I was standing in my living room, about to leave Mormonism, weighing the cost: Social support? Gone. Community? Gone. Lifelong friendships? Gone.
The answer that came wasn't "yes, I can do this." It was: "I can't not."
But I didn't understand then that I was about to experience the exact same isolation I'd escaped in my first abusive marriage—only this time, it would be an entire religious system that trained everyone I loved to abandon me the moment I chose freedom.
In this episode, I share: • The living room moment when I realized the cost of staying was higher than losing everyone • How religious isolation mirrors domestic abuse tactics—and why both work the same way • The profound loneliness that led to my third abusive marriage (because I couldn't bear being alone) • The "lifelong friend" who weaponized my developmentally delayed daughter to reconvert her behind my back • Why "if everyone leaves you, you're the problem" is the deepest wound of religious trauma • Five practices for reclaiming your freedom of association after everyone abandons you
This isn't gossip. This isn't bitterness. This is recovery. This is truth-telling. This is spiritual reclamation.
If you've lost your entire community for leaving, if you've stayed too long because you couldn't bear the isolation—you're not alone. There is a path through.
You are worthy of relationships that honor your freedom.
Inner Light Companion Podcast
Hosted by Tamara Ridge
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🌿 The Inner Light Companion is hosted by Tamara Ridge, LMFT — guiding spiritually curious souls into deeper connection, intuitive healing, and divine remembrance.
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