Current Research Initiative(s)

Current Research Initiative: Religious Trauma & Disordered Eating

Project Title:
A Mixed-Methods Study Investigating the Intersection of Religious Trauma and Disordered Eating in Womxn and Gender Expansive Individuals

What I’m Studying

This research explores how religious trauma can contribute to the development of disordered eating and eating disorders—particularly among womxn (diverse cis and trans women) and gender expansive individuals. While religion can offer comfort and community, it can also cause deep harm when used to control, shame, or silence people’s identities or bodies.

I’m asking important questions like:

How do Christian beliefs and practices influence someone’s body image or relationship with food?
What happens when a person’s faith tradition contributes to shame, fear, or trauma?
How does that trauma show up in their daily life—and in their body?

Why This Matters

Eating disorders are the deadliest of all psychiatric illnesses, and yet many people—especially those in larger bodies, gender-diverse folks, and people impacted by religious trauma—go unnoticed and untreated.

Meanwhile, nearly 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. report having experienced religious trauma. Despite this, most research focuses on the benefits of religion, often ignoring the harm.

This project aims to shift that narrative to create a more nuanced, holistic and responsive approach.

Who This Research Centers

This study is specifically focused on the experiences of:

Diverse cisgender and transgender women
Non-binary and gender expansive individuals
All who have had negative or harmful experiences in Christian faith communities and have also struggled with disordered eating or an eating disorder.

These voices have historically been overlooked in both religious and mental health research. I want to change that.

How I’m Doing It

I’m using a mixed-methods approach, which means I’m combining:

📊 Surveys to collect broad, measurable data
📸 Photovoice (a creative storytelling method using photography) where participants share how trauma and healing show up in their lives visually

This unique approach allows participants to share their stories in both numbers and images, capturing nuance that statistics alone can’t.

What I Hope This Work Will Do

My goal is to:

Deepen our understanding of how spiritual trauma shapes mental health and eating behaviors
Inform clinical practices that are more inclusive, trauma-aware, and spiritually sensitive
Amplify marginalized voices, particularly those often excluded from mental health research and treatment

Ultimately, I hope this work contributes to healing, compassionate care, and justice—within both therapy spaces and faith communities.

📣 Get Involved

Are you a womxn or gender expansive individual who has experienced religious trauma and struggles with disordered eating?
Do you want to share your story or help change the conversation?

➡️ Reach out if you’d like to collaborate, invite me to speak, or simply connect

Your voice matters—and this research wouldn’t be possible without you.