Leaving or Questioning the LDS Church? You Don't Have to Navigate It Alone
If you grew up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, your faith wasn't just something you did on Sundays. It was the framework for everything; your identity, your relationships, your sense of purpose, your understanding of who you are and where you're going. Which means that when that framework starts to shake, or when you choose to step away from it, the impact goes far deeper than most people around you might understand.
Whether you're quietly questioning, actively leaving, or already out and trying to figure out what comes next, this is one of the most disorienting transitions a person can go through. And it deserves real support.
What Makes This Transition So Uniquely Hard
Leaving or questioning the LDS Church isn't like changing your mind about a political view or switching gyms. It touches everything.
Identity. For many members, being LDS is inseparable from who they are. When that shifts, it can feel like losing yourself — or having to build an entirely new sense of self from the ground up.
Community and belonging. The Church provides a ready-made community — friends, social events, a built-in support system. Leaving often means losing that network, sometimes all at once. The grief of that loss is real, even if it's complicated.
Family relationships. For those with deeply LDS families, questioning or leaving can strain or fracture some of the most important relationships in your life. The fear of disappointing parents, siblings, or a spouse — or the reality of it — can be devastating.
Shame and guilt. Many people carry years of internalized messages about worthiness, sin, and what it means to be a good person. Even after leaving, those messages don't disappear overnight. They show up as anxiety, self-criticism, and a persistent sense of not being enough.
Existential uncertainty. When the answers you were given your whole life no longer feel true, you're left with the raw, uncomfortable questions: What do I believe? What happens when I die? What is my purpose? That kind of uncertainty is profound, and sitting with it can be exhausting.
What "Faith Transition" Can Look Like Emotionally
People going through a faith transition often describe experiences that look a lot like grief — and in many ways, that's exactly what it is. You might notice:
Anxiety, depression, or a general sense of disorientation
Anger — at the institution, at people who didn't tell you things, at yourself
Relief mixed with guilt for feeling relieved
A sense of freedom alongside profound loneliness
Difficulty trusting your own instincts after years of being told what to believe and how to live
Struggles with self-worth that were tied to religious performance or "worthiness"
None of these responses are wrong. They make complete sense given what you've been through.
Finding a Therapist Who Gets It
One of the most important things when navigating a faith transition is working with a therapist who genuinely understands the LDS context — not just in a general "I respect all religions" way, but someone who understands the specific culture, language, and dynamics of growing up in the Church.
That means a therapist who:
Won't push you back toward faith or away from it — your path is yours
Understands concepts like worthiness culture, modesty, eternal families, and the role of testimony without needing you to explain everything from scratch
Can hold space for the grief, anger, and relief without judgment
Recognizes that this is a complex identity transition, not just a lifestyle change
I work with young adults who are questioning, leaving, or have already left the LDS Church, and I bring both professional training and genuine understanding of the cultural context to that work. You won't have to spend your sessions explaining what a bishop's interview is or why General Conference matters.
What Therapy Can Help With
Therapy during a faith transition isn't about deciding what to believe. That's your work to do, on your own timeline. What therapy can help with is everything that surrounds that process:
Processing grief and loss — the community, the certainty, the relationships, the version of yourself that existed within the Church
Rebuilding identity — figuring out who you are, what you value, and what kind of life feels true to you outside of an institutional framework
Navigating family dynamics — learning how to hold your truth while staying in relationship with people who may not understand or accept your choices
Releasing shame — untangling internalized messages about worthiness, sin, and self-worth that may have been with you since childhood
Managing anxiety and depression — which are extremely common during faith transitions and deserve real attention and care
You're Not Alone — Even When It Feels That Way
One of the cruelest parts of leaving the LDS Church is how isolating it can feel. The people who knew you best may not understand what you're going through. The community you're leaving may feel like it's closing behind you. And the wider world doesn't always have language for what this particular kind of loss feels like.
But you are not alone. Many people have walked this path before you — and many are walking it right now. And there is support available that meets you exactly where you are, without an agenda for where you should end up.
If you're in California and you're navigating a faith transition — whether you're just starting to question or you've been out for years and are still working through it — I'd love to connect. Reach out to schedule a free 10-minute consultation, and let's talk about what support could look like for you.
Alexis Hollingsworth, LCSW, is a licensed therapist in California specializing in anxiety, life transitions, and identity for young adults. She offers virtual teletherapy throughout California and works with clients navigating LDS faith transitions. Learn more at alexishollingsworththerapy.com.
