REST: Recovering from Spiritual Trauma

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I continue my conversation with Stephanie Chernyavskiy, a woman who grew up in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and suffered under its abuses. She has also told her story on this podcast which would be a good preview to our interview. Here are all the links we discuss in the interview: Full report of her case by the Presbytery of Southeast, OPC Stephanie's Sta...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I continue my conversation with Stephanie Chernyavskiy, a woman who grew up in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and suffered under its abuses. She has also told her story on this podcast which would be a good preview to our interview. This was initially recorded in December 2025 but due to counsel she was advised not to publish until after the OPC General Assembly...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I interview Stephanie Chernyavskiy, a woman who grew up in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and suffered under its abuses. She has also told her story on this podcast which would be a good preview to our interview. This was initially recorded in December 2025 but due to counsel she was advised not to publish until after the OPC General Assembly which was held June...

Send us Fan Mail She’s back! My daughter joins me again in this episode and we unpack our family’s story of regret around tithing. She gives us the perspective of a child growing up in a high control church culture, a perspective rarely if ever heard or heeded.  We welcome all feedback. You can reach us at the.rest.podcast.info@gmail.com Follow us on I nstagram and Facebook

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, the history of Christian tithing is fully explored and its Biblical claims examined.  Statistics quoted in the episode come from The Religion Business , a 7-part investigative docuseries that exposes a growing problem in the nonprofit and religious sector—lack of transparency and oversight. Through investigative reporting and real-world cases, it reveals how well-...

Send us Fan Mail I’m back today with Mike Adams of the UnSunday Show . A former pastor, he left organized religion once he discovered just how free he really is in Jesus under the New Covenant. He now seeks to “unsunday” the modern church by sharing his story on his UnSunday Show podcast and YouTube channel. If you’ve ever wondered just what Christians should -and should not- be doing with Sunday...

Send us Fan Mail Our guest for this episode is Theresa Garcia Robertson, one of 5 girls - now women- who were abused by a pastor or elder in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) and specifically the Presbytery of the Southeast (PSE). Her story first broke on the Sons of Patriarchy podcast which you can listen to here: Sons of Patriarchy episode Apple Podcasts Sons of Patriarchy episode Spotify p...

Send us Fan Mail Our guest for this episode is Brian Lee: pastor, coach, and speaker as well as a survivor of spiritual abuse and religious trauma.  He has spent his time since leaving vocational ministry in 2021 working to provide recovery and resources for fellow victims and survivors via the creation of an online healing platform called Broken to Beloved. He hosts a multi-day virtual Annual Sum...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Season 3! In this kickoff episode I welcome poet Brittany Hart as she shares excerpts from her new book, Surviving Wonderland: A Journey Beyond Control.   She is an author and poet who writes at the intersection of spiritual trauma, recovery, and the slow rebuilding of a liberated self. Her debut collection, Surviving Wonderland: A Journey Beyond Control , transforms he...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I continue my conversation with the husband and wife grace team, Mike and Susan Adams, hosts of the podcasts The UnSunday Show and The Grace Café . In the last episode, they each shared their stories of how they met Jesus and why they started their podcasts. In this episode we focus our conversation on the covenants found in the Bible.  We will be discussing the wa...

Send us Fan Mail I’m thrilled to welcome guests Mike and Susan Adams, who self- identify as the husband and wife grace team. They are the creators and hosts of 2 podcasts: The UnSunday Show , which asks honest questions about the origin and validity of institutional church rules, traditions, and practices. They engage in conversations around the freedom we’ve been given apart from empty religious...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I’m joined again by my daughter as we discuss the interview I recently posted in S2E4 with Dr. Andrew Bauman, author of Safe Church: How to Guard Against Sexism and Abuse in Christian Communities . You can find all of Dr. Bauman’s resources here: Andrew's website Follow him on Facebook and here on Instagram Buy the Safe Church book here Other abuse support: Ou...

Send us Fan Mail I’m thrilled to welcome to this episode Dr. Andrew Bauman. A therapist and author, he is Founder & Director of the Christian Counseling Center For Sexual Health & Trauma alongside his wife Dr. Christy Bauman.  Andrew is the author of 7 books including The Sexually Healthy Man,  Stumbling Toward Wholeness, and The Psychology of Porn . We will be discussing his newest book S...

Send us Fan Mail My daughter joins me again as we unpack the last episode where I interviewed Peter Bell of the Sons of Patriarchy podcast. We discuss how the exposure of abuse stories by the SOP resonated with our own experiences in that denomination.  You can find all the offerings for abuse survivors by the Sons of Patriarchy here: Sons of Patriarchy Apple podcast   Sons of Patriarchy YouTube S...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I interview Peter Bell, creator of the Sons of Patriarchy podcast which is described as : “What happens when biblical patriarchy, christian nationalism, and a theology of authority and submission become the pillars of a movement? Scores of abuse stories in marriages, schools, churches, families, and more.” Sons of Patriarchy Apple podcast   Sons of Patriarchy YouTu...

Send us Fan Mail This is the first episode of our second season. You’ll find the bulk of our story in the episodes of season one. I am joined again by my daughter on this kickoff episode as we reflect on season one and share the direction the podcast will take from here.  We welcome all feedback and want to hear your stories. You can reach us at the.rest.podcast.info@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail I'm going solo again in this episode, reviewing a book by Pastor Terran Williams called How God Sees Women: The End of Patriarchy. It explores the roots of Christian patriarchy and how culture- not the Bible- has formed much of the Church's opinions of women over the centuries. Here are the other links mentioned in this episode: The Danvers Statement Interview: What happ...

Send us Fan Mail We wrap up our conversation with Cait West, author of RIFT:  A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy . Cait's Instagram Cait's Facebook Cait's website Below you'll find resources Cait suggests for engaging in a healing journey from spiritual trauma: Tears of Eden Survivors Discuss podcast For those interested in exploring the transition of Old Coven...

Send us Fan Mail We are honored to be joined by Cait West, author of RIFT: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy. My daughter and I dialog with her about the book and the story behind it, as well as our shared connection to the same high control denomination where we encountered harm. You can find RIFT here Cait's Instagram Cait's Facebook Cait's website As always, we...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we continue with part 2 of our book review of the new memoir by Cait West called RIFT. We pick up with discussing the views both in the book and in our former congregation around singleness, courtship, and marriage. If you are needing resources related to mental health and/or spiritual trauma, find links below that have been personally helpful to us: RIFT by Cait W...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discuss a new spiritual trauma memoir called RIFT.  The author grew up in the same denomination that we left and therefore we each find her book insightful and relatable.  RIFT by Cait West purchasing link Cait's Instagram page As always, we welcome your feedback and comments. You can reach us at the.rest.podcast.info@gmail.com.

Send us Fan Mail I'm going solo in this episode, sharing the story of my life that led me to join a high control religious (HCR) community. Our stories always lead the way and to attune to them and their power over our choices is to gain clarity. Here are the links mentioned in this episode: Rift by Cait West All. Things. New Instagram page As always, we welcome your comments and feedback at...

Send us Fan Mail This is the final installment of my conversation with a former member of the same church we left. In the past two episodes she has shared some of the reasons they were attracted to the church in the first place as well as  aspects of her childhood story of religious trauma that she was beginning to see in this church’s culture. In this last chapter my guest shares the final red fl...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I continue my conversation with another former member of the same church community we left.  She shares in particular how she suffered under religious trauma as a child in a patriarchal home and how it both impacted and clarified her experience in this rigid faith community. Here are links to the resources mentioned in the episode: ⁠Cultivating Kids, Enriching Pare...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I am joined by a guest who was also a member of the same high- control church. She shares her family's attraction to the community in the first place and what were some of the initial red flags that ultimately led to their departure. This episode does discuss spanking and other sensitive topics so may not be appropriate for small children. Link mentioned in ep...