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Do you love God—but feel like you’re slowly drifting away from Him, and you don’t know why? Are you scared that questioning your church—or your faith—might mean losing everything you love? Do you constantly second-guess your emotions, your voice, even your own intuition—wondering if you’re the problem? Are you exhausted from trying to be good enough, faithful enough, spiritual enough… and still feeling like you fall short? Do you feel spiritually homeless—longing for a safe space where you can be honest, messy, and still welcomed with open arms?
If that all sounds a little too familiar, take a deep breath. You’ve found a place to land.
Healing Religious Trauma is a podcast designed to help you:
1. Rebuild your relationship with a safe, loving God.
2. Feel emotionally and spiritually safe enough to ask honest questions.
3. Hear God’s voice for yourself—without fear, shame, or outside filters.
4. Let go of guilt and reclaim your voice, your worth, and your inner peace.
5. Find a gentle, supportive space where spiritual transformation and healing are real and faith still matters.
Hi, I’m Debra.
A woman of faith who spent decades trying to earn God’s love by doing everything “right.” I was the helper, the volunteer, the spiritual overachiever. But underneath all the striving, I felt disconnected—from God, from myself, and from the woman I longed to be.
Like so many of the women I now serve, I kept trying to pray harder, serve more, and fix myself—hoping the fog would lift, the guilt would fade, and I’d finally feel close to God’s love again. But none of it worked.
What changed?
I finally realized that it wasn’t my faith that was failing—it was the version of it I’d been handed. The one rooted in fear, control, and silence. So I started to untangle the lies, listen for God’s true voice, and walk in the kind of healing that leads to spiritual freedom—not fear.
And the outcome?
I created the kind of compassionate, honest, Spirit-led healing journey I couldn’t find anywhere else. One that doesn’t ask you to throw everything away—just to lay down what was never yours to carry. And that’s exactly why this podcast was born.
If you’re ready to untangle what’s been keeping you stuck—and find real, spiritual healing that doesn’t ask you to lose your faith in the process—this podcast is for you.
Each episode will help you rebuild your trust in God, rest from spiritual performance, and rediscover the voice you were never meant to silence.
You’ll hear real stories, soul-grounded teaching, and healing truths rooted in compassion and true connection.
You can't heal what you can't name.
Take the Quiz – Uncover which of the 12 Hidden Aftershocks of religious trauma are keeping you stuck—and get your FREE Essentials Starter Kit: my book, mini-course, reading circle, and community of women who get it. ReligiousTraumaQuiz.com
Join the Coming Home Journey – Go from stuck to free. From exile to home. Find your voice, heal your faith, and finally feel close to God again. Six months of group coaching through the 5 Phases of Healing. TheComingHomeJourney.com
No perfection required. Just bring your questions and your favorite tea. This space was made to feel like home.
ABOUT
Debra Shafer is a spiritual healing coach for Christian women and the creator of the Coming Home Journey—a gentle, soul-level pathway to help women untangle religious trauma, rebuild trust in God, and find peace without walking away from their faith. As the founder of the Healing Religious Trauma Circle, Debra brings together decades of experience in personal ministry, Biblical psychology, and trauma-informed mentoring. She knows what it’s like to love God deeply while wrestling with fear, shame, and silence. Known for her voice of gentle clarity, healing, and truth, she now walks women home to the God they always hoped was real. Around here, the tea is hot, the wisdom is hard-won, and no question is off limits.
Episodes
Wednesday Sep 03, 2025
Wednesday Sep 03, 2025
"What if I told you that you have permission to rewrite your story—your faith story, your relationship with God, even your understanding of who you're meant to be—without losing the God who loves you?"
If that sounds impossible because you've been taught that questioning anything means losing everything, this episode will set you free.
God isn't threatened by your growth. He's actually been waiting for you to step into the fullness of who He created you to be.
In this final episode of our healing pillars series, Debra shares her powerful moment when God told her "it's time for you to get a life!"—and how she chose to live and love like she was never broken. You'll discover that creating a new story isn't about throwing away your faith—it's about stepping into the spiritual freedom God always intended.
This is Healing Pillar #3: Create a New Story—where everything you've unraveled and all the truth you've instilled finally gets to live and breathe in your actual life, moving through four incredible milestones that take you from feeling like you don't have enough or you're too much to standing absolutely unshakeable in who God created you to be.
In this episode, you'll discover: → How to move from spiritual scarcity to living from divine abundance
→ Why your "too much" nature was actually divine fire expressing through your unique gifts
→ How your scars aren't disqualifications—they're credentials for your calling
→ Why you don't belong because of where you are—you belong because of who you are
→ What it means to live like you were never broken (even though you were)
The four final milestones you'll explore: • Milestone 9: From "I Don't Have" → "I Encounter Genuine Experiences On My Spirit-Led Path" (Fearless Journey)
• Milestone 10: From "I'm Too Much" → "Navigating Authentic Relationships With Divine Boundaries" (Divine Bonds)
• Milestone 11: From "I'm Unworthy" → "The Tapestry Of Transformation Has Woven Wisdom And Beauty Into My Life" (Heart's Unveiling)
• Milestone 12: From "I Don't Belong" → "I Will Not Be Moved" (Fortress of Strength)
Life-changing revelation: You were born with a size eight foot, but you were given a size seven shoe. You didn't need a smaller container—you needed bigger spaces that honored your divine design.
Action Step: Ask yourself, "What would it look like to live and love like I was never broken?" Notice what comes up—both the excitement and the fear.
Healing Truth: Your foundation isn't in systems or people's approval; it's in God's unchanging love for you. You don't belong because of where you are—you belong because of who you are.
🎧 Ready to go deeper?
→ Grab your copy of He Is Enough at HeIsEnoughBook.com — your redemptive memoir and healing guide plus audiobook, mini-course, reading circles, and support community for just $17
→ Join the Coming Home Journey at TheComingHomeJourney.com — experience all three healing pillars in a six-month guided journey to unravel the trauma, instill the truth, and create your new story
Have questions or want to connect? Email Debra at debra@healingreligioustrauma.org
Series Complete: You've now heard all three healing pillars—Unravel, Instill, and Create. These pillars are a lifelong journey of coming home to the God who has been loving you all along.
Listener Love: If this series helped you see that your new story can be more beautiful than you imagined, would you share it with someone who needs this permission? A quick review on Apple Podcasts helps more women find their way to spiritual freedom. 💛
This isn't surface-level faith advice. It's soul-level restoration—for Christian women healing from religious trauma who long for inner peace, spiritual freedom, and the courage to step into who God created them to be.
Wednesday Aug 27, 2025
Wednesday Aug 27, 2025
"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 difference between rigid religious rules and God's life-giving principles
→ How your "too sensitive, too analytical, too emotional" nature is actually divine design
→ Why you matter so much that Jesus tailors His approach specifically to you
→ How to trust God AND trust your own intuition—because He created both
The four milestones you'll explore: • Milestone 5: From "I'm Unloved" → "An Inexpressible Love Heals Me" (Sacred Sorrow)
• Milestone 6: From "I'm a Failure" → "I Navigate My Path With Correct Principles" (Divine Principles)
• Milestone 7: From "I'm Different (Wrong Way)" → "Discover the True Science of Salvation" (Heavenly Algorithm)
• Milestone 8: From "I Don't Matter" → "The Divine Healing Methods of Jesus" (Sacred Parts Restored)
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?
→ Take the free quiz at ReligiousTraumaQuiz.com to discover your personalized healing path and get a bonus 3-part audio series
→ Grab your copy of He Is Enough at HeIsEnoughBook.com — your redemptive memoir and healing guide plus audiobook, mini-course, weekly reading circles, and support community for just $17
→ Join the Coming Home Journey at TheComingHomeJourney.com — experience all three healing pillars in a six-month guided journey to unravel the trauma, instill the truth, and create a new story
Have questions or want to connect? Email Debra at debra@healingreligioustrauma.org
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.
Wednesday Aug 20, 2025
Wednesday Aug 20, 2025
HEALING PILLAR #1 OF A 3-PART SERIES
→ The four healing milestones that guide you from trauma to freedom
→ How to move from "I'm invisible" to "My soul is seen through glimpses of grace"
→ Why your survival patterns weren't character flaws—they were brilliant adaptations
→ How to separate God from those who misrepresented Him
• Milestone 2: From "I'm Not Enough" → "I'm Enough" (True Motivation)
• Milestone 3: From "I'm Bad" → "I'm Surviving Wisely" (Awareness)
• Milestone 4: From "I'm Not Safe" → "I'm Free" (Standing Free)
→ Take the free quiz at ReligiousTraumaQuiz.com to discover your personalized healing path and get a bonus 3-part audio series
→ Grab your copy of He Is Enough at HeIsEnoughBook.com — your redemptive memoir and healing guide plus audiobook, mini-course, weekly reading circles, and support community for just $17
→ Join the Coming Home Journey at TheComingHomeJourney.com — experience all three healing pillars in a six-month guided journey to unravel the trauma, instill the truth, and create a new story
Wednesday Aug 13, 2025
Wednesday Aug 13, 2025
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
→ Why we've been taught to blame ourselves instead of recognizing harmful patterns
→ The difference between God's loving conviction and the voice of condemnation
→ How to start trusting your inner compass again—without fear
→ Why questioning doesn't make you rebellious (it makes you brave)
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?
→ Take the free quiz at ReligiousTraumaQuiz.com to discover your personalized healing path and get a bonus 3-part audio series
→ Grab your copy of He Is Enough at HeIsEnoughBook.com — your redemptive memoir and healing guide plus audiobook, mini-course, weekly reading circles, and support community for just $17
Have questions or want to connect?
Email Debra at: debra@healingreligioustrauma.org
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.
Wednesday Aug 06, 2025
Wednesday Aug 06, 2025
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.
You’re returning to the truth of who God created you to be.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
→ Why obedience was often equated with silence—and how to reclaim your voice
→ How “faithfulness” was distorted into self-abandonment
→ Why healing doesn’t mean dishonoring the people you love
→ What Jesus actually modeled about restoration, boundaries, and love
→ How to begin trusting your own inner compass—without fear
Journal Prompt:
What part of me is afraid that healing will cost me love or approval?
🎧 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
Listener Love:
If this episode spoke to your heart, would you share it with someone else who needs it?
And if you’re willing, a quick review on Apple Podcasts helps more women find this space and feel a little less alone. 💛
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, and a safe, loving relationship with God.
Wednesday Jul 30, 2025
Wednesday Jul 30, 2025
What do you do when the very place that taught you to trust God…
is also the place that made you afraid of Him?
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:
Can I trust God again… after what happened?
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
– The 3 gentle steps that helped me begin rebuilding trust without pressure, performance, or pretending
– How to create space for spiritual connection that honors your emotions, your pace, and your healing
– A journal prompt to help you begin separating God’s true voice from the voices that wounded you
Then we’ll explore three key steps for rebuilding trust in God after spiritual harm:
Step 1: Separate God from those who misrepresented Him
Step 2: Reconnect through safe, non-performative rhythms
Step 3: Let your emotions become part of your faith — not barriers to it
This isn’t about returning to old patterns or forcing belief you no longer feel.
It’s about creating a new foundation — one rooted in truth, tenderness, and spiritual safety.
And by the end, I’ll share three healing truths to carry into your week:
✨ You don’t have to rush trust.
✨ You’re allowed to bring your grief into your faith.
✨ God never asked you to shrink to be loved.
🎧 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.
It’s soul-level restoration — designed for Christian women healing from religious trauma who long for inner peace, true connection, and a safe, loving relationship with God.
Tuesday Jul 22, 2025
Tuesday Jul 22, 2025
You love God. You've stayed faithful.
But something inside still feels broken, heavy… or lost.
And no one ever told you why.
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
– Why being “faithful” hasn’t healed the ache underneath
– How to recognize the invisible beliefs keeping you stuck in spiritual self-doubt
– And why naming what’s been true for you is the first step toward freedom
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
💔 “I Don’t Matter” — the belief that your pain is a burden, and your needs come last
💔 “I Don’t Belong” — the ache of feeling spiritually homeless, even in a place that preaches belonging
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
A deeper truth to plant in your spirit
And the hope that your healing is not the loss of your faith — it’s the recovery of everything it was always meant to be
You are seen.
You do matter.
You do belong.
🎧 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 receive the audiobook, mini-course, weekly reading circles, and private support community for just $17
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, and a safe, loving relationship with God.
Thursday Jul 10, 2025
Thursday Jul 10, 2025
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
– When you blame yourself for not having enough faith
– When rest, boundaries, or honest questions trigger fear or shame
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?
Healing Truth: You are held, seen, and protected by a God who never needed you to shrink.
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.
It’s soul-level restoration—designed for Christian women healing from religious trauma who long for inner peace, true connection, and a safe, loving relationship with God.