Sunday School Dropouts

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