Dear Listeners,
When Teresa Thompson sat down with Emma and I to talk, I knew we’d cover a lot of ground: from religious trauma to global perspectives on Catholicism, and how queer people survive systems that weren’t built for us. Teresa encourages us to see healing not only as repair, but as a chance to reclaim our stories and our faith. In this conversation, we trace the contours of trauma without losing sight of joy, community, and the liberating power of faith remade on our own terms.
Guest Bio: Teresa Thompson is a New York-based psychotherapist specializing in religious trauma and a Bernardin Scholar in the pastoral studies program at Catholic Theological Union (where Pope Leo XIV went to school!). Teresa also writes on faith and social justice on her Substack, Liturgy of the Ours (I love the name). With clarity and compassion, she helps us explore how theology can wound—but also how it can be reclaimed and reimagined for our collective healing.
Religious trauma can be difficult to put into words. It often stems from environments where obedience is demanded through fear—places like churches, classrooms, or even dinner tables where shame and spiritual pressure are used to keep people in line. For queer Catholics in particular, the pain hits close to home. In this episode, I share how living as a trans man in fundamentalist spaces that denied my existence has shaped my belief in a fully affirming faith, while Emma reflects on the long shadow of purity culture and its impact on her body. Teresa offers this crucial insight: before we can heal, we have to name what hurt us—and who we want to become.
This episode takes a wide-angle look at the systems that create and reinforce religious trauma. We unpack how colonialism, dualism, and rigid sexual ethics have distorted Catholic teaching about embodiment. When our bodies are framed as threats or obstacles to holiness, they become easier to dominate or erase. Teresa shows how these distortions have been used to justify colonization, conversion therapy, and other forms of violence. Real healing, she suggests, involves decolonizing the ways we think about God, each other, and ourselves—making room for a faith that’s truly catholic: expansive, rooted in love, and open to all.
We also get practical. Teresa offers tools for managing the embodied effects of trauma like grounding exercises. Emma opens up about her experiences with anxiety, reminding listeners that therapy is not a betrayal of faith, but a vital form of support. Max shares his journey in healing through reclaiming a liberatory view of theology.
Wherever you are in your process, we want you to know: your story is sacred. Your healing is holy. Your queer, searching, evolving faith is already enough.
If you're ready to dive in, the full episode is available here on Substack but also on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
And if you're not ready, that’s okay. There’s no timeline for healing. We’ll be here when you are.
With love and solidarity,
Max & Emma
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