Why Shame-Based Faith Doesn't Work and What t Do Instead
Christian Emotional Recovery Resources Description "Shaming someone into action creates acting. Inspiring someone into action creates change." --Neil Strauss In Why Shame-Based Faith Doesn't Work and What to Do Instead, we talk about the impact of shame-based Christian teachings on trauma survivors, explaining how shame pressures us to “act” righteous without fostering true in...
TraumaTriggers
Episode Description In this voiceover video, we explore trauma triggers—specific stimuli that evoke intense emotional or physical reactions linked to past traumatic experiences. We clarify what trauma triggers are and provide examples, such as sensory inputs like sights or sounds that can lead to flashbacks or anxiety. For instance, a car backfiring may trigger a veteran, whil...
Types of Narcissists and How to Spot Them
Description: While it's easy to go down a rabbit hole on the concept of narcissism, it's good to be empowered and educated and protect yourself from narcissistic behaviors in certain others. Please keep in mind that having a certain level of narcissistic traits can be healthy in a balance. However, narcissism exists on a spectrum with some people having higher narcissistic tra...
Toxic Religious Phrases People Tell Trauma Survivors and What to Tell Yourself Instead
Description: Many well-meaning and sometimes not so well-meaning folks in churches, religious organizations, family, work, friendship, and social media will use several common phrases that are toxic to trauma survivors when they see them struggling. Most of us have heard some or all of these phrases at some point. These phrases can be dismissive and harmful, and they can even ...
Roles and Relationships in a Narcissistic Family Dynamics
Description: If you were raised in a family where people were narcissists or had high narcissistic traits, understanding the roles and relationship dynamics in a narcissistic family can help you understand your trauma and protect yourself now. When we say narcissistic family, this doesn't mean everyone is in the family has high narcissistic traits, but it means that one or mor...
What Does the Trauma Bond Have to Do With Cognitive Dissonance?
Description: Trauma bonding and cognitive dissonance help explain why people stay in bad relationships. Trauma bonding is when a someone becomes emotionally attached to their abuser. This often happens in relationships where the abuser switches between being nice and being cruel. Cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort felt when someone has conflicting thoughts or belief...
Twenty-One Ways to Protect Yourself as an HSP
Description: An HSP, or Highly Sensitive Person, is a person who has been proven by science to respond to the world differently. You may be more sensitive to light, sound, stimuli, people, and the emotions of others. Being an HSP comes with a unique set of gifts and challenges. While you are more attuned to the beauty around you, you may also be more aware of the dangers. In t...
Practicing the A.C.O.R.N Technique to Heal Shame
Description The nature of shame is unique, even among difficult emotions, because the mind tends to try to from hide shame more than any other emotion, meaning, we will disassociate or use denial to avoid our shame. Our mind does this because shame can be unbearable. The nature of shame is that we didn't do something wrong or make a mistake, it's that there is something wrong ...
Nine Recommended Platforms for Trauma Healing
Description: I often get requests for recommendations from trauma survivors about trauma healing counselors, programs, courses, books, and other resources. I also like to support other creators doing good work and helping people who experience trauma. In this video, we'll cover ten trauma recovery sites, courses, and/or programs that can help you heal trauma. Some of these are...
Practicing the A.C.O.R.N Technique to Heal Anger
Practicing the A.C.O.R.N Technique to Heal Anger The nature of anger is unique, even among difficult emotions, because anger tends to be layered with other difficult emotions, meaning, anger often covers up another, deeper emotion like sadness, fear, or shame. Anger is a way we protect ourselves and feel in control. As Christians, we're often taught that anger is "bad" or "wro...
Nine Pitfalls That Can Make Healing Hard and What to Do Instead
Sources: Ten Ways to Avoid Re-traumatizing Yourself When Trying to Heal-I referenced this video in the talk. This YouTube discusses strategies you can use to help you avoid retraumatizing yourself, while you also avoid specific pitfalls on this journey. Why Is Healing So Hard? Five Pitfalls That Kept Me Stuck in My Healing Journey by Rebecca Dollard in The We Spot is the artic...
The Connection Between Trauma and Chronic Illness Part 2
This video is a voiceover and the second in a two-part series on the connection between trauma and chronic illness. If you haven't watched "The Connection Between Trauma and Chronic Illness Part I," please go back and watch this first since it’s the first in the series and sets the foundation for this video. In this part of the series, we discuss ways to approach chronic illne...
The Connection Between Trauma and Chronic Illness Part 1
This video is a voiceover and the first in a two-part series on the connection between trauma and chronic illness. When you complete this video, check out Part II of this series that will drop two weeks after this one. While this is a complex topic, we keep it basic, discussing how our ACEs score, or Adverse Childhood Conditions can impact our physical health. By showing the c...
Five Facebook Channels You Need to Follow If You're in Trauma Recovery
In Five Facebook Channels You Need to Follow if You're in Trauma Recovery, we go over five channels that have helped me in my recovery experience. These channels take a compassionate approach, which is vital to recovery. We also discuss what to look for and avoid when following certain Christian channels, and red flags to look out for with those. I use an example to clarify th...
Attachment Styles
Video Description: Attachment styles impact every human interaction we have, and can even impact our relationship with God. The video describes what attachment styles are and how they impact our relationships. There are both healthy and unhealthy attachment styles. Our attachment styles are formed in childhood based on how those around us interacted with us and treated us. Any...
Why The Healing Journey Requires a Leap of Faith
Video Description: I started recording for another topic, and God put this talk into my heart. The nature of healing trauma is difficult and painful. You will see things you can never unsee. You will face a time in your life when you know there's no going back on this journey because it will change you forever. You will have to decide if you want to move forward in spite of th...
How Toxic People Use DARVO to Manipulate and How to Protect Yourself
Video Description: DARVO, or Deny Attack Reverse Victim and Offender, is an acronym for how toxic people will often manipulate others if they are confronted about an issue or wrongdoing. If you've ever been in this situation, you may confront an abuser, manipulator, or narcissist about their behavior, and somehow by the end of the conversation, you're the one apologizing to th...
S3 Ep 3 Real. Relevant. Relationship. The Role God Plays in our Recovery
Real. Relevant. Relationship. The Role God Plays in our Recovery Episode Description: Real. Relevant. Relationship.--The Role God Plays in our Recovery is a concept God put on my heart, and I didn't know what I would say until the podcast was recorded. The role God plays in our recovery is everything. Some will say if you aren't recovering from difficult emotions, trauma, depr...
S3 Ep 2 How Internal Family Systems Can Help You Heal Trauma
Episode Description: How Internal Family Systems Can Help You Heal Trauma describes a therapy called IFS for short, what IFS is, how it can help you heal trauma and difficult emotions, and how you can use this therapy for your own healing journey with a therapist or on your own. We learn about how IFS is broken down into parts and self, how these parts and self interact based ...
S3 E1: Twelve Steps Recovery and How it Can Help You Heal Trauma and Abuse
Episode Description: Welcome back! Twelve Steps Recovery and How it Can Help You Heal Trauma and Abuse is the first episode of the new season. Most people are familiar with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and how it helps those recovering from alcohol misuse, but many people don't know there are programs for other forms of recovery. We'll discuss what twelve-step programs are, how t...
What Will It Be in 2023?
Episode Description: Welcome to Season 3! I'm excited for a new season of Christian Emotional Recovery. This episode, What Will It Be in 2023? includes updates on Season Three of Christian Emotional Recovery--the podcast, Facebook group, and Youtube channel: • When will the new season be out and what updates will the podcast include? • What's new with the YouTube channel? • Wh...
S2 Ep 19: Tips to Cultivate Peace During the Holidays
Tips for Cultivating Peace During the Holidays In this episode, we discuss updates to the podcast and YouTube channel at the end of the year and in the new year. We also discussion strategies for cultivating peace, coping with stress, and dealing with difficult people and loneliness during the holidays. In this episode, we'll discuss the following: • Surviving holiday get toge...
S2 Ep 18: Ten Ways to Set Healthy Boundaries
Episode Description: This episode was adapted from a recent Youtube video "Ten Ways to Set Healthy Boundaries." Check out and subscribe to the Youtube channel linked below for more talks like this one not found in the podcast. This talk discusses what healthy boundaries are and what they are not. In the first half, we discuss what a boundary is using Henry Cloud's metaphor of ...
How to Deal With Manipulative People
Video Description: How to Deal With Manipulative People was created based on a listener request. If you're on this channel, there's a good chance your life has been turned upside down by a narcissist, abusive person, and/or manipulative person or people. This video discusses the differences between narcissists and manipulative people, where they overlap, and why its important ...
S2 Ep 17: Applying Polyvagal Theory to Heal Trauma and Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Trauma Recovery
This episode repurposes two related Youtube videos that contain visuals. If you would like to view these, feel free to watch the two videos with visuals instead, linked here ("Applying Polyvagal Theory to Heal Trauma" AND "Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Trauma Recovery"), OR you can consult the visuals linked below at these time intervals in the episode as you listen to the podca...
Ten Ways to Set Healthy Boundaries
Video Description: In this video, we discuss what healthy boundaries are and what they are not. In the first half, the video discusses what a boundary is using Henry Cloud's metaphor of property lines and why setting healthy boundaries is not only okay, but healthy. Setting boundaries is not selfish. You must set healthy boundaries to be a functional human being and to build l...
S2 Ep 16: Somatic Practices for Healing Trauma Part II: Practices You Can Do With a Professional
Episode Description: Somatic Practices for Healing Trauma Part II: Practices You Can Do With a Professional is Part II of a two-part series on somatic therapies for healing trauma. This series covers practices you can do on your own or with a professional. Somatic therapy is based on more recent research and generally more effective than talk therapy for healing trauma. It's b...
Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Trauma Recovery
Video Description: Vagus Nerve Stimulation is one way to help regulate your nervous system and heal trauma in the body. The Vagus Nerve, based on Polyvagal Theory regulates several systems in the body including our response to certain stimuli. If we get stuck in fight or fight or disassociation for extended periods of time because chronic abuse, trauma, and adverse experiences...
S2 Ep 15: Somatic Practices for Healing Trauma Part I: Practices You Can Do on Your Own is Part I
Episode Description: Somatic Practices for Healing Trauma Part I: Practices You Can Do on Your Own is Part I of a two-part series on somatic therapies for healing trauma. Somatic therapy is based on more recent research and generally more effective than talk therapy for healing trauma. It's basically another name for body work (AKA Somatic Experiencing®), or connecting with th...
Applying the Polyvagal Theory to Heal Trauma
Video Description: • Polyvagal Theory helps you understand how your nervous system works, how trauma gets stuck in your body, why you can't just "think" you way out of trauma, and how you can find ways to heal trauma by targeting it in the body. Understanding this system will help you know why trauma gets stuck in the body, and you can become aware of these states and start pr...
S2 Ep14: What to Do When the Past Comes Calling
Episode Description: What to Do When Your Past Comes Calling discusses what to do when old unhealthy habits, addictions, sins, and people who have contributed to trauma in your past show up unexpectedly and cause fear, PTSD, and temptation to fall into old patterns. While each of these are distinct experiences, they are also similar in that there is a temptation to go back int...
Practicing the A.C.O.R.N Technique to Heal Anxiety
Video Description: I've dealt with anxiety my whole life and know how scary and debilitating it can be. Especially if it's a or panic attack or CPTSD flashback, it can paralyze you so you can't do anything. Practicing the A.C.O.R.N Technique to Heal Anxiety discusses how this tool and other strategies can bring you back into body and bring your anxiety levels down. We discuss ...
S2 Ep 13: Ten Ways to Avoid Retraumatizing Yourself When Trying to Heal
This is the same content as the Youtube video Ten Ways to Avoid Retraumatizing Yourself When Trying to Heal repurposed as a podcast. Video Description: Trauma Recovery is tricky work, and it's easy in everyday life and when we're doing healing work with a therapist or on our own to unintentionally retraumatize ourselves through no fault of our own. Knowing what works and doesn...
Ten Ways to Avoid Re-traumatizing Yourself When Trying to Heal
Video Description: Trauma Recovery is tricky work, and it's easy in everyday life and when we're doing healing work with a therapist or on our own to unintentionally retraumatize ourselves through no fault of our own. Knowing what works and doesn't work is vital to trauma recovery. Most people don't understand the nature of trauma recovery, and even many well-meaning experts c...
S2 Ep 12: Childhood Emotional Neglect: A Hidden Epidemic
Episode Description: Childhood Emotional Neglect: A Hidden Epidemic illuminates the often hidden and confusing nature of childhood emotional neglect, also called CEN. If you feel like something is wrong with you, but can't put your finger on it, there is a possibility it could be childhood emotional neglect. Because of the hidden nature of childhood emotional neglect, many peo...
A Little of My Own Story: How I Use My Own Struggles With Trauma for Healing and Growth
Video Description: In this video, I share a little bit of my own story, particularly the challenges faced in the last few years, how these difficulties have impacted me, and how I've used these experiences to help me heal the traumas of these moments and traumas from the past. In the last three years in particular, life has tested my faith and resilience to the limits, and I'v...