faye Music @heytherebenji 

In this episode, Laura and Andrew sit down with Trisha Wilkerson to explore the powerful intersections between purity culture, diet culture, and body shame. Trisha shares her journey from 25 years in evangelical ministry at Mars Hill Church to becoming a trauma-informed nutrition coach helping people heal their relationship with food and their bodies.

Share your purity culture stories with us by leaving a voicemail or sending your story to us!

Guest Info: 

Website: Personal Website: www.trishawilkerson.com. Business: www.theaftermathagency.com

Social Media: IG: @trisharwilkerson

Book: Everyday Worship: Our Work, Heart and Jesus

This podcast is brought to you by the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery: an online trauma coaching company whose practitioners are trauma informed and trauma trained to work with individuals, couples and families who have experienced high control religion, cults, and religious trauma. For more information on the support that CTRR provides, for resources–including courses, workshops, and more–head to traumaresolutionandrecovery.com or follow us on Instagram: @traumaresolutionandrecovery 

The views and opinions expressed by Sunday School Dropouts are those of the hosts and not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery. Any of the content provided by our guests, sponsors, authors, or bloggers are their own ideas and opinions.

The Sunday School Dropouts podcast is not anti-religion but it is anti -harm, -power and control, -oppression and, -abuse and will speak to the harmful practices and messaging of fundamentalist groups. Follow Andrew on Instagram and TikTok @deconstruct_everything 

To begin working with Andrew as a coach, schedule your FREE inquiry call here

Follow Laura on Instagram and TikTok @drlauraeanderson or on her website: www.drlauraeanderson.com 

To work with Laura as a coach, therapist, consultant, or to inquire about other services, you can do so here

Hosts: 

Laura Anderson and Andrew Kerbs

Music by Benjamin Faye Music @heytherebenji