What will I learn from this event?
Many people seeking recovery are helped significantly by deepening their spirituality. However, like anything, even spiritual practice can become unhealthy, maladaptive, or some would say addictive. Another possibility is that people who experienced spiritual abuse or religious trauma may have difficulty approaching any kind of spiritual practice, which can include being around people in recovery meetings who are working a spiritual program. In this session, we will explore what it means to embrace a path of “healthy” (or adaptive/helpful if those works better for you) spirituality. Appropriate for all people wherever they may be in their recovery journey, or for professionals who seeking to help the people they serve.
After this session, participants will be able to:
- Identify what qualities of spiritual practice might be considered unhealthy, maladaptive, or unhelpful.
- Define spiritual abuse and religious trauma in a general way and describe how unhealed wounds in this area might be a barrier to embracing more helpful spirituality.
- create a personalized list of qualities of healthy/adaptive/helpful spirituality for one’s individualized program; can also be adapted as a skill for working with others.
 NBCC ACEP# 6912
Jamie Marich, Ph.D., LPCC-S, REAT
Dr. Jamie Marich (she/they/we) is a trauma specialist, author, and educator based in Akron, OH. She began her career as a humanitarian aid worker in Bosnia-Hercegovina (2000–2003), teaching English and music. Jamie is the founder of the Institute for Creative Mindfulness and the creator of the Dancing Mindfulness approach to expressive arts therapy. She teaches internationally on trauma, EMDR, expressive arts, mindfulness, and yoga while maintaining a private practice and online education platform.
Marich has authored several influential books, including EMDR Made Simple, Trauma and the Twelve Steps, Dancing Mindfulness, Process Not Perfection, and Dissociation Made Simple. Her latest works include Healing Addiction with EMDR Therapy (2021), The Healing Power of Jiu-Jitsu (2022), and the upcoming memoir You Lied to Me About God (2024).
Her work has been featured in The New York Times and The Huffington Post. She has received awards from NALGAP (2015) and EMDRIA (2019) for her advocacy in LGBTQ+ and mental health communities. Jamie is currently studying to become an interfaith minister through the Chaplaincy Institute, with ordination planned for 2026.
