Healing from Spiritual Abuse Archives

Natalie Hoffman Flying Free Podcast Episode 393 with the text "How Do I Know if It’s Abuse?"

Is Emotional Abuse Really Abuse? [Episode 393]

October 20, 2026

My pastors told me that what I was experiencing for over two decades wasn’t serious enough to be called “abuse.” They said I had to be physically hurt for it to cross the line of “hard marriage” to “abusive marriage.” Their beliefs kept me spinning in a turmoil so great that I thought a lot about ending my life.

If you find yourself wondering if you’d be better off dead or secretly praying your spouse might never come home again, but you’ve been told you’re making a mountain out of a molehill…then listen in. I want to help clear up some of that confusion by sharing a workshop I did a while ago that answers the question, “How do I know if it’s abuse?”

Natalie Hoffman Flying Free Podcast Episode 391 with the text "Why Do Christians Get So Mad When I Talk About God’s Love?"

Why Do Christians Get So Mad When I Talk About God’s Love? [Episode 391]

October 6, 2026

Today I’m going to tell you about the last of the three books I picked as the most life-changing for me so far. I was nervous to write this episode because the book is controversial in some circles, and even I was afraid to read it many years ago. I expected to confront all kinds of lies and heresies (this is what I was taught at my church!)

Instead, I found permission to believe in a God big enough, powerful enough, and loving enough to actually win. I found in its pages what it would truly be like to lean into the God I believed in as a child.

Natalie Hoffman Flying Free Podcast Episode 385 with the text What Is the "Tradwife" Trend Really Selling Christian Women?

What Is the “Tradwife” Trend Really Selling Christian Women? [Episode 385]

August 25, 2026

In this episode, we’re doing something a little different. I’m opening up my private monthly book club discussion (usually just for Flying Higher members) and sharing it with you. This month we read the bestselling novel Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke.

We get into the tradwife aesthetic, performative Christianity, and the difference between a woman who genuinely loves a homemaking life and a system that demands every woman perform one.

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.

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.

Is Your Church Actually Safe for Abuse Survivors? Here’s How to Find Out [Episode 379]

June 23, 2026

In this episode I’m answering a pressing question Christian women in difficult marriages ask: how do you find a church that will actually support you instead of silence you?

Because not all churches are created equal, and the difference between a safe church and a harmful one can change everything for a woman trying to find her footing. I’ll break down exactly what to look for, what to ask, and what red flags to run from.

Category: Healing from Spiritual Abuse