Inclusion as Spiritual Practice: Amber Cantorna-Wylde Interview (Safe Spiritual Spaces Interview Series)
Another installment in an interview series about what makes a safe/healthy spiritual space
Welcome back to the Safe Spiritual Spaces Interview Series, where we hear from writers, artists, therapists, clergy, practitioners, and other voices who do work at the intersections of spirituality, creativity, and justice. For each post in this series, I’ll ask our guests the same four questions, and they will share from their wisdom, experience, and research.
Today, we welcome Amber Cantorna-Wylde!
Tell us a little about your work…
I’m an author, speaker, and coach working with people coming out of religious trauma and specialize in supporting LGBTQIA+ people who come from conservative faith backgrounds. I create safe spaces for marginalized people and help them navigate away from toxic spaces and into places that feel healthy and lifegiving where they can be their full selves and love who they are. One of the places I do that is through an online community I lead called the Unashamed Love Collective. Through both my writing and my speaking I strive to teach people the importance of full inclusion and provide tools that enrich people’s lives in ways that help them heal from the trauma they’ve experienced and embrace the diversity that makes them so rich and beautiful.
In your experience and/or research, what are some of the things that make a spiritual space safe?
In my opinion, inclusion is the number one priority of creating a safe space. It’s important to create an environment where people of all marginalized identities can come and feel like they belong. That is true not only for LGBTQIA+ people, but for people of color, people with disabilities, people who are immigrants or are neurodivergent or polyamorous. We can’t be champions of one marginalized group without being champions of all marginalized groups. Making spaces where people feel like they belong is what makes people feel safe.
What advice would you give to someone looking for a safe spiritual space after religious trauma?
Trust your gut. Read and listen to people who are further along in the journey than you. Glean from their wisdom and experience. Don’t do anything that doesn’t feel right to your body and spirit. You deserve to heal from all that’s harmed you.
Anything else you’d like to share about this topic or your current projects?
My third book, Out of Focus: My Story of Sexuality, Shame and Toxic Evangelicalism recently released and is aimed at helping queer people heal from religious trauma. It’s now available in paperback, audiobook, and e-book format.
I’m also launching a new one-on-one coaching program in January for those looking for individual guidance and support on their journey. You can learn more or join the waiting list at AmberCantornaWylde.com.
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Please join me in thanking Amber for her words and wisdom. And you should definitely go check out her book and all the other resources she shared here today!
May we all find and extend safety, healing, and inclusion in whatever spaces we inhabit!
In Wonder,
Kandi Zeller (she/her)