Hi. We're the
Deconstruction Doulas.
Deconstruction Doulas provides community, resources, and peer-support for those who are suffering from spiritual abuse, abandonment, and disillusion.
Why 'Deconstruction Doula?' A while ago, a friend of ours 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, Margaret was the only "doula" operating on behalf of our community of survivors. Now, there are several of us, with more to come. We're here to provide peer-support and resources of every kind for spiritual abuse survivor, regardless of their beliefs, trajectory, or identity. We help survivors get out, get safe, and get free in both body and spirit. We're glad you're here.
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 offering 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 can be part of a growing faith. We believe that those who come to us are worthy of care and love, regardless of where they "wind up" spiritually.
We believe that the wilderness of deconstruction can be safely navigated, and that goodness and wholeness can be found on the other side.
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
"[The Deconstruction Doulas] 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.
We don't believe that our services should be kept from survivors because of finances, so all our products and services (except items in the Gear Store) are free. If you'd like to make a donation to support our work, check out our Patreon.
BOOK AN ORIENTATION CALL
Take a first step.
It might not be the last.
But it'll be the first.