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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Dr. Ann Maree Goudzwaard
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Season 6 Episode 4
Bearing Witness
How Do You Listen Well to Hard Stories?
How do you prepare your heart and mind to hear stories of deep suffering without becoming overwhelmed — or walking away untouched?
In this today’s episode of the Safe to Hope podcast, Self-Care with Julia and Ann Maree, we pause before beginning this season’s difficult story to talk about something equally important: how to listen well.
Ann Maree is joined by licensed therapist and Help[H]er board member, Julia, to explore the weighty but necessary practice of bearing witness — not only to unimaginable trauma but also to the redemptive thread running through the darkness.
Together, they discuss what it means to listen with wisdom, vigilance, and compassion. You’ll hear practical self-care strategies, spiritual insights, and thoughtful encouragement for anyone who wants to enter into another’s story without losing themselves in the process.
Whether you’re a caregiver, pastor, counselor, advocate, or simply someone who desires to learn how to care well, this episode offers important guidance on how to hold hard stories — and hold yourself — with care.
Self-Care Resources:
- Christian Trauma Healing Network, Tools and Handouts
- Self-Regulation for Daily Triggers
- 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:
- 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 Bonus 1
Bearing Witness
Sometimes, stories unfold side by side—but not always in harmony.
Recently, a well-known Christian podcast released a new series exploring topics like trauma, mental illness, and abuse—many of the same themes we're addressing this year on Safe to Hope. Understandably, some of our listeners are engaging with both, and a few have already shared how conflicted or invalidated they felt.
In response, we’ve released a special bonus episode. Not to criticize, but to care. To gently offer a different perspective—one shaped by the lived experiences of survivors and informed by experts in trauma care and memory science. Whether or not you’ve heard the other podcast, this episode frames the heart of our season: why believing survivors matters, and how we hold sacred space for stories that are hard to tell.
Season 6 Introduction (Episode 1)
Season 1 Significance of Story
Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence – From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror by Judith Lewis Herman
Remember my Affliction:Advent Through Lamentations by Kimrey Dillon
Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks
What is a Girl Worth? by Rachel Denhollander
Living in His Presence by Sylvia Gunter (The articulation of Luke 11:24-26 and demons was derived from.)
Keith Evans quotes from https://youtu.be/nxPxss963SI?si=NbqKx7DFCqX0KyGs
Honoring the Truth: A Response to the Backlash by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
Misquoted number of 20,000; correct is 12,000 reports of satanic ritual abuse
Misquoted 1 Timothy instead of 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Dr Jim Wilder Resources:
- Thrive conference. https://thrivetoday.org/
- The Red Dragon Cast Down: A Redemptive Approach to the Occult and Satanism
- Pandora Problem: Facing Narcissism in Leaders & Ourselves
- The Other Half of Church: Christian Community, Brain Science, and Overcoming Spiritual Stagnation
- Escaping Enemy Mode: How Our Brains Unit and Divide Us
Season 6 Episode 3
Bearing Witness
This week on Safe to Hope, we talk about the process of storytelling, self-care, and grief, and why survivors need time, patience, and space to make sense of what they’ve been through. Carya shares how putting words to her story changed how she saw it, but also how she wrestles with grief and the need for lament. Together, we explore why survivors often feel alone in their experiences and how we, as listeners, can create a safe place for healing—without rushing to fix, minimize, or explain away the pain.
We also talk about Jesus in suffering—how He is strong yet gentle, never hurried, never harsh, and always present. If you’ve ever struggled to sit with hard truths, hold space for grief, or find hope after deep pain, this conversation is for you. Tune in and walk with us in the land of the living.
Season 1 Significance of Story
Season 6 Introduction (Episode 1)
Season 6 Jesus is My Captain
Dr Jim Wilder Resources:
- Thrive conference. https://thrivetoday.org/
- The Red Dragon Cast Down: A Redemptive Approach to the Occult and Satanism
- Pandora Problem: Facing Narcissism in Leaders & Ourselves
- The Other Half of Church: Christian Community, Brain Science, and Overcoming Spiritual Stagnation
- Escaping Enemy Mode: How Our Brains Unit and Divide Us
Informational Resources:
- Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion:
https://www.lalichcenter.org/ - RAINN – Informational Support for sexual abuse survivors:
rainn.org - Escaping High-Control Religious Groups
https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/12/high-control-religious-groups-counseling-church/ - On the Threshold of Hope: Opening the Door to Healing for Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Diane Langberg
Self-Care Resources:
- Christian Trauma Healing Network, Tools and Handouts:
https://christiantraumahealingnetwork.org/resources/tools-and-handouts/ - Self-Regulation for Daily Triggers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcoIE3Yiaw0 - The Essential Skill to Regulate Your Nervous System – Relaxed Vigilance vs. Hypervigilance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcoIE3Yiaw0&t=5s
Season 6 Episode 2
Bearing Witness
In this episode of Safe to Hope, we meet Carya, our storyteller for Season 6. Instead of starting at the beginning of her story, we begin with where she has landed—a place of deep wrestling, but also profound hope. Through the lens of Jesus is My Captain, Carya shares the mystery of suffering, the presence of Christ in unimaginable pain, and the reality that following Him is not always safe, but it is good. Her words are a testament to the severe mercy of God, who calls us not to escape suffering, but to walk with Him through it.
Season 6 Introduction (Episode 1)
Informational Resources:
- Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion:
https://www.lalichcenter.org/ - RAINN – Informational Support for sexual abuse survivors:
rainn.org - Escaping High-Control Religious Groups
https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/12/high-control-religious-groups-counseling-church/ - On the Threshold of Hope: Opening the Door to Healing for Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Diane Langberg
Self-Care Resources:
- Christian Trauma Healing Network, Tools and Handouts:
https://christiantraumahealingnetwork.org/resources/tools-and-handouts/ - Self-Regulation for Daily Triggers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcoIE3Yiaw0 - The Essential Skill to Regulate Your Nervous System – Relaxed Vigilance vs. Hypervigilance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcoIE3Yiaw0&t=5s
