Finding God

In this powerful and healing episode, Keana explores what legalism looks like in the church, how it distorts our view of God, and how to break free from fear‑based faith. If you’ve ever felt like you had to earn God’s love, perform perfectly, or follow endless rules to be accepted, this conversation will help you breathe again.

Keana gently unpacks the emotional and spiritual impact of legalism, explains why so many believers struggle with shame and anxiety around God, and offers a path back to a relationship rooted in love, grace, and freedom. This episode builds on last week’s message “Religion Cannot Save You, But God’s Love Can” and continues the journey of rediscovering God’s heart beyond religious pressure.

You’ll also receive five healing exercises to help you unlearn harmful beliefs, reconnect with God’s love, and rebuild your identity on truth instead of performance.

• What legalism actually is and what it is not
• How legalism shows up in church culture and teaching
• The emotional and spiritual wounds legalism creates
• Why legalism replaces relationship with rules
• How to separate God’s character from harmful religious expectations
• Practical steps to break free from fear‑based faith
• Five healing exercises to help you reconnect with God’s love

• “God Is Love” Reframing Practice
• Inner Child Compassion Prayer
• Scripture Detox Exercise
• Nervous System Reset for Spiritual Triggers
• Identity Rebuilding Journal Prompts

• What beliefs about God were shaped by fear instead of love
• Where have I confused religious performance with spiritual connection
• What parts of my faith feel heavy, pressured, or shame‑based
• What does spiritual freedom look like for me now
• What is one legalistic belief I’m ready to release

Legalism may have shaped your view of God, but it does not define who God is. God is not the author of fear. He is the source of freedom. You don’t have to earn His love. You just have to receive it.

📬 Contact Information for Keana W. Mitchell — Finding God Podcast 

🌐 Website 

Emory Rose 

https://keanawmitchell.com 

📘 Facebook Page 

Finding God 

https://www.facebook.com/FindingGod 

👥 Facebook Group 

Finding God Community 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FindingGod 

📸 Instagram 

Keana W. Mitchell 

https://www.instagram.com/findinggod2 

🎧 Listen to Finding God on RedCircle 

https://redcircle.com/shows/190efd66-2f1a-4c5f-861e-40ab89d4c41b 

📧 Email 

[email protected] 

🎵 Music Feature — Unique-ly Chosen 

New Music Coming Soon!!! 

This week’s episode is one of the most important and tender conversations we’ve ever had on the Finding God Podcast. We’re talking about how to support survivors of child sexual abuse in the church with honesty, compassion, and a trauma‑informed, faith‑centered lens.

This episode is for survivors, parents, church leaders, and anyone who wants to help create safer, healthier, more accountable faith communities. We explore the emotional, psychological, and spiritual impact of abuse, how to respond when a child discloses, and what true support looks like in the eyes of God.

✨ Episode Overview

In this episode, Keana breaks down:

• The long‑term effects of child sexual abuse
• How abuse in the church creates “double trauma”
• The A.R.E.S. framework (Adverse Religious Experiences Scale) created by Dr. Laura Anderson and Kyle J. Howard
• How ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) impact a child’s health, relationships, and spiritual development
• What survivors need most from parents, churches, and communities
• How to support healing on both a personal and spiritual level
• What to do when a child discloses abuse
• How to make a report and protect the child moving forward

This episode is gentle, non‑graphic, and deeply validating.

🔁 Recap of Last Week’s Episode

Last week, we explored grooming and manipulation tactics in the church — how offenders build trust, break boundaries, and use spiritual authority to gain access to children.

This week builds on that foundation by focusing on what happens after the harm and how we can respond with wisdom, accountability, and compassion.

🧠 Understanding the Impact of Abuse in Faith Settings

Featuring insights from leading trauma experts:

• Dr. Bessel van der Kolk — trauma lives in the body
• Dr. Judith Herman — recovery requires safety, remembrance, and reconnection
• Dr. Jennifer Freyd — betrayal trauma theory
• Dr. Dan Siegel — how trauma affects the developing brain

We discuss how abuse in the church affects a child’s:

• Emotional health
• Physical health
• Relationships
• Sense of self
• Ability to trust God
• Ability to trust spiritual authority

📘 A.R.E.S. — Adverse Religious Experiences

Created by Dr. Laura Anderson and Kyle J. Howard, the ARES framework helps identify harmful religious experiences that often compound trauma after abuse.

🌱 Free Resources from the Spiritual Trauma Institute

The Spiritual Trauma Institute offers additional free resources for survivors and supporters, including:

• Articles on spiritual abuse
• Healing guides
• Educational videos
• Community support tools

Access their free resources here:

👉 Religious Trauma Institute

This website offers both paid and free resources. This is a good resource because they offer free resources that would be valuable to survivors of spiritual abuse.

🌱 ACEs & Long‑Term Effects

We break down the CDC’s ACEs research and how child sexual abuse impacts:

Health

• Chronic illness
• Anxiety, depression, PTSD
• Sleep issues
• Emotional dysregulation

Relationships

• Trust
• Attachment
• Boundaries
• Self‑worth

Spiritual Life

• Fear of God
• Confusion about faith
• Difficulty engaging in church
• Feeling spiritually “broken”

💛 Healing on a Personal & Spiritual Level

Keana explores:

Personal Healing

• Trauma‑informed therapy
• EMDR
• Somatic healing
• Safe relationships
• Rebuilding self‑trust

Spiritual Healing

• Separating God from harmful people
• Reframing damaging teachings
• Allowing space for doubt
• Trauma‑informed pastoral care
• Rebuilding faith slowly and safely

🏡 What Churches & Parents Can Do

Churches

• Mandatory reporting
• Transparent child safety policies
• Trauma‑informed training
• Two‑adult rules
• Zero tolerance for secrecy
• Public support for survivors

Parents

• Believe your child immediately
• Stay calm
• Reassure them it’s not their fault
• Avoid leading questions
• Seek trauma‑informed therapy
• Maintain routines and safety

📊 Why Believing Children Matters

Research shows:

• Children rarely lie about abuse
• Being believed reduces PTSD
• Validation increases healing
• Supportive adults are a protective factor

Belief is not optional — it is lifesaving.

🚨 What To Do If a Child Discloses Abuse

Keana walks through:

Immediate Response

• Stay calm
• Thank them
• Believe them
• Avoid pressing for details

Reporting

• Contact Child Protective Services
• Call law enforcement
• Use your state’s child abuse hotline
• You do NOT need proof — only reasonable suspicion

After the Report

• Provide emotional support
• Maintain routines
• Seek trauma‑informed therapy
• Ensure safety from the offender

💬 Final Encouragement

Survivors: what happened to you was not your fault.

Parents and leaders: your response can change a child’s life.

The church can be a place of safety — but only when we choose truth, accountability, and protection over silence.

📬 Contact Information for Keana W. Mitchell — Finding God Podcast 

🌐 Website 

Emory Rose 

https://keanawmitchell.com 

📘 Facebook Page 

Finding God 

https://www.facebook.com/FindingGod 

👥 Facebook Group 

Finding God Community 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FindingGod 

📸 Instagram 

Keana W. Mitchell 

https://www.instagram.com/findinggod2 

🎧 Listen to Finding God on RedCircle 

https://redcircle.com/shows/190efd66-2f1a-4c5f-861e-40ab89d4c41b 

📧 Email 

[email protected] 

🎵 Music Feature — Unique-ly Chosen 

New Music Coming Soon!!! 

As part of our commitment to creating safer communities, safer churches, and safer spaces for children, I want to personally invite you to attend an upcoming free Darkness to Light Stewards of Children Training. This is the same nationally recognized, evidence‑based training we reference often on the podcast the one designed to help adults prevent, recognize, and respond to child sexual abuse in trauma‑informed and legally appropriate ways.

If you’ve been listening to the Finding God Podcast for a while, you know how deeply we value emotional safety, spiritual safety, and the protection of vulnerable people. This training is one of the most practical, empowering steps you can take to be part of that mission. Whether you’re a parent, ministry leader, educator, volunteer, or simply someone who wants to be better equipped, this training will give you the tools you need to make a real difference.

📅 Training Date:

May 7, 2026

🧠 Training:

Darkness to Light — Stewards of Children

🔗 Registration Link:

https://d2l.coalitionmanager.org/eventmanager/trainingevent/details/4490

During this training, you’ll learn:

• How grooming actually works

• How to recognize early warning signs

• How to respond if a child discloses abuse

• How to create safer environments in churches, homes, and communities

• How to take action in ways that protect children and support survivors

If you’ve ever wanted to be part of the solution — this is your moment.

I would love for you to join us.

This week, Keana W. Mitchell invites listeners into a powerful conversation about spiritual restoration and emotional clarity. Many of us were taught distorted versions of God’s character angry, distant, or conditional. These misrepresentations, whether through fear-based theology, religious trauma, or misused scripture, can deeply affect our mental health and spiritual intimacy.

In this episode, Keana explores how relearning God’s true nature kind, loving, and just can transform our emotional well-being and deepen our relationship with Him. Through biblical examples, psychological insights, and trauma-informed healing exercises, you’ll be guided back to the heart of a God who whispers grace, not fear.

🔁 Last Week’s Recap

Last week’s episode, “Healthy Giving vs. Financial Abuse in the Church,” unpacked how spiritual manipulation around money can distort our view of generosity and God’s provision. Keana explored the difference between peace-led giving and coercive tactics, laying the groundwork for this week’s deeper dive into God’s character.

📖 What You’ll Learn

• How distorted views of God affect mental health and spiritual connection
• Biblical stories where God revealed His true character
• How mercy and justice coexist in God’s love
• Clinical research on the emotional impact of misrepresenting God
• Five healing exercises to help you rediscover who God is to you
• How understanding God’s love can lead to emotional safety and spiritual intimacy

🛠️ Healing Exercises Included

Each practice is paired with a scripture for reflection:

1. God Image Journal – John 14:9
2. Scripture Meditation – Psalm 103:8
3. Prayer of Reintroduction – Jeremiah 24:7
4. Lyric Reflection – Zephaniah 3:17
5. Character Collage – Exodus 34:6

📥 Download the full healing guide in the show notes

🎶 Song of the Week

“God’s Love” by Unique-ly Chosen This song is a declaration of divine kindness, mercy, and justice. 🎥 Watch the lyric video in the show notes 📥 Healing guide available for download

🧠 Research Highlight

According to NeuroLaunch (2025), fear-based religious teachings can contribute to emotional dysregulation and obsessive behaviors. A study in the Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health found that secure attachment to a loving God correlates with lower anxiety and higher emotional resilience (Smith & Exline, 2023).

🔗 Resources & Links

• 🎶 Watch the lyric video for “God’s Love” by Unique-ly Chosen
• 📄 Download the Healing Exercises PDF:
• 📺 Subscribe to the Finding God Podcast on YouTube

💬 Connect with Keana

• Instagram: @findinggod2
• Website: www.keanawmitchell.com

✨ If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who’s ready to meet God again for who He truly is. Relearning His character isn’t rebellion, it’s restoration.

#FindingGodPodcast #GodIsKind #FaithHealing #SpiritualRestoration #TraumaInformedFaith #GodsLove #UniqueLyChosen #KeanaWMitchell

In this week’s episode of the Finding God Podcast, Keana W. Mitchell breaks down one of the most misunderstood and overlooked aspects of child protection in faith communities: grooming and manipulation tactics. These behaviors are often subtle, strategic, and wrapped in kindness, spirituality, or trust — which is exactly why they go unnoticed until harm has already occurred.

Building on last week’s episode about preventing child sexual abuse in the church, Keana explains what grooming is, what manipulation is, how they differ, and how they work together to create access, secrecy, and control. Drawing from leading psychologists such as Dr. Anna Salter, Dr. David Finkelhor, Dr. Diane Langberg, and Dr. Wade Mullen, this episode offers a clear, research‑based understanding of how predators operate — especially in faith‑based environments.

Listeners will learn how to recognize red flags, how adults can be groomed without realizing it, what grooming and manipulation look like inside a church setting, and how these tactics impact victims emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. Keana also provides guidance on how to respond if a child discloses abuse or if you suspect something is happening — with a strong emphasis on following state law and reporting immediately to the proper legal authorities.

This episode is gentle, educational, and empowering — offering clarity without fear and equipping believers to protect children with wisdom, courage, and compassion.

✨ In This Episode, We Cover:

🔹 Recap of Last Week’s Episode

• Why prevention must be proactive
• How churches unintentionally create vulnerability
• The importance of accountability, transparency, and child‑centered policies

🔹 What Grooming Is

• Research‑based definition
• Insights from Dr. Anna Salter, Dr. David Finkelhor, and Dr. Diane Langberg
• How grooming targets both children and adults
• Why grooming is a process, not a single event

🔹 What Manipulation Is

• Definition and examples
• How manipulation distorts perception and protects the abuser
• Faith‑based insights from Dr. Diane Langberg and Dr. Wade Mullen
• How spiritual language can be misused to silence victims

🔹 Grooming vs. Manipulation

• How they differ
• How they work together
• Why understanding both is essential for prevention

🔹 Red Flags to Watch For

• Grooming red flags
• Manipulation red flags
• Warning signs in adults who may be unknowingly groomed

🔹 How Adults Can Be Groomed

• Charm, service, and spiritual language
• How predators build trust in faith communities
• Why adults often overlook or dismiss red flags

🔹 What This Looks Like in a Church Environment

• Non‑graphic, realistic examples
• How abusers use ministry roles, mentorship, and authority
• How churches can unintentionally protect abusers

🔹 Effects on Victims

• Emotional, psychological, and spiritual impact
• Insights from trauma experts like Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and Dr. Langberg
• Why victims struggle with trust, faith, and identity

🔹 How to Respond to Disclosure or Suspicion

• Believe the child
• Stay calm
• Avoid leading questions
• Follow state law and report immediately to the proper legal authorities
• Why churches must not investigate internally

✨ Key Takeaway

Grooming and manipulation thrive in silence, confusion, and misplaced trust. Recognizing these tactics is one of the most powerful ways we can protect children, support survivors, and create churches that reflect the heart of God — a God who defends the vulnerable and stands with the oppressed.

✨ Next Week’s Episode

Join us next week as we talk about how to support victims of child sexual abuse — emotionally, spiritually, and practically.

✨ Connect & Share

If this episode helped you, share it with your church leaders, parents, caregivers, and anyone committed to protecting children.

Follow the podcast for more faith‑centered conversations on safety, healing, and truth.

📬 Contact Information for Keana W. Mitchell — Finding God Podcast 

🌐 Website 

Emory Rose 

https://keanawmitchell.com 

📘 Facebook Page 

Finding God 

https://www.facebook.com/FindingGod 

👥 Facebook Group 

Finding God Community 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FindingGod 

📸 Instagram 

Keana W. Mitchell 

https://www.instagram.com/findinggod2 

🎧 Listen to Finding God on RedCircle 

https://redcircle.com/shows/190efd66-2f1a-4c5f-861e-40ab89d4c41b 

📧 Email 

[email protected] 

🎵 Music Feature — Unique-ly Chosen 

New Music Coming Soon!!! 

In this powerful and necessary episode of the Finding God Podcast, host Keana W. Mitchell begins a 4‑part series on how to prevent child sexual abuse in the church. Building on last week’s discussion about understanding abuse within faith communities, this episode shifts the focus toward proactive, faith‑centered prevention.

Keana approaches this sensitive topic with compassion, clarity, and biblical grounding. She reminds listeners that protecting children is not only a moral responsibility but a spiritual mandate. Through Scripture, best practices from Darkness to Light, and practical guidance for parents and church leaders, this episode equips listeners to create safer, more accountable environments for children.

• Why prevention is essential for every church community
• How Scripture calls believers to protect the vulnerable
• The emotional and spiritual impact of abuse
• Best practices from Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children® program
• How to establish strong child protection policies
• The importance of training staff, volunteers, and parents
• How accountability structures reduce risk
• What parents can do to advocate for their children
• Why prevention is an act of love, stewardship, and obedience to God

• Matthew 18:6 — God’s warning about harming children
• Psalm 82:3 — Defending the weak and fatherless
• Proverbs 31:8 — Speaking up for those who cannot speak
• Hosea 4:6 — The importance of knowledge
• Ephesians 5:11 — Exposing deeds of darkness
• Isaiah 1:17 — Seeking justice and defending the oppressed
• Psalm 127:3 — Children as God’s heritage

This episode highlights several evidence‑based prevention strategies, including:

• Written child protection policies
• Mandatory background checks
• Two‑adult rule in all youth settings
• Visibility and open‑door policies
• Annual training for staff and volunteers
• Recognizing grooming behaviors
• Clear reporting procedures
• Accountability and oversight committees

These practices help churches create safer, more transparent environments where children can thrive.

Listeners are invited to access a free online training from The Healing Project, designed specifically for parents, volunteers, and church leaders. This training covers:

• Recognizing grooming
• Responding to disclosures
• Teaching children about safe and unsafe touch
• Understanding how predators operate
• Creating safer church environments

This is a valuable resource for anyone committed to child safety in faith communities.

Protecting children is a sacred responsibility. As Keana shares, prevention is not just a policy — it is a spiritual practice rooted in justice, compassion, and the heart of God. This episode empowers listeners to take meaningful steps toward building churches where children are safe, valued, and protected.

This month, Keana will explore:

• How church culture influences safety
• Leadership responsibilities
• Survivor‑centered responses
• Rebuilding trust after harm
• Long‑term strategies for creating safe churches

📬 Contact Information for Keana W. Mitchell — Finding God Podcast 

🌐 Website 

Emory Rose 

https://keanawmitchell.com 

📘 Facebook Page 

Finding God 

https://www.facebook.com/FindingGod 

👥 Facebook Group 

Finding God Community 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FindingGod 

📸 Instagram 

Keana W. Mitchell 

https://www.instagram.com/findinggod2 

🎧 Listen to Finding God on RedCircle 

https://redcircle.com/shows/190efd66-2f1a-4c5f-861e-40ab89d4c41b 

📧 Email 

[email protected] 

🎵 Music Feature — Unique-ly Chosen 

New Music Coming Soon!!! 

Episode: Understanding Child Sexual Abuse in the Church

Episode Summary

In this powerful and necessary episode, we explore the realities of child sexual abuse in the church — how it happens, why it continues, and what we can do to prevent it. This conversation is grounded in compassion, education, and truth, without graphic detail or sensationalism.

Using insights from Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children Training, we break down grooming behaviors, institutional patterns, and the systems that allow abuse to go unnoticed. We also discuss why children rarely disclose abuse and how adults can respond in ways that protect and empower them.

Because many listeners come from faith backgrounds, this episode also includes short, public‑domain Bible verses that affirm something essential:

✨ Protecting children is biblical.

✨ Reporting abuse is biblical.

✨ Exposing wrongdoing is biblical.

This episode is part of our April series for Child Sexual Abuse Awareness Month.

🧠 What We Cover in This Episode

• Why this topic matters (especially in April)

Understanding why churches are uniquely vulnerable and why awareness is essential for prevention.

• What child sexual abuse looks like in church settings

We explore:

• Abuse of power
• Grooming behaviors
• Manipulation disguised as mentorship
• Institutional silence and cover‑ups

• Why children don’t disclose abuse

Including fear, shame, confusion, loyalty, and spiritual manipulation.

• How abuse continues in churches

We discuss:

• Lack of policies
• Misuse of forgiveness
• “Handling it internally”
• Protecting the institution instead of the child

• The impact on survivors

Long‑term emotional, psychological, and spiritual effects — and why none of it is the survivor’s fault.

• What safe churches do differently

Including background checks, two‑adult rules, open‑door counseling, transparency, and mandatory reporting.

• Darkness to Light’s 5 Steps to Protecting Children (Summarized)

Listeners learn how to:

1. Learn the facts
2. Minimize opportunity
3. Talk about it
4. Recognize the signs
5. React responsibly

• Bible verses that affirm protecting children

Short scriptures that reinforce:

• Exposing wrongdoing (Ephesians 5:11)
• Protecting the vulnerable (Proverbs 31:8)
• The seriousness of harming children (Matthew 18:6)

📘 Listener Awareness Guide (Included in Episode)

This episode includes a trauma‑informed awareness guide covering:

• What child sexual abuse is
• How grooming works
• Signs a child may be experiencing abuse
• How to respond if a child discloses
• What safe churches put in place
• How parents can protect their children
• Encouragement for survivors

This guide is designed to empower adults and protect children in faith‑based environments.

💛 Key Takeaways

• Abuse thrives in silence — awareness is protection.
• Grooming is subtle and often looks like kindness.
• Children rarely lie about abuse.
• Reporting abuse is not betrayal — it is protection.
• Safe churches prioritize transparency, accountability, and child safety.
• Survivors deserve belief, support, and justice.

📬 Contact Information for Keana W. Mitchell — Finding God Podcast 

🌐 Website 

Emory Rose 

https://keanawmitchell.com 

📘 Facebook Page 

Finding God 

https://www.facebook.com/FindingGod 

👥 Facebook Group 

Finding God Community 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FindingGod 

📸 Instagram 

Keana W. Mitchell 

https://www.instagram.com/findinggod2 

🎧 Listen to Finding God on RedCircle 

https://redcircle.com/shows/190efd66-2f1a-4c5f-861e-40ab89d4c41b 

📧 Email 

[email protected] 

🎵 Music Feature — Unique-ly Chosen 

New Music Coming Soon!!! 

Episode Summary

In this deeply compassionate and grounding episode of the Finding God Podcast, Keana explores what it means to heal from abuse that happened in religious environments spaces that were supposed to reflect God’s love but instead became sources of fear, shame, or control. This conversation gently unpacks how spiritual abuse shows up, how it impacts our emotional and spiritual lives, and what it looks like to begin healing in a way that honors your pace, your story, and your safety.

Keana also recaps last week’s episode on recognizing legalism in the church, showing how legalism often becomes the doorway through which spiritual abuse enters a community. This episode offers clarity, validation, and hope for anyone who has ever felt spiritually disoriented or wounded by people who claimed to speak for God.

Key Takeaways

• Abuse is abuse even when it happens in a church or religious environment.
• Spiritual abuse often hides behind fear, shame, control, and misused scripture.
• Your emotional and spiritual reactions are valid and normal responses to trauma.
• Healing begins with naming what happened and separating God from harmful people.
• You are allowed to rebuild your faith slowly, gently, and at your own pace.
• God’s love is nothing like the behavior of those who misrepresented Him.
• You deserve spiritual spaces that honor your humanity, boundaries, and voice.

Reflection Questions

• What beliefs about God were shaped by fear rather than love?
• Where do you feel tension or peace when you think about your spiritual past?
• What practices or environments feel safe for you right now?
• What do you need in order to rebuild trust with yourself, with God, or with community?

Resources Mentioned

• Journaling prompts for processing spiritual trauma
• Trauma‑informed therapy and support options
• Practices for rebuilding spiritual rhythms gently and safely

Listener Reminder

Your healing matters. Your story matters. And God is not the voice that harmed you. Take your time, honor your pace, and know that you are not alone on this journey.

📬 Contact Information for Keana W. Mitchell — Finding God Podcast 

🌐 Website 

Emory Rose 

https://keanawmitchell.com 

📘 Facebook Page 

Finding God 

https://www.facebook.com/FindingGod 

👥 Facebook Group 

Finding God Community 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FindingGod 

📸 Instagram 

Keana W. Mitchell 

https://www.instagram.com/findinggod2 

🎧 Listen to Finding God on RedCircle 

https://redcircle.com/shows/190efd66-2f1a-4c5f-861e-40ab89d4c41b 

📧 Email 

[email protected] 

🎵 Music Feature — Unique-ly Chosen 

New Music Coming Soon!!! 

🎧 Episode Summary:

In this powerful episode of the Finding God Podcast, host Keana W. Mitchell explores how fear-based theology belief systems rooted in shame, punishment, and conditional love can deeply impact your mental and emotional well-being. Building on last week’s episode, Relearning God’s Character, Keana unpacks the psychological toll of viewing God through a lens of fear and control, and offers a path toward healing through truth, grace, and spiritual safety.

You’ll learn how fear-based theology can lead to anxiety, religious OCD (scrupulosity), depression, and even PTSD-like symptoms. Through biblical examples, psychological research, and trauma-informed insight, Keana contrasts fear-driven faith with the liberating power of love-based theology.

This episode also includes therapeutic healing exercises rooted in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and spiritual reflection to help you begin releasing fear and embracing the truth of God’s unconditional love.

🧠 Topics Covered:

• What fear-based theology is and how it shows up in everyday life
• Mental health disorders linked to fear-based religious beliefs
• Biblical examples of fear-based vs. faith-based theology
• CBT-inspired healing exercises for spiritual and emotional restoration
• How to reframe your view of God through love, not fear

✨ Healing Exercises Included:

• Thought Reframing with Scripture
• Safe Imagery Practice
• Affirmation Journaling
• Forgiveness Visualization

🎵 Featured Song:

“Have I Told You Lately” by Unique-ly Chosen A gentle, soul-soothing reminder of God’s love and presence. Listen now on the Finding God Podcast YouTube channel.

📲 Connect with Keana:

• Instagram: findinggod2
• Website: keanawmitchell.com
• YouTube: Finding God Podcast - YouTube
• Link to song on Sound Cloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/pfLl5mvMeOmiPKmESB

💬 Call to Action:

If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who’s healing from spiritual trauma. Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast, it helps others find this safe, nurturing space.

Episode Summary

This episode explores what happens when the place meant to nurture your soul becomes the source of your deepest wounds. Keana unpacks the reality of spiritual trauma, why it’s often hard to name, and how the body, mind, and spirit respond when harm is done in the name of God. Drawing from the work of leading trauma experts, this conversation helps listeners understand their experiences with clarity, compassion, and without shame.

What We Cover in This Episode

• What spiritual trauma is and why it’s often misunderstood
• How church hurt impacts the body, emotions, and nervous system
• Why naming the harm is the first step toward healing
• The difference between God and harmful religious systems
• How spiritual trauma affects identity, trust, and connection
• Gentle reflection questions to help listeners explore their own experiences

Insights from Leading Psychologists & Trauma Researchers

This episode integrates wisdom from respected voices in trauma science:

• Dr. Diane Langberg — Spiritual trauma as harm done in the name of God
• Dr. Judith Herman — Trauma as a violation of trust that overwhelms coping
• Dr. Bessel van der Kolk — Trauma’s imprint on the body and nervous system
• Dr. Stephen Porges — Polyvagal Theory and why spiritual triggers feel so intense
• Dr. Kristin Neff — Self‑compassion as a foundation for healing

These perspectives help listeners understand that their reactions are not spiritual failures they are human responses to harm.

Key Signs of Spiritual Trauma

• Anxiety or panic in church settings
• Fear-based relationship with God
• Shame or guilt tied to religious teachings
• Hypervigilance around pastors or authority figures
• Emotional numbness or shutdown during prayer or worship
• Confusion about what is “God” versus what is “church conditioning”

Reflection Questions from the Episode

Listeners are invited to gently explore:

• What parts of church once felt safe but no longer do?
• What beliefs created fear instead of freedom?
• When did your body first signal that something was wrong?
• What parts of your story have you minimized or dismissed?
• What would it feel like to tell the truth about your experience?

A Compassionate Reframe

Keana reminds listeners that:

• You are not weak for being hurt.
• You are not disloyal for naming what happened.
• You are not betraying God by acknowledging harm.
• God is not the trauma you experienced.
• Healing honors your dignity and your relationship with the divine.

Resources Mentioned

• The Body Keeps the Score — Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
• Redeeming Power — Dr. Diane Langberg
• Trauma and Recovery — Dr. Judith Herman
• Polyvagal Theory — Dr. Stephen Porges
• Self‑Compassion Research — Dr. Kristin Neff

Closing Encouragement

You are not alone. Your story matters. Naming spiritual trauma is not the end of your faith it’s the beginning of healing, clarity, and reconnecting with God in a way that is safe, grounded, and true.

📬 Contact Information for Keana W. Mitchell — Finding God Podcast 

🌐 Website 

Emory Rose 

https://keanawmitchell.com 

📘 Facebook Page 

Finding God 

https://www.facebook.com/FindingGod 

👥 Facebook Group 

Finding God Community 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FindingGod 

📸 Instagram 

Keana W. Mitchell 

https://www.instagram.com/findinggod2 

🎧 Listen to Finding God on RedCircle 

https://redcircle.com/shows/190efd66-2f1a-4c5f-861e-40ab89d4c41b 

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🎵 Music Feature — Unique-ly Chosen 

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In this week’s episode of the Finding God Podcast, Keana W. Mitchell explores what it truly means to worship without fear for those healing from religious trauma, spiritual manipulation, or environments where worship felt pressured or unsafe. This gentle, trauma‑informed conversation guides listeners back to the heart of worship: connection, honesty, and safety in God’s presence.

Keana begins with a grounding moment, then revisits last week’s episode on reconnecting with God after religious trauma. Drawing from leading trauma researchers like Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Dr. Stephen Porges, and Dr. Diane Langberg, she explains how trauma affects the nervous system and why worship can feel overwhelming even when the desire to connect with God is strong.

Through powerful biblical examples — David, Elijah, Hagar, Mary Magdalene, and the disciples  Keana shows how God consistently meets people in fear with gentleness, not pressure. The episode then explores what worship without fear looks like in real life and offers practical steps for creating spiritually safe, grounding worship practices.

This episode is a compassionate reminder that God’s presence is not a place of fear, but a place of refuge.

• Why worship can feel unsafe after religious trauma
• How trauma affects the body’s ability to feel spiritually safe
• Insights from leading trauma psychologists (van der Kolk, Porges, Langberg)
• Biblical stories of people who found safety in God’s presence
• What worship without fear actually looks like
• Gentle, practical steps to begin worshiping safely again
• Encouragement for reconnecting with God at your own pace

• God’s presence is a place of safety, not pressure
• Trauma can make worship feel overwhelming — and that’s normal
• Healing requires gentleness, not spiritual performance
• Worship can be quiet, slow, and deeply personal
• God meets you where you are, not where others expect you to be
• Small moments of connection matter and build over time

• Psalm 23; Psalm 34 — David finding refuge in God
• 1 Kings 19 — Elijah encountering God’s gentle whisper
• Genesis 16 & 21 — Hagar meeting “El Roi,” the God who sees her
• John 20 — Mary Magdalene and the disciples finding peace in Jesus’ presence

• van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score.
• Porges, S. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory.
• Langberg, D. (2015). Suffering and the Heart of God.

If this episode encouraged you, consider supporting the Finding God Podcast through the donation button on RedCircle. Your support helps keep these spiritually grounded conversations going.

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

This is the clearest biblical statement against manipulative or pressured giving. Healthy giving is chosen, not coerced.

“For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.”

This verse rejects teachings that demand giving beyond your means or equate poverty with disobedience.

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.”

Healthy giving respects your capacity and boundaries.

“Give, and it will be given to you… For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

This is about generosity as a heart posture, not a formula to manipulate God.

Jesus warns against giving to impress others and teaches that God honors giving done in sincerity.

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

This frames giving as compassion, not obligation.

Across Scripture, healthy giving is:

• Voluntary — not pressured or guilt‑driven
• Joyful — not fearful
• Proportionate — based on what you can give
• Private — not performative
• Compassion‑driven — not transactional
• Aligned with your heart — not forced by leaders

This directly contradicts financial manipulation, spiritual coercion, or teachings that tie God’s love or blessing to how much you give.

These verses protect:

• Your autonomy
• Your emotional safety
• Your financial boundaries
• Your relationship with God
• Your ability to give from love, not fear

They also affirm that God never asks you to harm yourself to prove your devotion.

📬 Contact Information for Keana W. Mitchell — Finding God Podcast 

🌐 Website 

Emory Rose 

https://keanawmitchell.com 

📘 Facebook Page 

Finding God 

https://www.facebook.com/FindingGod 

👥 Facebook Group 

Finding God Community 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FindingGod 

📸 Instagram 

Keana W. Mitchell 

https://www.instagram.com/findinggod2 

🎧 Listen to Finding God on RedCircle 

https://redcircle.com/shows/190efd66-2f1a-4c5f-861e-40ab89d4c41b 

📧 Email 

[email protected] 

🎵 Music Feature — Unique-ly Chosen 

New Music Coming Soon!!!