Church is supposed to be a safe place where we can be transformed by the love of people and our God.

But for some people, nothing is further from the truth. 

Betrayal, abandonment, and shaming are all real experiences for many who hoped and believed better from a community of believers. Even worse, these disappointments combined with religious rules, have left many people further from God than where they started.

These traumas aren’t new, but the psychological impact they cause is just beginning to get the attention it deserves. In this episode, we begin the important conversation around this topic with mental health expert Lauren Eisleben.  A Christian, life-long churchgoer, and counselor who deals with religious traumas, Lauren's insights are both Biblical and practical for all those who have been hurt or know someone else who has been hurt by the church.

Meet Lauren:
Lauren Eisleben has a B.S. in Mass Communication/Print Journalism and an M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She worked in the marketing/advertising industry prior to starting her counseling journey in 2017. She also taught at the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri for 8 years. Lauren and her husband have three daughters and live in Columbia, MO.

Here are the highlights:

(2:00)  Why even dive into this messy conversation?

(6:15) What is the point of this episode and why we think it could be helpful for believers and unbelievers alike.

(14:00) Is it possible to love church and still understand how churches can be responsible for others' pain so that we can grow more secure in our faith?

(20:00) What happens when people start asking tough questions about our beliefs?

(25:00) How do we define "church"?

(28:00)  How do you respond when people share their questions with you?

(32:15) Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event. But what is religious trauma? 

(37:00) When our emotions overwhelm our logic, this happens.