Advertise on podcast: Elisha's Space: Counseling and Authentic Conversations on Healing

Midlife faith crisis? When God feels distant and your body shuts down, it's often midlife faith crisis + nervous system shutdown, not failure. I'm Elisha, Christian counselor and author of The Mental Health Handbook. We cover god feels distant , spiritual dryness , why numbness isn't lack of faith, S.O.I.L. and H.O.M.E. frameworks, plus a guided somatic breath prayer. If you've been listening for a while, I see you and I'm glad that you're back. Until next time, you are not too much, and you are not too far, and you are not alone.

Feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or like your body won't calm down no matter what you try? This healing music session blends ambient soaking music with guided breath prayer and scripture-based nervous system regulation — designed for anxiety relief, deep rest, and sleep. Nothing is wrong with you; your body is doing exactly what it was designed to do, it's just stuck. This isn't visualization — this is physiology. Use this as background for sleep, prayer, study, or any moment you need your nervous system to feel safe again. 🕊️ Elisha's Space is a sanctuary for healing, growth, and honest conversations that bridge clinical trauma recovery with Christian faith. If this helped you, share it — text it to one person you know is struggling. Explore more: https://elishas-space.onpodium.com

Millions of people are deconstructing their faith right now — quietly, privately, and often alone. In this episode, Elisha sits down with Pastor Emily Metzger, founder of Redeemed Ministries, for one of the most honest conversations yet about Christian deconstruction. Emily isn't speaking from theory. She went through it. And on the other side, the Father revealed to her the spiritual dangers nobody warns you about — and what real reconstruction actually looks like. Whether you're in the middle of deconstructing Christianity, have already walked through it, or love someone who is — this conversation is for you. In this episode: What deconstruction actually feels like in your body (not just your theology)The nervous system's role in faith deconstruction and why your brain treats it like a threatThe counterfeit freedom that the enemy uses to architect spiritual unravelingWhat the Church keeps getting wrong about how to respond to people who are questioningWhat reconstruction looks like — and the first step for anyone in the in-between place About Pastor Emily Metzger: Founder of Redeemed Ministries, a Certified Trauma-Informed Coach with a sub-certification in Neurolinguistics, and author of six books. Her testimony spans bipolar disorder, manic depression, PTSD, addiction, and suicidal tendencies — all now fully healed through encounter with Jesus. 📚 Emily's books: amazon.com/author/pastoremily https://a.co/d/07rc8dY6 https://a.co/d/0iq8ZoLv https://a.co/d/0bMwbqN8 ✍️ Substack: substack.com/@pastoremily77 📸 Instagram: @redeemed_ministries77 🎵 TikTok: @redeemed_ministries Lemon 8- Redeemed_ministries Resources from Elisha's Space: 🌿 S.T.A.R.T. Guide (free somatic regulation resource): elishas-space.onpodium.com 💬 Deconstruction PDF: Deconstruction Journal Topics Covered: faith deconstruction, deconstructing Christianity, Christian deconstruction, religious trauma, nervous system healing, spiritual bypassing, inner healing and deliverance, trauma-informed faith, church hurt healing, somatic healing, Christian mental health Elisha's Space is a sanctuary for healing, growth, and authentic conversations that actually change things. Hosted by Elisha Lee, counselor, author, and entrepreneur.

Your body has been telling you something for a while — maybe it's the way your chest tightens walking into a church building, or the shame that surfaces every time you question something you were taught. If you've been asking "is this religious trauma or is something wrong with me?" — this episode is for you. I'm Elisha, a licensed counselor, author, and the founder of Restoring You Christian Counseling. In today's episode, I'm walking you through what religious trauma actually is — clinically and spiritually — how to recognize it in your body and your relationships, and the faith-based path back to a nervous system (and a faith) that feels safe again. We'll cover: ✔️ The difference between conviction and shame-based control ✔️ Why religious trauma lives in your body, not just your theology ✔️ The R.E.S.T. framework for regulating your nervous system in triggering religious environments ✔️ A guided somatic practice you can use today ✔️ A breath prayer to bring your body and your faith back into agreement This isn't "just pray more." This is physiology, and it's also sacred ground. You are not too much, and you are not too far, and you are not alone. 📖 Free resource: Grab the S.T.A.R.T. Guide for nervous system regulation at https://elishas-space.onpodium.com 💬 If this episode helped you, share it — text it to one person you know is struggling. #ReligiousTrauma #SpiritualAbuse #ChristianCounseling #FaithBasedHealing #NervousSystemRegulation

Your hands are shaking. Your chest is tight. You don't know why — and you're tired of feeling like something is wrong with you. In this episode of Elisha's Space, we walk through a complete nervous system regulation protocol built for Christians who are done with "just pray more" advice and ready for something that actually works with the body God gave you. You'll learn the neuroscience behind vagus nerve activation, why trauma and spiritual abuse leave the nervous system stuck in alarm, and the R.E.S.T. framework (Recognize, Exhale extended, Sensory anchor, Truth spoken) — a step-by-step somatic and scriptural practice you can use anywhere, in under five minutes. This episode includes a full guided practice and a breath prayer, so you can regulate in real time, not just learn about it. 🎧 Grab the free S.T.A.R.T. Guide: https://elishas-space.onpodium.com 💬 If this helped, share it with one person who needs it. Topics covered: nervous system regulation, vagus nerve, somatic healing, Christian trauma recovery, anxiety and faith, nervous system reset, parasympathetic activation, breath prayer, R.E.S.T. framework. #NervousSystemRegulation #ChristianCounseling #SomaticHealing #TraumaRecovery #FaithBasedHealing

Are you spiritually exhausted — still showing up but feeling nothing? Spiritual burnout is one of the most misunderstood experiences in the faith journey. In this episode, counselor and author Elisha walks you through the 5 stages of spiritual burnout — from exhaustion without relief and emotional flatness, through the cognitive doubt spiral, active withdrawal, and the desert of the dark night of the soul. More importantly: she explains WHY spiritual burnout happens in the nervous system — and introduces the H.O.M.E. Framework for recovery, a somatic-faith approach to finding your way back without performing your way there. If you've been wondering whether God has left — or whether your faith was ever real — this episode is specifically for you. WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER: • The 5 stages of spiritual burnout and what's happening neurologically at each one • Why spiritual exhaustion is a nervous system problem, not a faith problem • The H.O.M.E. Framework: Honor · Orient · Micro-moments · Expect • The Returning Exercise — a guided somatic practice for spiritual reconnection • The scriptures that hold each stage — from Matthew 11:28 to Job to Psalm 22 • A 7-day micro-reconnection challenge you can start today WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR: → Anyone experiencing spiritual fatigue or faith burnout → Survivors of church hurt or spiritual abuse → People in the "dark night of the soul" who need a name for what they're feeling → Anyone who feels spiritually numb and wonders if they can return FREE RESOURCES: S.T.A.R.T. Guide (somatic regulation): https://elishas-space.onpodium.com Elisha's Space is hosted by Elisha Lee — counselor, author, and founder of Restoring You Christian Counseling. Each episode bridges clinical psychology with Christian faith to support healing from trauma, anxiety, and spiritual exhaustion. #SpiritualBurnout #FaithBurnout #SpiritualExhaustion #ChristianMentalHealth #NervousSystemHealing

Are you a pastor, ministry leader, or faith community caretaker sitting across from someone's trauma and wondering if you're making it worse? This episode is for you. Elisha — licensed counselor, author, and host of Elisha's Space — breaks down 7 trauma-informed counseling strategies specifically designed for faith leaders who serve hurting people without a clinical background. These strategies are evidence-based, Scripture-anchored, and built for the unique intersection of Christian mental health and pastoral care. In this episode: ✦ Why faith communities are on the front lines of trauma response ✦ How to practice non-reactive, co-regulating presence ✦ How to recognize a trauma response before labeling it as sin ✦ The difference between spiritual resources and spiritual bypass ✦ When and how to make a referral — without shame ✦ Basic somatic tools every faith leader can offer ✦ How to offer prayer that heals instead of harms This episode includes a guided grounding breath practice and a closing prayer for faith leaders who are weary, stretched, and pouring themselves out. Resources mentioned: 📥 S.T.A.R.T. Guide (free): https://elishas-space.onpodium.com 🌿 Sanctuary Style Method: https://elishas-space.onpodium.com Elisha's Space is a sanctuary for healing, growth, and the kind of honest conversations that actually change things. Hosted by Elisha Lee — counselor, author, and entrepreneur. #ChristianMentalHealth #TraumaInformedCare #FaithLeadership #TraumaCounseling #NervousSystemHealing #PastoralCare #HealingFromChurch #CounselingStrategies #TraumaHealing #SpiritualBypass

Your faith is falling apart in midlife — and that might be exactly right. In Part 2 of the Midlife Faith Crisis series, counselor Elisha Lee introduces the F.A.I.T.H. Framework: 5 clinically-grounded steps for rebuilding when the old structure no longer holds. Includes a guided somatic practice and extended closing prayer.

Are you a pastor, counselor, or seminary student trying to hold faith and mental health together? Elisha breaks down the three schools of Christian counseling, the theology behind integration, and her Three Tables framework for whole-person care. This is the conversation the church needs to have.

When suicide loss takes someone you love, nobody warns you it can also take your sense of self. Counselor Elisha Lee walks through the neuroscience of shame, identity fracture, and prolonged grief — with somatic tools and a grounded faith reframe for the long arc of healing. Crisis support: call or text 988. elishas-space.onpodium.com Restoring You Christian Counseling

Your nervous system wasn't designed to heal alone. Counselor Elisha Lee unpacks integrative counseling, the neuroscience of co-regulation, and what peer-based recovery actually means for trauma survivors. Includes a guided somatic practice and closing prayer for those healing from community wounds. #IntegrativeCounseling #MentalHealth

Exhausted in a way sleep can't fix? This episode guides you through a somatic rest practice for nervous system regulation — using breathwork, Scripture prayer, and somatic anchoring. Clinical. Pastoral. Your body is not broken. It just needs new evidence. Free S.T.A.R.T. Guide: elishas-space.onpodium.com

Perimenopause feels like a faith crisis for millions of women — and no one is preaching about it. Elisha Lee, counselor and author, unpacks the estrogen-nervous system-faith connection, names 3 misread symptoms, and leads a somatic practice designed for midlife women. Part 1 of The Midlife Body Crisis series.

A practitioner-level field guide to 7 somatic therapy modalities — EMDR, breathwork, Somatic Experiencing, IFS, TRE, EFT, and the Safe and Sound Protocol — with faith integration notes for each. For Christians navigating the intersection of clinical healing and Biblical foundations. Includes guided breathing practice and extended prayer.

You left that small group feeling more alone than when you arrived. That's a trauma literacy failure — not yours. Counselor and host Elisha Lee breaks down what trauma-informed care should look like in pastoral care, small groups, and counseling ministry, and why most churches aren't there yet. Clinical. Biblical. Practical. Elisha's Space.