The Healing Power of Liberation: Addressing Spiritual Trauma and Reclaiming Your Inner Voice
For many of us, faith is a deep, personal journey that shapes who we are. But what happens when that journey leaves us wounded? When spiritual spaces that should have been nurturing and safe instead caused harm?
Spiritual trauma is real, and it often goes unspoken. I know more than many because in my career I was a Board Certified Chaplain and Ordained Presbyterian USA Minister of Word and Sacrament.
As a BCC, we undergo significant postgraduate clinical training and rigorous education in identifying, assessing, and prescribing plan-of-care to our patients, their families, the clinical staff, and really anyone we come across showing the signs and symptoms of spiritual injury.
As a BCC, my job is not to convince you or change your mind when it comes to things like "faith;" it is my job to meet you where you are, assess these specific areas that help encompass your whole emotional, mental, and physical health and help you start towards the path of healing and wholeness of body, mind, and spirit.
I cannot tell you how many people I have worked with in my career who have faced significant spiritual injury and trauma. There are a LOT.
If you resonate with this out of the gate - even if you don't - I've created an interactive QUIZ and GUIDE to support this week's podcast that just dropped earlier today.
The Spiritual Mind Shift: A Guide to Healing & Transformation
You can grab your FREE QUIZ and GUIDE at the link above.
With this FREE Guide you can Start Your Journey of Spiritual Healing & Self-Discovery Today
In a world where spiritual beliefs can lift us up or hold us down, it’s essential to understand how our experiences shape us—sometimes in ways we don’t even realize.
Whether you’ve experienced spiritual injury and trauma or are simply seeking to explore your beliefs more deeply, this guide is designed to help you uncover hidden pain points, embrace healing, and step forward with clarity and confidence.
You don’t have to navigate this journey alone.
Whether you’re part of a marginalized group, have been hurt by rigid dogma, or experienced abuse within a religious system, it’s vital to recognize that these wounds deserve attention—and healing.
That's what I want to address today in my post, AND what my incredible guest in today's episode dives deep into: Pod E13 - Spiritual Trauma & Empowering Marginalized Voices with The Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber
In this week’s episode of The Art of Managing Your Brain Podcast, I had the privilege of speaking with The Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber, author of Queering the American Dream and founder of Tehom Center Publishing, a company devoted to amplifying BIPOC, queer, and feminist voices. Together, we explored what it means to break free from harmful spiritual narratives and find liberation through resilience, storytelling, welcome, and self-compassion.
This blog post is a chance to dive deeper into these ideas and offer you a powerful starting point on your own path to healing and liberation. Let’s walk through the concepts of spiritual trauma, liberation, and how you can begin the first steps of reclaiming your voice today.
What Is Spiritual Trauma?
Spiritual trauma occurs when a person’s deeply held beliefs are violated by a religious or spiritual authority figure or community. It leaves deep scars, often leading to feelings of shame, guilt, anger, or a sense of unworthiness. For those who are part of marginalized communities—BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, women—the trauma can be further amplified by oppressive theological frameworks that reinforce societal structures of inequality and harm.
The Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber refers to this as the intersection of faith and marginalization, where theology has often been used as a weapon against those already oppressed by the world. For many, the message has been that your identity—your very being—is incompatible with a loving God. And that’s not just harmful—it’s false.
This is the basis of much who struggle with spiritual injury and trauma trace the roots to.
Recognizing the Signs of Spiritual Trauma
To begin healing from spiritual trauma, it’s important to recognize its effects in your life. Below are some common indicators that you may be carrying this trauma:
1. Feeling disconnected from your spiritual practice or faith community.
2. Internalized guilt or shame based on your identity or life choices.
3. Struggling with feelings of worthlessness or unworthiness.
4. A history of religious manipulation or emotional abuse by spiritual leaders.
5. Fear or anxiety surrounding religious spaces or discussions.
6. Difficulty separating your faith from the institution that hurt you.
7. Being the victim of harmful yet unclear microagressions, implicit biases, and a sense of not belonging in a space you believe you should be welcomed in.
If any of this is still resonating with you, know that you’re not alone.
Healing is possible—but it starts with acknowledging the trauma and reclaiming your own voice.
Liberation Theology: A Path Toward Healing
One of the most powerful tools for healing from spiritual trauma is the framework of liberation theology. Originating in the context of Latin American social movements and popularized by theologians like Gustavo Gutiérrez, Katie Cannon, and James Cone, liberation theology centers on the belief that God is aligned with the oppressed and holds a "preferential option for the poor." It challenges the systems of power that have historically marginalized people and instead advocates for justice, equality, and freedom.
As Dr. Yarber puts it, liberation is about reclaiming your sacred worth and refusing to accept any theology that dehumanizes you. Tehom Publishing embraces this message, providing a platform for those who have been silenced for far too long.
Your voice matters—and liberation theology teaches us that we are worthy of love and belonging, exactly as we are.
3 Steps to Begin Your Healing Journey Today
1. Acknowledge the Hurt: Recognize that your pain is real and valid. Spiritual trauma can be subtle, but its effects are lasting. Take time to reflect on the areas where your spiritual experiences have harmed you, and give yourself permission to feel those emotions.
2. Reclaim Your Own Theology: Part of healing from spiritual trauma is reclaiming your spiritual voice. This doesn’t mean you have to abandon your faith. Instead, it’s about reshaping your beliefs in a way that empowers and supports your true self. Your identity is sacred—and your spirituality should reflect that. Consider a moment you might categorize as of the "spiritual." A pitch black sky alight with stars. A walk in nature. An event you just know couldn't be a "coincidence." We have all experienced such things. Think about how those moments made you feel - maybe not so alone; maybe the things that were weighing on you suddenly felt so small - remember that there is good in the world and tapping into that hope is your system of faith.
3. Engage in Community: Healing is not a solitary process. Find communities or resources that support your journey of liberation. Whether it’s finding a faith community that aligns with your values or connecting with others who have walked a similar path, community is crucial to healing.
Reflection Questions for Your Healing Journey:
1. In what ways has your spiritual journey felt harmful or disconnected?
2. What messages from your spiritual past no longer serve you?
3. How can you begin to reclaim your spiritual identity in a way that reflects your true self?
Interactive Exercise: Reclaiming Your Spiritual Voice
Take a few minutes to write down your answer to this question:
What would my spiritual practice look like if it truly aligned with my deepest values - not those of anyone else or any socialized belief I have been told I "should" believe?
• What elements would you keep?
• What beliefs or practices would you release?
• How can you start making small shifts toward this more aligned spiritual practice today?
Pro Tip: Begin with Compassion
Healing from spiritual trauma can be a long, winding road. As you engage in this work, remember to treat yourself with compassion. Growth takes time, and it’s okay to move at your own pace. Allow yourself grace as you navigate this journey.
Conclusion: A Path Toward Liberation
Spiritual trauma can leave us feeling fractured, disconnected from the divine, and unworthy of love. But by embracing the liberation theology framework, we can begin to heal and reclaim our sacred identity.
Whether your trauma stems from rigid dogma, exclusionary practices, or spiritual abuse, you have the power to take your healing into your own hands. This isn’t about rejecting faith—it’s about embracing the idea that you are worthy of belonging, love, and spiritual wholeness.
Join us in this ongoing conversation about spiritual liberation on The Art of Managing Your Brain Podcast this week and learn how to reclaim the sacred power that lives within you. You deserve nothing less.
Talk soon,
~ C
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The Spiritual Mind Shift: A Guide to Healing & Transformation
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