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Ashley Buckner

@ashleysbuckner

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I know we have very different perspectives on the church and religious trauma, and that’s exactly why I wanted to have this conversation.

I value conversations where different perspectives can exist in the same space. Where we can ask hard questions, disagree, listen to each other, and still have a respectful conversation.

Thank you, @ryanjakesanford for being willing to come on, hear my perspective, and share yours. I appreciated getting to know you as a human being.

Full episode available now on YouTube, Spotify + Apple Podcasts. 🎙️

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“An initiative called the Idaho Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act will be on the November ballet seeking to amend Idaho laws related to abortion,” begins the letter. “The church’s long-held stance on abortion has not changed: we oppose any laws yielding additional agency or autonomy to women.”

The ballot measure, which organizers say is designed to begin rebuilding Idaho’s reproductive healthcare system, would prevent the government from imposing restrictions on a woman’s right to contraception, fertility treatment, and abortion prior to the point of fetus viability.

“As a church that allows abortion in cases of rape or incest and also supports IVF, we clearly don’t consider the loss of every fetus to be murder,” continues the letter, which is signed by the church’s regional area president Brigham Smithofferson. “You also might have noticed that rejecting this ballot initiative means denying women the level of choice even afforded them by the church’s stance on abortion. There’s a simple reason for these discrepancies: we haven’t really considered the facts around this and we don’t plan to. You don’t rise to this level in the LDS church hierarchy by wasting your mental energy on women’s issues.”

While experts agree that laws restricting abortion access increase maternal mortality rates even when theoretical exceptions exist to preserve the life of the mother, Smithofferson says a bit of maternal mortality is small potatoes next to the chance to continue dismantling Idaho’s healthcare system.

“Idaho has already lost more than a third of its OBGYNs in the last couple years thanks to its abortion bans,” he points out. “It’s time to finish the job and give the rest of them the boot, rising maternal mortality rates be darned.”

The LDS mothers who will die if the ballot measure fails were unavailable for comment.

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For legal reasons, we feel impressed to reiterate that this is obviously satire.

Click the link on our bio to donate to Idahoans United For Women & Families, the organization promoting Idaho’s ballot measure 1.

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Had a great experience presenting at the Mormon Mental Health Association conference and connecting with dear friends there and at Sunstone.

I presented on using a handful of Internal Family Systems (IFS) tools to help clients with faith issues, such as faith crisis, faith transition, mixed-faith marriage, or identity reconstruction.

Our therapy practice, @wasatchfamilytherapy had a beautiful booth there.

The last two pictures are me deciding to cut my own hair the night before presenting. 🤪😬😅

@mormonmentalhealthassoc
@sunstonemagazine

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Jelly nails & jelly shoes. 👠 ☀️

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Mormon Mental Health Association Conference 2026 was fabulous!
I learned, I taught, I loved, I hardly slept, I connected, and I feel genuinely fulfilled.
I met so many fabulous people that I now call friends. Love you ALLLL! 💕

I think I’m still recovering from the lack of sleep, but I wanna go back!

🌵 Currently scheduling in Arizona: Click the link in my bio to book a session or free consult call.

⛔️ Disclaimer: I’m a licensed therapist, but probably not your therapist. This content is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only and not actual therapy.

#mensmentalhealth #postmormon #deconstruction #religioustrauma #arizonatherapist

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In recovery from a few months of planning and a few days of executing. It was such a fun experience to be part of the conference committee this year, to see @shley.does.therapy spread her amazing wings and present like the psychotherapist rockstar she is, and to reconnect with so many of my favorite Utah humans. I can’t wait to get back to work and apply all the amazing things we learned. Already looking forward to next year. 🙏🏼

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I had the pleasure of attending and teaching at the Mormon Mental Health Association Conference this week.

In Utah, and particularly within communities shaped by faith, there are topics that can feel almost untouchable. Sex. Pornography. Desire. Orientation. Pleasure. Consent. Religious shame. Trauma.

But therapy has taught me something over and over again: what stays hidden often holds the most power.

Healing doesn’t happen because we pretend difficult topics don’t exist. It happens when people have a safe place to ask questions without fear of judgment. When curiosity replaces shame. When education replaces silence. When compassion replaces fear. When we make efforts to SHATTER SHAME.

My goal has never been to tell people what they should believe about sex. My goal is to help people build relationships—with themselves and with others—that are grounded in honesty, consent, connection, and emotional health.

I’m grateful to organizations that create space for these conversations and to everyone who showed up willing to listen, learn, and realize that these topics are much more complex than we sometimes realize.

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This is one of my favorite questions to answer because I genuinely believe that if you’re working with a therapist who is committed to supporting your autonomy, their religious beliefs matter far less than their ability to hold space for yours.

There are many incredible LDS therapists. I would encourage you to ask them directly how they would support you if your beliefs were different from theirs. Ask how they’ve worked with clients navigating a faith transition and how they recognize and manage their own biases. Their answers will tell you far more than their religious affiliation ever could.

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Part 1 w/ @ashleyb_therapy

See part 2 for the remaining! Technical difficulties arose.

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Be sure to listen to part 1. We had some technical difficulties arise, but we hopped back on. We talk about so many things in this one!

We talk about what happens when you’ve spent years questioning your body, your intuition, your desires, or your worth, and how that can shape the way you move through life, relationships, and even your spirituality.

Thank you @ashleyb_therapy be sure to check out her new course all about regulating your nervous system after leaving religion.

And when you are ready to decondition the “good girl”… I have a workshop perfect for you! ❤️😘 DM “challenge” and I’ll send it to you!

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I watched polygamy fail in my own family and still haven’t completely closed the door #podcast #tacoboutit #deconstruction

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@ashleyb_therapy Was incredibly fun to talk to! Very insightful and full of stories 🤯… #exmormon #therapy #deconstruction #religoustrauma

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