Who
We
Are

Our Collective

Reclamation Collective is committed to holding space for folks navigating religious trauma and adverse religious experiences.  We hope to support you as you reclaim, or claim for the very first time, your identity, pleasure, and autonomy.

Reclamation Collective honors the diversity of thought and validates the countless paths that lead to healing, inner peace, and relational harmony.

Meet the board

The work of Reclamation Collective is informed by our many partnerships and collaborations with trauma-informed clinicians, community leaders, and activists who validate the wide spectrum of experiences and symptoms that may present following an Adverse Religious Experience. 

We aspire to honor diversity of thought and validate the countless paths that lead to healing, inner peace, and relational harmony through deconstruction and reclamation. Whether you are experiencing a wave of anger or resentment toward your faith of origin, or you are in the process of reclaiming or reconstructing within a faith context, your voice matters, and your experience is valid.

As a community advocacy organization, Reclamation Collective offers a wide variety of support groups, workshops, online resources, and support for people along the wide spectrum of deconstruction and reclamation.

What We Do

The Reclamation Collective’s Values

Value Statement:

Reclamation Collective is committed to holding space for folks navigating Religious Trauma and Adverse Religious Experiences. This work is informed by our many partnerships and collaborations with trauma-informed clinicians, community leaders, and activists who validate the wide spectrum of experiences and symptoms that may present following an Adverse Religious Experience. We aspire to honor diversity of thought and validate the countless paths that lead to healing, inner peace, and relational harmony through deconstruction and reclamation. Please explore our eight values below, which direct and guide all of our efforts.

We value diversity of thought, expression, and spiritual practice, and intend to validate all who identify with religious trauma regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, faith identity, mental health, physical or cognitive disability, or any other marginalized identity. 

VALUE ONE

Religious trauma is real, as are the negative outcomes that often result from adverse religious experiences. Regardless of clinical distress, diagnosis, or treatment of symptoms, everyone’s experience of religious trauma is valid.

VALUE TWO

We honor the many paths to inner peace and relational harmony, which may or may not include a reclaimed spiritual practice or community. We value holding space in which all participants are safe from personal attack and proselytization.

value three

We value honest conversation surrounding colonization, homophobia, patriarchy, and white supremacy. We aspire to boldly name connections between these oppressive themes within the church.

VALUE four

We value freedom from shame and believe that shame is never a healthy or ethical tactic to inspire change.

VALUE five

We value mental health and prioritize self-love and self-care in the daily maintenance of all brains and bodies. We celebrate when people can access mental health treatment and professional support to seek healing and relief.

value six

We value lifelong learning and openness as we continue to expand on our understanding of trauma-informed care for the wide spectrum of adverse religious experiences.

value eight

We value sex-positive language that both celebrates and mandates enthusiastic consent.

value seven


Meet
the
Founders

Kayla Felten

Kayla Felten (she/they) // LICSW // Executive Director & Co- Founder // Integration Doula

Kayla grew up in the Chicagoland suburbs in a faith context called the Plymouth Brethren. Kayla Felten, MSW, LICSW (she/her) has been an advocate for religious trauma and spiritual abuse survivors throughout her career, as the co-founder of the Reclamation Collective, as well as a Psychedelic Therapist in her clinical work. In both of these realms of practice, Kayla has been able to support those in the process of reclaiming their inner peace, relational harmony, autonomy, pleasure, and authentic self. Kayla was initially invited to facilitate support groups for survivors of spiritual abuse due to abuses of power taking place in plant medicine and yogi contexts within Minnesota. This experience helped expand her understanding of spiritual abuse both within and outside of religious contexts, and has allowed her to be a voice of advocacy within the psychedelic and therapeutic communities she shows up in to inspire heightened awareness of the power dynamics present in these containers for potential healing, while acknowledging the coexisting potential for abuse. 

With over six years of experience facilitating support groups, integration circles, retreats, and teaching workshops for folks navigating themes of religious trauma, spiritual abuse, deconstruction, and reclamation through the Reclamation Collective, Kayla aspires to curate expanded offerings for survivors on their healing trajectories that prioritize personal autonomy and pursue radical authenticity. 

While Kayla is the Interim executive director of the RC, she is also the founder of Let Her Trip, an integration doulaship and ceremonial concierge resourcing practice.

Kendra Snyder

Kendra Snyder (she/her) // MA, LMFT, NCC // Co- Founder & Emeritus Board Member

Kendra is a North Dakota native who grew up in the conservative Evangelical Free Church. In high school, she was deeply involved in her local church and attended bible college to pursue full-time ministry. While pursuing her graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Kendra endured a very painful, shaming, and isolating season within her religious community. These experiences were the catalyst for deconstructing dogmatic beliefs and reclaiming her voice, intuition, and whole self. Through Kendra’s own therapeutic journey, authentic friendships, and creative expression in music and pottery, she has found the support she needs for grief and healing.

Kendra remains an emeritus member of our board of directors, as this organization is a legacy of her commitment and vision as a co-founder. She also offers psychotherapy through her private practice, NobleTree Therapy in St. Paul, MN, specializing in religious trauma, spiritual abuse, and supporting those impacted by adverse religious experiences. To find out more, please visit nobletreetherapy.com.