Why 'Deconstruction Doula?' A while ago, a friend of mine referred to this work as "like being a doula, but for deconstruction." Honestly, it just stuck!
'Doula' is a Greek word that means 'female servant.' These days, we use it to describe a non-medical professional who provides emotional, physical, and social support to a new mother through the often anguishing process of labor. The Deconstruction Doulas exist to do the same thing, but for people going through the anguished process of recovering from spiritual abuse, or dealing with profound disillusionment as our institutions fail around us. We often call this process "deconstruction."
When this started, I was the only "doula" operating on behalf of our community of survivors. Now, there are a whole mess of us, and more to come. We're here to provide peer-support and gather resources of every kind for survivors, regardless of their beliefs, trajectory, or identity.
Cool, but what does a Deconstruction Doula do?
Well, that's the question, isn't it?
Moving from isolation to community.
ABOUT US
We believe.
We believe in a good God who offers peace and freedom to those of us who have been hurt or lied to by the institutional church.
We believe in providing a safe place to heal from spiritual disillusionment and abuse.
We believe that it's our responsibility to provide safety and protection for anyone who's been harmed by the institutional church, regardless of their personal beliefs.
We believe in holding the institutional church responsible for the ways it fails to practice its own preaching.
We believe that deconstruction is a sometimes necessary part of a growing faith. And we believe that those who come to us and deconvert are just as worthy of care and love as those who don't.
We believe that God can be trusted in His goodness to lead His people into the wilderness, through it, and out to safety.
IT'S NOT JUST ME.
You're not alone.
Hear others' stories.
The Deconstruction Doulas' community is active on Instagram, Patreon, and Discord. But here are a few anonymous stories from friends of the Deconstruction Doulas.
"I have become less anxious in my spirituality. I feel assured that God loves me and wants a relationship with me, and that He is just as sad and angry as I am about falsehoods I've been told and the suffering that I've experienced."
a cohort graduate
"This retreat was a much needed breath of fresh air for my soul. Margaret has such a way of establishing community spaces that are so safe and respectful. I felt like I was free to share myself with others but never obligated to do so...I left feeling more seen and more at peace than a have in a long time."
a retreat attendee
"Margaret so lovingly built a place of safety, a place where all questions and all wounded souls are held gently and compassionately. It is a place where every participant is given a voice and a community to listen and nurture."
a cohort graduate
COHORTS AND RETREATS
Peer Support for
Those Experiencing
Spiritual Disillusionment
The Deconstruction Doulas' public-facing work primarily happens in cohorts and retreats.
Cohorts are about helping our hearts, minds, and nervous systems find peace through the experience of safe community, secure attachment, and healthy spirituality.
Retreats are about taking time out of our lives to stop, reflect, connect with ourselves and one another, and return to our lives refocused and better equipped to deal with the challenges we individually face.
BOOK AN ORIENTATION CALL
Take a first step.
It might not be the last.
But it'll be the first.