REST: Recovering from Spiritual Trauma

About REST: Recovering from Spiritual Trauma

Spiritual Trauma has been defined as occurring when a person's religious experience is stressful, degrading, dangerous, abusive, or damaging. I am a mother joined by my adult daughter as we discuss our family’s story of recovering from spiritual trauma. In each episode of REST we will share our experience of 17 years in a church community with a high-control culture within the denomination of the OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Church). Thankfully we are now on a journey toward true soul rest. We welcome your feedback and stories. You can reach us at the.rest.podcast.info@gmail.com

Publisher

Emily Shepherd

Category

health & fitness · kids & family · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Jan 2024

Latest episode

14 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 34 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   14 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   When Christians Choose Suicide: Carol’s Story

   Host [Host Name] shares Carol's poignant story of suicide within the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, exploring her son's insights into her tragic choice.

2. 

   12 Jul 2026

   Guest Interview | Dr. Ann Maree Goudzwaard on domestic & spiritual abuse

   Send us Fan Mail Dr. Ann Maree Goudzwaard joins me today to share her story of spiritual abuse as well as her work as an advocate for women in abusive situations. She is the founder and Executive Director of Help[H]er, a nonprofit ministry that produces rich resources, offers comprehensive training, and provides specialized care for women in crisis in Christian organizations. She works to ensure that women receive compassionate, informed, and scripturally sound care. She holds a Doctor o...

3. 

   20 Jun 2026

   Guest Interview: Stephanie Chernyavskiy & Abuse in the OPC | Part 3

   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 Statement to the Presbytery of the Southeast, September 2025 Stephanie's Supporting Witnesses list Stepha...

Inside a recent episode

When Christians Choose Suicide: Carol’s Story

Published 14 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Anyone today trying to keep the old covenant law, even just the Ten Commandments, will find it is a futile endeavor as taught in Galatians chapter 3. Utterly cursed is every person who fails to carry out every detail written in the book of the law. And Carol knows this. She is feeling it. She is living it. She has never been free from it. I believe this curse of the law hounded her and robbed her of the peace of Christ to the point of suicidal depression. At this point, Carol is being medicated by a physician with a drug called trazodone. It's an antidepressant. and one of the side effects is possible suicidal ideation, such that anyone with any history of suicidal thoughts should never take trazodone. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.1 / 5

59 ratings

Spotify

3.8 / 5

47 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 20 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

13

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

67

Contact REST: Recovering from Spiritual Trauma

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Does not typically book guests

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