When Easter Isn’t Good News: Honoring Your Healing Process
by Luke Renner
For many, Easter is a joyful celebration—bright pastels, songs of triumph, and declarations of renewal. But for others, especially those healing from religious trauma, it can be a painful reminder of wounds still unhealed.
Celebrating Easter with unhealed trauma can feel like trying to leave a tomb with the stone still in place. Some resurrections are still happening—and that’s okay.
The pressure to engage in traditions that feel forced, inauthentic, or even unsafe is real. Many people who have stepped away from organized religion, or who are still reckoning with the harm it caused them, feel an unspoken expectation to participate. Family gatherings, church services, and cultural rituals can stir up deep discomfort, shame, or grief.
If the pastels, once-a-year churchgoers, extravagant outfits, and baskets of Easter grass feel inauthentic—or even unsafe—that could be evidence of trauma.
Healing means learning to listen to yourself. It means recognizing what nourishes your spirit and what doesn’t. You do not have to show up for traditions that diminish you. You do not have to force a celebration that feels hollow. Prioritizing your wellness is key, even when it means opting out of what others insist is a “good” thing.
If Easter feels uncomfortable or triggering, you can skip it. Hopefully, that’s good news too.
Luke Renner is a co-founder of the Religious Trauma Network.
To read more from Luke visit www.LukeRenner.com.
This article is not intended to treat or diagnose any condition. Luke is not a licensed therapist or clinician. Any advice or opinions given on this site are strictly individual observation and insights based on personal experiences and study. It should in no way take the place of professional assistance.