Are you experiencing spiritual manipulation?
Are you in a church that is spiritual abusive?
Do leaders in your church seek to control you?
Take this 3 minute quiz to see if your faith community has these abusive tendencies.
Hi, I’m
Melodi Kitzmiller
If you've been hurt by a church that claimed to love Jesus but left you feeling broken, you're not alone.
And you don’t have to heal alone.
I’m a content creator, writing weekly on Substack and sharing heartfelt podcast episodes to help women of faith heal from spiritual abuse, religious trauma, and church hurt.
Each article and episode blends clinical insight with gentle, Scripture-rooted wisdom, offering compassionate support that’s both research-based and grounded in God’s love.
My mission is simple: to educate and equip as many women as possible in the aftermath of spiritual abuse—so you never have to walk this journey alone.
Thank you for visiting my website.
It was in my early forties, just after my husband had died, that men in my church began to pressure me to do what they deemed best for my family. The pressure on top of losing my husband became unbearable, and I had no choice but to leave my church due to manipulation and control.
Below is a link that will take you to a free resource I wrote: 5 Things I Wish I had Known Before Leaving a Manipulative Church. Fear runs high when an individual has to leave a church like this, and I would be thrilled if I could help you leave with confidence and peace. Download this free resource by clicking the link below.
What clients say…
“I’ve learned more from her in few minutes than I learned from my therapist. ”
“Working with Melodi is like finding help from a knowledgeable friend. She gave support as I grieved and healed.”
“She made the concepts I needed easy to understand and warmly invited me to heal.”
“She was supportive and understood me. I felt seen and heard”
Stay connected with me by leaving your email here. You will recieve a weekly article from me via Substack, and get offers from time to time that are built to help you heal from spiritual abuse and thrive as you reconstruct your beliefs based on truth.
I am passionate about helping women who have been hurt in church or spiritually.
I want to help you live free from anxiety, depression, and the deep pain of spiritual harm.
I want to help you deconstruct the lies of legalism and reconstruct beliefs based on truth.
I want to help you build trust in yourself, others and God.
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Because of this I create free resources to help women who are in spiritually manipulative, controlling or hurtful places.
Find me on Instagram, Substack, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
“They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ where there is no peace.”
— Jeremiah 6:13
I bring to my work over 10 years of education, decades of experiences, and a heart full of passion to help you thrive.
With a clinical background in counseling…
Graduate of Liberty University
Master of Arts 2021
Bachelor of Science 2017
Psi Chi Member
since 2017
Psychology Honor Society
Member of
American Association of Christian Counselors
since 2015
Psychology PhD
Candidate
Walden University
Completion of Certificates in
Narrative Trauma Therapy
Certificates 1 & 2
Allender Center