Do you love God deeply but still feel anxious, overwhelmed, or unable to experience the peace you know He promises?
Have people you trusted—relationships you valued, or even places that should have been safe—left you feeling deeply wounded, guarded, and unsure who you can trust anymore, including yourself or even God?
Have you tried to pray the pain away, do all the right things, push through it, avoid it, or outthink it, yet still feel something unsettled deep inside?
Do you wish you could calm your mind and emotions, reset your nervous system, and finally experience peace with yourself and with God again?
I'm so glad you're here.
In this podcast, I'll help you make sense of what you've been feeling and why it's been so hard to get unstuck. We'll explore how painful experiences can affect your mind, body, and nervous system—and why the reactions you've been having actually make sense.
You don't have to figure this out alone. In each episode, I'll come alongside you, sharing insights from evidence-based, trauma-informed psychology thoughtfully integrated with the truth of the Christian faith. Together, we'll bring clarity to what you're experiencing, normalize the struggles you may have been quietly carrying, and explore practical ways to move toward the peace, emotional safety, and deeper connection with God that your heart longs for.
Hi, I'm Michelle.
I'm a wife, a mom, a dog mom, and a lifelong Christian, having been saved at the age of five, but that's also around the time when anxiety took root inside me. As I grew older, intrusive and ruminating thoughts, OCD behaviors, nervousness, and even panic attacks interrupted my peace and kept my mind and body on high alert.
I tried thinking better thoughts, focusing on Bible verses, casting down the lies of the enemy, praying harder, and even tried traditional talk therapy, but I couldn't get past the feeling that I was spiritually failing or had somehow made God mad.
However, after years of internal struggle, I eventually realized the problem wasn't that something was wrong with me or with my faith. The deeper issue was unaddressed trauma in my nervous system. You see, many of us can carry a tremendous amount of emotional, mental, relational, and even physical pain for a long time—until our bodies simply can't hold it anymore. The ways we learn to survive hard experiences often help us get through them, but they aren't always the same things that lead us into healing. And most of the time, we can't simply think our way out of it or pray our way through it alone. True healing often requires gently processing what our nervous systems have been carrying.
The beautiful part is that God designed our bodies with the capacity to heal. He created our minds and nervous systems with remarkable resilience, and over time, both science and Scripture have revealed wisdom that helps us participate in that healing process.
After becoming a licensed professional counselor and a trauma-informed, certified EMDR therapist—and after experiencing profound healing myself through excellent trauma therapy—I want you to know something very clearly: there is real hope for healing. And that hope is available to you, too.
Now, I have the privilege of helping Christian women just like you to find compassion and grace for themselves and as we work toward meaningful healing by helping you understand how your past experiences have shaped your present struggles, while also equipping you with practical tools and actionable steps to move forward with greater peace, clarity, and emotional safety in an environment where you are finally safe to be seen and heard just as you are, no shame, no guilt, just healing. If you are ready to finally understand what's happening inside you and to break free from the deep wounds that have been holding you back, I'm ready to help.
So, grab your favorite beverage, a box of tissues, and kick your self-criticism to the curb. It's time to pay attention to what you and your nervous system need to heal.
If you're ready to honor the beautiful creation you are, embrace God's truth about you and how He designed your nervous system to care for you, and learn practical ways to pay attention to your needs so you can heal and finally experience peace, let's get started.
Next Steps:
Go to Michelle's Private Counseling Practice Website (for those in Pennsylvania or willing to travel to PA for the duration of therapy): https://www.abundantfreedomcounseling.com/
e-mail Michelle: michelle@abundantfreedomcounseling.com
This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The content shared reflects personal opinions and general information and should not be considered therapy or a therapeutic relationship of any kind. If you are experiencing emotional distress or mental health concerns, please seek out professional care from a qualified mental health professional, and if you are in crisis, please go to your nearest emergency room, or contact your local police department or crisis intervention team in your area.
Copyright 2026 [Abundant Freedom Counseling, LLC]