If you are in crisis

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please reach out immediately:

  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (US)
  • Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
  • International Association for Suicide Prevention: Find your country's crisis line

Deconversion support

Leaving a faith community means losing a social network, a worldview, and sometimes family relationships. These organizations provide support for people going through this process:

  • Recovering from Religion — Free support groups, a hotline (1-844-368-2848), and resources for people leaving religion. Their motto: "You are not alone."
  • JourneyFree — Founded by Dr. Marlene Winell, who coined the term "Religious Trauma Syndrome." Support groups and resources.
  • Ex-Muslims of North America — Community and advocacy for former Muslims.
  • Faithless of Galilee — Support for former Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Secular therapy

Finding a therapist who won't try to bring you back to faith is important. These directories specialize in secular mental health care:

  • Secular Therapy Project — Directory of therapists who provide evidence-based, non-religious mental health care. Free to search.
  • Psychology Today — Filter by "non-religious" or "secular" in the therapist directory.

Grief without religion

Processing death and loss without the framework of an afterlife requires its own resources:

  • Grief Beyond Belief — Support for people grieving without religion. Peer support community and resources.
  • Secular celebrants: The American Humanist Association certifies secular celebrants who can officiate funerals, memorials, weddings, and other life events.

Coming out as a nonbeliever

Telling family, friends, or your community that you no longer believe can be daunting. Some guidance:

  • There is no rush. You do not owe anyone an announcement. Come out when you are ready and when it is safe to do so.
  • Financial independence first. If you are dependent on religious family for housing or finances, secure your independence before disclosing.
  • Start with safe people. Tell a trusted friend before telling family.
  • Call the RfR Hotline (1-844-368-2848) if you need someone to talk to first.

Books that help

  • Leaving the Fold by Marlene Winell — The definitive guide to recovery from fundamentalism
  • The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan — A gentle, warm introduction to scientific thinking
  • Godless by Dan Barker — A former evangelical preacher's deconversion story
  • Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell — Read it free in our library