Peace and Blessings
I AM Nela Jaye
These are all pictures of me between the years 2010 – 2018. It was a blessing to find these few images because for many many years I believed that picture-taking was haram or forbidden.
For 27 years, I was a devout Sunni Muslim convert. My occupation in my religious community was not only as a worshipper, I was also a teacher. I lived in 3 Middle Eastern countries, learned Arabic fluently and studied Islamic law. Then I became a teacher and taught Arabic language and the Quran to many American Muslims, over the course of 15 years.
In 2018, I suffered an emotional breakdown. The following year, I experienced a profound faith crisis that shook me to my core. After 25 years of living as slave of Allah, I was forced to confront a painful truth: I knew religion, but I did not know God. Like the Pharisees that Jesus rebuked, I had become rigid in doctrine but spiritually disconnected. This awakening was the catalyst for both my emotional and spiritual healing journey—a process marked by grief, disillusionment, and ultimately, personal liberation.
“Deconstructing Islam” is the first category on my blog for a reason: it was the first layer I had to peel back to begin healing. I had to give myself permission to be curious again. I allowed myself to ask the forbidden questions and challenge every belief I had been taught. It was both terrifying and liberating. I reached devastating conclusions—ones that forced me to mourn not only a belief system but the identity I had built around it. This process, spanning three long years, was as satisfying as it was painful.
The grief I experienced during this period is something I would not wish on my worst enemy. I grieved the loss of certainty, of community, of my sense of spiritual “safety.” And yet, through the tears and the turmoil, I also discovered pieces of myself I had never known. For the first time, I began to separate who I was from what I had been taught. The pain was real, but so was the freedom that followed.
But this is about You, not me
Why Nela’s Nest Exists: A Sanctuary for Healing, Not a Spotlight on Me
What brought me here is not why I am here.
Yes, it was religious trauma that initiated my healing process but that is not why I am here.
Nela’s Nest isn’t really about me. My personal journey is not the destination—it’s the doorway. I only share my experiences to model the process, to create a space where others can feel seen, understood, and encouraged.
The true mission of this blog and YouTube channel is to support others in their healing from trauma—especially childhood and religious trauma. What I discovered on my journey was that the religious trauma I encountered wasn’t isolated. It was rooted in something older, deeper, and often more hidden: the unresolved wounds of childhood. The need to belong, to be safe, to feel loved and seen—when those needs go unmet in early life, they leave us vulnerable to spiritual systems that replicate those same patterns of control, shame, and fear.
Nela’s Nest is here as a sanctuary—a soft place to land for those who are doing the hard work of untangling their pain, asking deep questions, and reclaiming their worth. It’s about healing from the inside out. You are not alone. And your healing matters.
My content will speak to people with religious/ spiritual trauma who:
- want to break free from a controlling religion
- feel confused about Who God is and their relationship with God
- who has struggled with Islam or is in a challenging relationship with a Muslim
My content will also speak to anyone who has childhood trauma and:
- sees unhealthy patterns in their relationships
- has felt unaccepted or struggled with belonging
- fights, argues, complains, always feels like a victim
- often feels that their life is in chaos
- is a ‘people-pleaser’ that can’t say no
- has battled with low-esteem/ low self worth
Whatever your faith choice may be, I invite you to embrace healing by engaging in The Good Work and building your own healing toolbox.
Categories of Nela’s Nest
- Deconstructing Islam; this is meant to be a side topic of my platform, however it is the one that helped launched my faith journey. In these articles, I will discuss some of the most contraversial topics of Islam and offer my insights based upon knowledge, observation and experience.
- Healing & Recovery from Trauma: The Healing Toolbox These articles and videos will actually teach what to do to support your own healing process. Pick up the pieces, release the pain, change harmful patterns, and claim victory.
If any of these points resonate with you, then I invite you to join my email list, groups and upcoming workshops.
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Nela's Nest 