religious trauma podcasts

Religious Trauma Podcast Haul

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Here are some podcast recommendations that deal specifically with religious trauma:

1.The Bad Christian Podcast: “asking questions and challenging evangelical Christianity and have found the same problems widespread across cultures where authenticity is low and desire to control people and their behavior is high.”

2. Can I Say This At Church Podcast: “A weekly podcast dealing with honest and open questions about faith in our God and what that means as we as a church wrestle with those questions.”

3. The Deconstructionists Podcast: “Listen, consider, explore, evolve, grow and keep moving forward… transcend AND include.”

4. Dirty Rotten Church Kids Podcast: “Millennial dads figuring out life, art, and culture on the other side of the evangelical bubble.”

5. Evangelical Podcast: “Coming to terms with a messed-up subculture, one conversation at a time.”

6. IndoctriNATION Podcast: “A weekly podcast covering cults, manipulators, and protecting yourself from systems of control.:

7. MindShift Podcast: “I am interested in helping people to reconstruct their identities after leaving religion, be it a cult, evangelical Christianity, or any group with undue influence.”

8. Poema Podcast: “Spirituality, creativity, and reclaiming the art of conversation.”

9. You Have Permission Podcast: “A resource for Christians to my right and to my left, as well as former Christians and non-religious folks; anyone who finds themselves asking difficult questions about God, science, prayer, fate, suffering, evangelism, and more.”

10. Deconversion Therapy Podcast: “The humorous podcast about religion.”

11. Exmormonology Podcast: “Because sometimes life after Mormonism needs a little study.”

12. God is Grey Podcast: “Conversations that promote intellectual, sex positive, science affirming Christianity.”

body image

Improve Your Body Image Satisfaction with Instagram… Seriously!

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Written by Rachel, Eichberger, our Masters of Science in Couples and Family Therapy Intern

How many times have you scrolled through social media platforms and been overtaken by a hopeless, discouraged feeling as images of thin-ideal, white bodies zoom past view? You’re not alone. These images of unattainable, altered body images seem to dominate algorithms and then contribute to viewer body dissatisfaction across genders and ages in the United States. For individuals identifying as female, “body dissatisfaction is pervasive with 91% of women indicating that they prefer an alternative body size or shape and this dissatisfaction remains relatively stable across the lifespan” (Wallis et al., 2021, p. 1). Ultimately, body dissatisfaction can lead to the “development of risk factors for eating disorders in adolescent girls, including body dissatisfaction, internalization of appearance ideals, drive for thinness, and dietary restraint (De Vries, Peter, de Graaf, & Nikken, 2016; McLean, Paxton, Wertheim, & Masters, 2015; Tiggemann & Slater, 2016). 1

So, what can be done?

It seems unrealistic to completely unplug from social media in our society. This presents an opportunity to determine if platforms like Instagram and Facebook can be used for a shift and positive change toward body image acceptance and self-love. Studies have shown that Facebook can indeed have a positive impact when harnessed correctly. For example, a study conducted with mothers in Australia demonstrated that after frequent views of non-thin ideal images and body positive content, participants may have decreased body dissatisfaction. Some of the moms set goals to “change attitudes and behaviors about body functionality, improved self-compassion, and reduction of internalization of the thin-ideal.” 2

If you find yourself seeking content that doesn’t leave you feeling ostracized, less-than, or even hopeless, consider following body-positive influencers for exposure to non-conformative content. Here are a few posted in “20 Body-Positive Instagram Accounts to Follow Right Now” by Kaitlin Pirie:

@theshirarose | Eating disorder therapist, LCSW + body positive style blogger. 🌈🦄 🏳️‍🌈 Fat positive + Health At Every Size. NYC ✈️ LA

@mynameisjessamyn | HBIC. @theunderbellyyoga @jessamynscloset. Author #everybodyyoga #yokebook. Podcast @dearjessamyn. Advocate @wegohighnc

@laura.iu | 🧁Anti-Diet Dietitian • She/Her 🌱Inclusive Nutrition Therapy • Intuitive Eating • Body Liberation ✨Learn how to feel good in the body u already have

@theantidietplan | 🛋 NYC Psychologist 📖 Author of The Diet Free Revolution 👇🏻

1. McLean, S. A., Wertheim, E. H., Masters, J., & Paxton, S. J. (2017). A pilot evaluation of a social media literacy intervention to reduce risk factors for eating disorders. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 50(7), 847–851. https://doi-org.echo.louisville.edu/10.1002/eat.22708

2. Wallis, K., Prichard, I., Hart, L., & Yager, Z. (2021). The Body Confident Mums challenge: a feasibility trial and qualitative evaluation of a body acceptance program delivered to mothers using Facebook. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 1–12. https://doi-org.echo.louisville.edu/10.1186/s12889-021-11126-8