All suffering is loss, but God leaves nothing unused in His plans. We help women see His redemptive thread throughout their circumstances and then look for opportunities to join with God in His transforming work.
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Season 6 Episode 17
Bearing Witness
In this bonus and final episode of Safe to Hope Season 6, Dr. Dan Allender joins our storyteller, Carya, for a profoundly moving conversation about trauma, faith, and the goodness of God. Together, they explore what it means to bear the image of God after unthinkable evil—and to rediscover delight, gentleness, and hope along the way.
As Ann Maree closes the Bearing Witness series, she reflects on how this season revealed not only the depth of human suffering but also the depth of God’s mercy and presence. Evil is real—but not final.
SHOW NOTES:
Dr Allender resources
- The Wounded Heart
- The Healing Path
- To Be Told
- God Loves Sex
- Intimate Allies
- The Cry of the Soul,
- Bold Love
- Bold Purpose
- Redeeming Heartache
- The Deep-Rooted Marriage
Season 6 Episode 16
Bearing Witness
In her final story episode, Carya reflects on what it means for God to be with her—not only through rescue, but in the long, quiet ache that follows. Through Scripture, images, and honest wrestling, she shares how comfort can coexist with agony, and how the Word that once felt distant has become both balm and challenge. Explore what healing looks like when it isn’t finished yet—when faith must hold steady between lament and hope.
SHOW NOTES:
- Episode 4 Self-Care
- Episode 6 Dr Heather Evans
- Restoring the Shattered Self by Dr. Heather Gingrich
Self-Care Resources:
- Christian Trauma Healing Network, Tools and Handouts
- Self-Regulation for Daily Triggers
- The Essential Skill to Regulate Your Nervous System
- Therapy in a Nutshell
- Justice From the Victim’s Perspective by Judith Herman
- Honoring the Truth: A Response to the Backlash by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
- The Other Half of Church, Escaping Enemy Mode and The Red Dragon Cast Down by Dr Jim Wilder
Informational Resources:
- Serving SRA Survivors: Satanic Ritual Abuse Recovery by Kay Elise Tolman
- Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion
- RAINN.org – Informational Support for sexual abuse survivors
- On the Threshold of Hope by Diane Langberg
- Escaping High-Control Religious Groups
Scripture quotations are from the ESV®Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Season 6 Episode 15
Bearing Witness
Dr. Dan Allender joins Ann Maree to discuss trauma, faith, and the work of story. Together they wrestle with how believers can live in the tension between death and resurrection—where hope and heartache coexist.
SHOW NOTES:
- Shattered No More by Dr. Heather Gingrich
- Restoring the Shattered Self by Dr. Heather Gingrich
- Treating Trauma and Christian Counseling by Dr. Heather Gingrich
- Graduate Certificate in Trauma Therapy
- The Other Half of Church by Jim Wilder
- Self-Regulation for Daily Triggers
- Justice From the Victim’s Perspective by Judith Herman
- Honoring the Truth: A Response to the Backlash by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
- Escaping Enemy Mode by Dr Jim Wilder
- Serving SRA Survivors: Satanic Ritual Abuse Recovery by Kay Elise Tolman
- On the Threshold of Hope by Diane Langberg
Season 6 Episode 14
Bearing Witness
Carya’s rescue didn’t begin with a manual—it began with love, prayer, and a community willing to bear witness. In this conversation, “Lynn,” the trusted friend who helped orchestrate Carya’s exit from harm, shares how faith, patience, wise counsel, and practical safeguards came together to make safety possible. This is not a how-to guide; it’s a testimony of God’s steady care through ordinary people who chose to stay.
SHOW NOTES:
- Episode 4 Self-Care
- Episode 6 Dr Heather Evans
- Restoring the Shattered Self by Dr. Heather Gingrich
- Treating Trauma and Christian Counseling by Dr. Heather Gingrich
- Graduate Certificate in Trauma Therapy
- The Other Half of Church by Jim Wilder
- Self-Regulation for Daily Triggers
- Justice From the Victim’s Perspective by Judith Herman
- Honoring the Truth: A Response to the Backlash by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
- Escaping Enemy Mode and The Red Dragon Cast Down by Dr Jim Wilder
- Serving SRA Survivors: Satanic Ritual Abuse Recovery by Kay Elise Tolman
- On the Threshold of Hope by Diane Langberg
Season 6 Episode 13
Bearing Witness
In this pivotal chapter of her story, Carya shares how her long nightmare began to shift—when the years of abuse finally gave way to rescue. Yet safety was not something she could walk into alone. This episode highlights the crucial role of people-helpers—those who step in, stand beside, and walk with survivors through the fear, uncertainty, and fragile beginnings of healing.
SHOW NOTES:
- Episode 4 Self-Care
- Episode 6 Dr Heather Evans
- Restoring the Shattered Self by Dr. Heather Gingrich
Self-Care Resources:
- Christian Trauma Healing Network, Tools and Handouts
- Self-Regulation for Daily Triggers
- The Essential Skill to Regulate Your Nervous System
- Therapy in a Nutshell
- Justice From the Victim’s Perspective by Judith Herman
- Honoring the Truth: A Response to the Backlash by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
- Escaping Enemy Mode and The Red Dragon Cast Down by Dr Jim Wilder
Informational Resources:
- Serving SRA Survivors: Satanic Ritual Abuse Recovery by Kay Elise Tolman
- Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion
- RAINN.org – Informational Support for sexual abuse survivors
- On the Threshold of Hope by Diane Langberg
- Escaping High-Control Religious Groups
Season 6 Episode 12
Bearing Witness
This week on Safe to Hope, Dr. Heather Davediuk Gingrich joins us for a conversation that blends deep clinical insight with years of walking alongside survivors of extreme abuse. From dissociative identity disorder (DID) to ritual abuse, she helps us understand how evil distorts, how the church can cause further harm—even unintentionally—and how to become truly safe people for those who are healing. This is a sobering yet hope-filled episode, equipping us to listen well, care wisely, and respond with both truth and compassion.
SHOW NOTES:
- Shattered No More by Dr. Heather Gingrich
- Restoring the Shattered Self by Dr. Heather Gingrich
- Treating Trauma and Christian Counseling by Dr. Heather Gingrich
- Graduate Certificate in Trauma Therapy
- The Other Half of Church by Jim Wilder
- Self-Regulation for Daily Triggers
- Justice From the Victim’s Perspective by Judith Herman
- Honoring the Truth: A Response to the Backlash by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
- Escaping Enemy Mode by Dr Jim Wilder
- Serving SRA Survivors: Satanic Ritual Abuse Recovery by Kay Elise Tolman
- On the Threshold of Hope by Diane Langberg
Season 6 Episode 11
Bearing Witness
Through language rarely spoken in Christian spaces, Carya explains the difference between grooming and training, and how dissociation became the means of survival when life became unbearable. Carya invites listeners to see not only the trauma, but the mercy that allowed her to endure it. Her words call us, the Church to deeper understanding, and to become a place where stories like hers can be known and safely held.
SHOW NOTES:
- Episode 4 Self-Care
- Episode 6 Dr Heather Evans
- Shattered No More by Dr. Heather Gingrich
Self-Care Resources:
- Christian Trauma Healing Network, Tools and Handouts
- Self-Regulation for Daily Triggers
- The Essential Skill to Regulate Your Nervous System
- Therapy in a Nutshell
- Justice From the Victim’s Perspective by Judith Herman
- Honoring the Truth: A Response to the Backlash by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
- Escaping Enemy Mode by Dr Jim Wilder
Informational Resources:
- Serving SRA Survivors: Satanic Ritual Abuse Recovery by Kay Elise Tolman
- Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion
- RAINN.org – Informational Support for sexual abuse survivors
- On the Threshold of Hope by Diane Langberg
- Escaping High-Control Religious Groups
Season 6 Episode 10
Bearing Witness
In this compelling expert segment, attorney and advocate Rachael Denhollander offers deep insight into the role of theology in abuse prevention and response. She helps us understand why survivors struggle to be believed and what it takes to build churches that are safe, discerning, and equipped to care well.
SHOW NOTES:
- What Is A Girl Worth? By Rachael Denhollander
- Redeeming Power by Diane Langberg
Informational Resources:
- Serving SRA Survivors: Satanic Ritual Abuse Recovery by Kay Elise Tolman
- Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion
- RAINN.org – Informational Support for sexual abuse survivors
- On the Threshold of Hope by Diane Langberg
- Escaping High-Control Religious Groups
Season 6 Episode 9
Bearing Witness
In Story 3, Carya begins to tell how her abuse continued even after she left home. She exposes the hidden lives of men in ministry who used their power for evil while cloaked in Christian leadership. With courage and sorrow, she shares a part of her story she’s never spoken aloud—her children.
SHOW NOTES:
Self-Care Resources:
- Christian Trauma Healing Network, Tools and Handouts
- Self-Regulation for Daily Triggers
- The Essential Skill to Regulate Your Nervous System
- Therapy in a Nutshell
- Justice From the Victim’s Perspective by Judith Herman
- Honoring the Truth: A Response to the Backlash by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
- Escaping Enemy Mode by Dr Jim Wilder
Informational Resources:
- Serving SRA Survivors: Satanic Ritual Abuse Recovery by Kay Elise Tolman
- Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion
- RAINN.org – Informational Support for sexual abuse survivors
- On the Threshold of Hope by Diane Langberg
- Escaping High-Control Religious Groups
Episode 3
Summer Reading Series
What does healthy intimacy look like in Christian marriage? And what happens when biblical language gets tangled with cultural stereotypes? In this powerful and hope-filled episode, we welcome Sheila Wray Gregoire—author, researcher, and founder of BareMarriage.com—to discuss her latest book The Marriage You Want. With wisdom grounded in Scripture and backed by extensive research, Sheila offers a compelling call to mutuality, emotional connection, and healthy sexuality within marriage.
This conversation gently acknowledges that these insights may not apply to relationships marked by coercion or abuse. If that's your story, we hope this episode offers language to describe what’s not of God—and affirms your worth, safety, and dignity.
Whether you’re rebuilding your marriage or simply curious about God's design for intimacy, this episode brings both practical insight and compassionate encouragement.
Sheila Wray Gregoire Resources
- Bare Marriage podcast
- Great Sex Rescue: The Lies You’ve Been Taught and How to Recover What God Intended The Lies You’ve Been Taught and How to Recover What God Intended
- The Marriage You Want: How to Build a Relationship that Brings Out the Best in Both of You
- She Deserves Better: Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Sex, Self, and Speaking Up
