Emotional Abuse Archives

Natalie Hoffman Flying Free Podcast Episode 382 with the text “What's Gaslighting? How to Spot the Subtle Signs You're Being Manipulated Part One”

What’s Gaslighting? How to Spot the Subtle Signs You’re Being Manipulated Part One [Episode 382]

August 4, 2026

Today we’ll talk about one of the most disorienting experiences Christian women in emotionally abusive marriages face: gaslighting.

But we aren’t going to just define what gaslighting is. I’m going to break it down into all the tiny parts and give you some specific stories so you can see exactly what’s going on and WHY.

You’ll learn three specific tactics gaslighters use, why they use them, and what you can do to stay grounded in your own reality when someone is working hard to pull you out of it.

Taking a Break!

July 28, 2026

Episode 42 is a different kind of episode. No topic, no script. Just Diana and me sitting down for a conversation about what’s happening in our lives right now and what’s coming next for this podcast.

Life changes fast, even for the women who help other women navigate life’s hardest changes.

Natalie Hoffman and Tia Levings, Flying Free Podcast Episode 381 - Can You Fully Recover from Religious Trauma?

Healing From Religious Trauma: A Survivor’s Roadmap with Tia Levings [Episode 381]

July 21, 2026

Tia Levings is the New York Times bestselling author of A Well-Trained Wife and her newest book, I Belong to Me. She survived a Christian patriarchy cult, escaped a near murder-suicide, was excommunicated for telling her own story, and spent 15 years in intensive trauma therapy doing the work to put herself back together. Now she’s handing you the map to healing from religious trauma.

In this episode, Tia and I dig into the real mechanics of religious trauma recovery: why your body refuses to believe you’re safe even when your brain knows it, what “aftermath” actually means (it’s an agricultural word, and it will change how you see your own devastation), why grief work is not optional, and what agency has to do with the entire trajectory of your healing.

How to Feel Safe Again After Divorce

July 14, 2026

Last week was the why. This week is the what now. In Part 2 of this conversation, Natalie Hoffman and Diana Swillinger get practical about what it actually takes to move your nervous system from a state of constant threat management into something that feels like real life. And they go somewhere unexpected: the resistance to joy itself.

This is not a list of lofty advice. These are specific, doable practices that teach your body moment by moment that it is safe to let its guard down. There is also a deeper question: is “survival mode” even still the right story for where you are now?

What if “Biblical Womanhood” is Actually a Trauma Response? [Episode 380]

July 7, 2026

Let’s talk about something called “the subjugation schema.” It’s a clinical pattern that secular psychologists are actively trying to help women heal from, and the conservative Christian church has rebranded the exact same wound as godliness, biblical womanhood, and a high calling.

If you’ve spent your life apologizing for taking up space, smiling when you wanted to scream, or feeling guilty about basic human needs like rest, preferences, and an opinion of your own, this episode is going to feel like someone finally turned the lights on.

The Divorce Is Over… So Why Am I Still in Survival Mode?

June 30, 2026

Three years since the divorce was finalized, and you’re still grinding your teeth at night and apologizing for things that aren’t your fault. What is going on? In this episode of the Divorced Christian Woman Podcast, Natalie Hoffman and Diana Swillinger tackle one of the most common and confusing questions from women who have finally gotten out: why doesn’t leaving make it stop?

Your brain knows the marriage is over. But your body hasn’t gotten that memo yet. And even when it does, it’s not flipping a switch for anybody. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation on survival mode after divorce, and it begins with understanding why you’re still in it and what it’s doing to your daily life.

Category: Emotional Abuse