"What if I'm being deceived? What if I can't tell the difference between truth and trauma?"

If you've ever been terrified to trust what might be God's voice because of spiritual harm, this episode will change everything.

When you've experienced religious trauma, every spiritual voice starts to sound suspicious. But here's the beautiful truth Debra discovered: God's real voice sounds nothing like the voices that caused harm. Nothing like shame, manipulation, or fear.

In this second episode of our healing pillars series, you'll discover the profound difference between authentic divine guidance and the controlling voices that claimed to speak for God. Through tender storytelling about "the great contradiction"—how something can be filled with love while still causing deep harm—you'll learn to recognize God's true character.

This is Healing Pillar #2: Instill the Truth—where you discover who God really is when no one else is speaking for Him, moving through four powerful milestones that take you from feeling unloved and like a failure to understanding you're exactly who God created you to be.

In this episode, you'll discover: → Why God's voice honors your individuality and invites your whole heart—questions and all

The four milestones you'll explore: • Milestone 5: From "I'm Unloved" → "An Inexpressible Love Heals Me" (Sacred Sorrow)

Life-changing truth: God doesn't flinch at your raw emotions. He welcomes your full expression because nothing is too much for Him—not your fury, not your grief, not your questions.

Action Step: Practice bringing your whole heart to God—including your questions and struggles. Notice how this feels different from religious performance.

Healing Truth: Authentic faith isn't about silencing your inner voice—it's about learning to hear God's voice through it.

🎧 Ready to go deeper?

Have questions or want to connect? Email Debra at [email protected]

Coming Up Next: Healing Pillar #3 - "Create a New Story: Permission to Rewrite Your Faith Without Losing God." Discover how to step into the freedom God always intended for you.

Listener Love: If this episode helped you hear God's real voice of love, would you share it with someone who needs this gentle truth? And a quick review on Apple Podcasts helps more women find their way to spiritual healing. 💛

This isn't surface-level faith advice. It's soul-level restoration—designed for Christian women healing from religious trauma who long for inner peace, true connection with God, and trust in His gentle, loving voice.

HEALING PILLAR #1 OF A 3-PART SERIES

Have you ever walked away from church feeling heavy and confused—then immediately told yourself, "I'm probably just being too sensitive?"

If you've ever felt that spiritual discomfort but didn't have words for it, this episode is your gentle awakening call.

In this foundational conversation, Debra shares her own powerful story of finally finding language for her experience—that life-changing moment when her daughter sent a video that made everything click. Through tender storytelling and compassionate teaching, you'll discover why one in three adults carry religious trauma, yet most Christian women don't even recognize it's what they're experiencing.

This isn't about extreme cases you see on the news. It's about the subtle, quiet ways spiritual harm can happen—and why your sensitivity might actually be picking up on something that really was wrong.

In this episode, you'll discover: → What religious trauma actually looks like for faithful Christian women

The truth that will change everything: You can't heal what you can't name. Once you have language for your experience, everything can start to shift.

Action Step: Pay attention to how different spiritual messages make you feel in your body. Does this make you feel closer to God or farther away? Does it leave you with hope or with shame?

Healing Truth: Your confusion isn't rebellion. Your questions aren't lack of faith. Often, it's your soul recognizing that something claiming to represent God was actually misrepresenting Him.

🎧 Ready to go deeper?

Have questions or want to connect?

Email Debra at: [email protected]

Listener Love: If this episode helped you feel less alone, would you share it with someone who needs this gentle truth? And a quick review on Apple Podcasts is like a virtual hug that helps more women find their way here. 

This isn't surface-level faith advice. It's soul-level restoration—designed for Christian women healing from religious trauma who long for inner peace, true connection with God, and the freedom to ask honest questions without fear.

Research Referenced: Slade, D., Smell, A., Wilson, E., & Drumsta, R. (2023). Percentage of U.S. adults suffering from religious trauma: A sociological study. Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry, 5(1), 1-28.

Have you ever felt like healing made you the problem?

Like setting a boundary, asking a question, or even just taking a breath for yourself meant you were somehow being disloyal—to your church, your family, or even to God?

If so, this episode was made for you.

In today’s conversation, Debra shares a personal story of what it felt like to begin healing in an environment that didn’t make space for her needs, her grief, or her voice—and how she overcame the fear that her healing would cost her everything. Through heartfelt storytelling and gentle teaching, you’ll discover why this tug-of-war between guilt and growth is so common for women of faith… and why it’s not a sign that you’re falling away—but a sign that you’re waking up.

You’re not betraying your roots.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

→ Why obedience was often equated with silence—and how to reclaim your voice

Journal Prompt:

🎧 Mentioned in this episode:

Listener Love:

This isn’t surface-level faith advice.

What do you do when the very place that taught you to trust God…

If you’ve ever felt torn between your love for God and your fear of being hurt again — this episode is for you.

In today’s conversation, we’re stepping into one of the most tender questions: 

You’ll hear a deeply personal moment from my own journey — a time when I couldn’t pray, couldn’t open my Bible, and didn’t know who I was anymore. But it was in that quiet wilderness that something sacred began to shift. One raw, honest prayer became the doorway to restoration.

You’ll learn:

– Why spiritual trauma doesn’t mean you’ve lost your faith — but it may have damaged your sense of safety with God

Then we’ll explore three key steps for rebuilding trust in God after spiritual harm:

Step 1: Separate God from those who misrepresented Him

This isn’t about returning to old patterns or forcing belief you no longer feel.

And by the end, I’ll share three healing truths to carry into your week:

✨ You don’t have to rush trust.

🎧 Mentioned in this episode:

→ Take the free quiz at ReligiousTraumaQuiz.com to discover where you are in your healing journey and what’s been holding you back

→ Grab your copy of He Is Enough at HeIsEnoughBook.com — and get instant access to the audiobook, healing mini-course, weekly reading circles, and our support community for just $17

This isn’t surface-level faith advice.

You love God. You've stayed faithful.

In this episode, we're naming it.

This is the conversation so many Christian women never knew they needed — the one that finally gives you language for the silent struggles shaping your faith, your voice, and your sense of self.

You'll hear a raw, honest story about what happens when the life you built around service, devotion, and faithfulness… suddenly collapses. When everything you believed gets shattered — and you begin to wonder: Did I ever really matter?

Through lived experience and heart-centered teaching, Debra introduces a powerful framework called the 12 Hidden Barriers of Religious Trauma — the invisible beliefs that take root when spiritual harm is internalized as personal failure.

Inside this episode, you’ll learn:

– What the Hidden Barriers actually are — and how they silently form through shame, silence, and fear

Then we’ll take a gentle, powerful look at three of the most common hidden barriers women carry:

💔 “I’m Invisible” — the feeling that your worth is tied to how well you serve, not who you are

If you’ve ever wrestled with those messages quietly in your heart — wondering if it was just you — this episode will help you name what’s actually been happening underneath your faithfulness.

And it will leave you with this:

A new question to explore in your journal

You are seen.

🎧 Mentioned in this episode:

→ Take the free quiz at ReligiousTraumaQuiz.com to discover where you are in your healing journey and what’s been holding you back

This isn’t surface-level faith advice.

Have you ever walked out of a church service feeling anxious, heavy, or deeply unsettled—then immediately told yourself, “Maybe I’m just too sensitive?”

In this very first episode, I share a tender piece of my own story—about being shamed for my God-given enthusiasm—and the moment I finally realized I didn’t need to become smaller… I needed a bigger container.

We’ll unpack how spiritual sensitivity can actually be a sign of past religious trauma—not a flaw in your faith. I’ll walk you through 3 subtle but powerful signs that what you’re carrying may be more than just overreacting:

– When your emotions feel too big, even in “safe” spiritual spaces

By the end, you’ll understand the difference between spiritual conviction and internalized shame—and begin to gently name what’s been hurting underneath it all.

Journal Prompt: What have I been blaming on my sensitivity… that might actually be a wound?

Grab your copy of He Is Enough — my redemptive memoir and workbook-style healing guide for Christian women recovering from religious trauma: HeIsEnoughBook.com

Take the free From Pain to Possibility Quiz and discover your personalized healing path (plus get a bonus 3-part audio series): ReligiousTraumaQuiz.com

This isn’t surface-level faith advice.

Do you love God… but still feel anxious, disconnected, or confused around your faith? Are you a Christian woman who’s stayed faithful—but deep down, something still feels off?

You’re not alone.

In this heartfelt introduction to Healing Religious Trauma, spiritual healing coach Debra Shafer shares why this podcast was created—and what it means to begin healing without walking away from your faith.

This trailer isn’t just a preview. It’s a personal welcome. A soft place to land. A reminder that you're not crazy, not rebellious, and not broken for wanting more from your relationship with God.

Debra shares her own story of feeling spiritually homeless, holding it all together on the outside while unraveling on the inside—and what helped her finally begin to heal.

She also introduces some of the powerful tools you’ll hear more about in future episodes, including:

→ The 12 Hidden Barriers of Religious Trauma that keep even the most faithful women stuck

→ The 3 Healing Pillars and 12 Milestones of the Coming Home Journey

→ The 5 Stages of Spiritual Healing—from safety and self-awareness to breakthrough and wholeness

→ And a compassionate path forward rooted in Scripture, trauma-informed coaching, and embodied grace

Take a deep breath. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Start Here →Take the free quiz: From Pain to Possibility – Unraveling Religious Trauma Quiz

or go to RELIGIOUSTRAUMAQUIZ.COM

Discover how religious trauma may be affecting your life—and receive your personalized healing blueprint + bonus 3-part audio series.

Do you want to unravel your trauma, instill the real truth, and create a new story for your life—one that finally brings peace with God, yourself, and your faith?

He Is Enough is my transformational memoir and spiritual healing workbook, created for Christian women who are tired of pretending, shrinking, or performing their way to peace.

Inside, I share my own story of healing from religious trauma and spiritual abuse—while gently guiding you through your own.

This 168-page full-color book includes:

→ Reflective journal prompts to help you process what you’re feeling

→ Personal self-assessments to uncover how trauma has shaped your faith

→ Real-life case studies from other women on the path to restoration

→ And a tender but powerful invitation to begin healing, one layer at a time

You’ll also learn about the 12 Hidden Barriers of Religious Trauma that kept me stuck for years—and how God led me step-by-step to reclaim truth, peace, and a deeper relationship with Him.

🎁 For just $17, you’ll receive:

→ He is Enough Digital E-Book

→ The complete audiobook (read by me)

→ A 3-part mini-course: Truth Over Tradition

→ Live Reading Circle invites + bonus healing tools

→ Access to the Healing Religious Trauma Circle—a private community of women walking this journey together

Get the book & bonuses for $17

or go to: HEISENOUGHBOOK.COM

You don’t have to heal alone.

This isn’t surface-level faith advice.