A Liminal Space

February 23, 2026

What If I’d Driven Away? Learning Self-Compassion When You Can’t Forgive Your Own Choices

What if one different choice could have changed everything? Through the lens of a moment sitting outside a church in a minivan, this post explores what it really means to stop punishing yourself, listen to the parts of you that are exhausted, and discover that self-compassion — not self-criticism — is the only way forward.… Continue reading

Parts Work, self-compassion, Trauma Recovery work

belonging, childhood trauma, healing from shame, healing through writing, hope, hurt people hurt people, inner critic, Internal Family Systems, mental health, peer support, recovery, religious trauma, second chances, self-compassion, self-forgiveness, spiritual abuse, survivor stories, trauma Informed, trauma recovery, you are not alone
February 22, 2026

The Robin on the Fence

What if nothing is missing at all? What if everything we’re searching for is already here, and we simply can’t see it because we keep looking somewhere else? Inspired by Francis Weller’s In the Absence of the Ordinary, this post is an invitation to slow down, notice what’s right in front of you, and consider… Continue reading

slower living, soul care

authentic living, belonging, coaching, community, consumption, emotional health, francis weller, grounded living, healing-journey, In the Absence of the Ordinary, indigenous wisdom, inner work, Liminal space, meaning making, mindfulness, nature, noticing beauty, ordinary life, peer support, present moment, religious trauma, rites of passage, robin, slow living, slowing down, soul care, spiritual bypassing, spiritual deconstruction, trauma recovery, what is missing
February 13, 2026

Love Is the Answer to Darkness

A visceral dream on Valentine’s Eve revealed a mansion on a cliff, buzzards circling, and a message I couldn’t ignore: Love is the answer to darkness. Sometimes what looks like it’s tearing you apart is exactly what will set you free. Continue reading

dreams, healing-journey, spiritual reflections, trauma recovery

#courage, darkness and light, dreams, Gothic, healing, hope, love, shadow work, Stephen King, survivors, transformation, trauma, Valentine’s Day, vulnerability
February 11, 2026

Part 2: How Environment Shapes Us—From Worm Theology to Finding Ourselves

How can I know what parts of me are shaped by my environment? And what parts of me are who I really am? As an adopted child who later joined an evangelical church, I’ve learned that worm theology doesn’t just teach you about God—it teaches you who you’re supposed to be. And unlearning that is… Continue reading

personal journey, religious trauma recovery, sacred healing

adoption, appeasement, authentic self, belonging, Christian trauma, conformity vs authenticity, control burning, deconstructing faith, Dr K, environment and identity, evangelical church, exvangelical, faith transition, finding yourself, fundamentalism, Healthy Gamer GG, identity formation, Jesus and pushback, nature vs nurture, Newfoundland, peer support, religious conditioning, religious deconstruction, religious trauma, Religious trauma syndrome, self discovery, sinner saved by grace, spiritual abuse, toxic religion, trauma coaching, trauma recovery, worm theology
February 9, 2026

Beyond the Bubble: What Two Halftime Shows Taught Me About Belonging

I’m not a football fan, but I watched the Super Bowl for the halftime shows. What I saw revealed something far more important than entertainment: two visions of belonging in America. One triggered memories of my evangelical past—the thin bubble of shared beliefs that burst when I stepped outside the lines. The other showed people… Continue reading

Religious Trauma, Community & Belonging, Cultural Commentary, Personal Reflection, Trauma Recovery

authentic belonging, Bad Bunny, belonging, Brene Brown, church hurt, community, cultural values, dehumanization, division, evangelical church, finding community, halftime show, religious trauma, shared beliefs, Super Bowl, survival vs thriving, trauma response, tribal thinking, true belonging, unity through diversity
February 6, 2026

The Roundabout: Why Religious Trauma Keeps Us Circling

Isn’t it strange that the same religion teaching about the unconditional love of Jesus attaches a long list of expectations to those who follow him? Toxic religion is like having a parent who says they love you unconditionally but expects you to perform in a certain way to get what you need. Continue reading

religious trauma, sacred healing, trauma recovery

carl jung, Christian trauma, complex grief, conditional love, deconstructing faith, emotional regulation, exvangelical, faith transition, francis weller, fundamentalism, grief work, healing from religion, IFS, inner child work, Internal Family Systems, mindfulness, nervous system regulation, peer support, post-religious, presence, recovery journey, religious deconstruction, religious trauma, Religious trauma syndrome, self-awareness, somatic awareness, spiritual abuse, spiritual healing, staying present, toxic religion, trauma coaching, trauma recovery, trauma survivor, unconditional love, worm theology
January 29, 2026

A Prayer of Complaint, Petition, and Resolution

A prayer born from threshold moments—naming consumption as the shadow we refuse to see. For survivors learning the difference between being fed and being fed upon. Continue reading

religious trauma recovery, sacred healing, sexual abuse, shadow work, spiritual abuse recovery, trauma recovery

collective shadow, consumption, embodied trauma, enough, Hansel and Gretel, IFS therapy, inner child work, intergenerational trauma, prayer, prophetic witness, redemption, religious trauma, shadow work, survivor witness, trauma recovery
January 26, 2026

A Table for My Enemies

“I have spent so much of my life closing and barring the door to the parts of myself I find unacceptable. I’m realizing as I get older how much energy it requires to continue to push on this door to prevent it from breaking open. Sitting on my desk is a little golden table—a sacred… Continue reading

authentic living, belonging, complex trauma, Deconstronstruction, faith and religion, healing and recovery, healing process, Internal Family Systems, mental health, Mental Wellness, regret, religious abuse, Religious PTSD recovery, religious trauma recovery, self discovery, self trust, spiritual abuse recovery

complex trauma, deconstruction, Finding Home, francis weller, healing-journey, Internal Family Systems, Parts Work, regret, religious trauma, self-acceptance, self-compassion, shame, spiritual abuse, survivor stories, trauma recovery
January 10, 2026

When Pain Has No Place to Land

Maybe you grew up knowing instinctively that your pain wasn’t safe to share. That if you brought your scraped knees and bruised hearts to your caregivers, somehow you’d end up taking care of them instead. It wasn’t your job to absorb someone else’s volcanic grief. It never was. You can care without carrying it. Continue reading

peer support, personal stories, sacred healing, trauma recovery

childhood trauma, emotional healing, grief rituals, healthy boundaries, intergenerational trauma, parentification, peer support, trauma recovery
January 9, 2026

The Healing in Contracting and Expanding

What do you need today to best take care of yourself? This is the question I asked myself this morning. So much feels heavy when I open social media. So much chaos in the world. But my own needs don’t stop just because the world is in a mess. How much can I hold? What… Continue reading

sacred healing

francis weller, healing, healing-journey, Here are suggested tags for your blog post: grief, mental health, the wild edge of sorrow