REST: Recovering from Spiritual Trauma

Emily Shepherd
  • 4.1 (58)
  • Christianity

Spiritual Trauma has been defined as occurring when a person's religious experience is stressful, degrading, dangerous, abusive, or damaging.  I am a mother joined by my adult daughter as we discuss our family’s story of recovering from spiritual trauma. In each episode of REST we will share our experience of 17 years in a church community with a high-control culture within the denomination of the OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Church). Thankfully we are now on a journey toward true soul rest. We welcome your feedback and stories.  You can reach us at the.rest.podcast.info@gmail.com

  1. 2d ago

    Guest Interview : Stephanie Chernyavskiy and Abuse in the OPC | Part 1

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode I interview Stephanie Chernyavskiy, a woman who grew up in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and suffered under its abuses. She has also told her story on this podcast which would be a good preview to our interview. This was initially recorded in December 2025 but due to counsel she was advised not to publish until after the OPC General Assembly which was held June 5-7, 2026. She was hopeful her case would be brought before the denomination’s highest court, but it was denied a hearing.  Here are all the links we discuss in the interview: Full report of her case by the Presbytery of the Southeast, OPC Stephanie's Statement to the Presbytery of the Southeast, September 2025 Stephanie's Supporting Witnesses list Stephanie's Dad's email to her fiance Admission of OPC heresy that they are able to absolve of guilt OPC admitting a Catholic cannot have true faith Letter from OPC falsely stating Stephanie and fiance cohabitating Letter from the OPC stating that they will not allow Stephanie to leave the denomination per her request to be removed from membership Are you in the OPC, and need help? Contact: Presbyterian Advocacy Coalition. As always, we welcome all feedback. You can reach us at the.rest.podcast.info@gmail.com

    41 min

  2. Mar 18

    Tithing: Our Family's Story of Regret

    Send us Fan Mail She’s back! My daughter joins me again in this episode and we unpack our family’s story of regret around tithing. She gives us the perspective of a child growing up in a high control church culture, a perspective rarely if ever heard or heeded.  We welcome all feedback. You can reach us at the.rest.podcast.info@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram and Facebook

    34 min

  3. Mar 2

    Should Christians TITHE?

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, the history of Christian tithing is fully explored and its Biblical claims examined.  Statistics quoted in the episode come from The Religion Business, a 7-part investigative docuseries that exposes a growing problem in the nonprofit and religious sector—lack of transparency and oversight. Through investigative reporting and real-world cases, it reveals how well-meaning intentions can mask financial mismanagement, ethical lapses, and broken trust with donors and communities. The Religion Business website The Religion Business Instagram The Religion Business YouTube We welcome all feedback. You can reach us at the.rest.podcast.info@gmail.com

    31 min

  4. Feb 9

    Guest Interview | Mike Adams on Sundays and Sabbaths

    Send us Fan Mail I’m back today with Mike Adams of the UnSunday Show. A former pastor, he left organized religion once he discovered just how free he really is in Jesus under the New Covenant. He now seeks to “unsunday” the modern church by sharing his story on his UnSunday Show podcast and YouTube channel. If you’ve ever wondered just what Christians should -and should not- be doing with Sunday or a Sabbath Day, you’ve come to the right place.  The UnSunday Show website The UnSunday Show Instagram The UnSunday show TikTok The UnSunday Show YouTube Channel Reach us at: the.rest.podcast.info@gmail.com

    56 min

  5. Jan 26

    Guest Interview | Theresa Garcia Robertson on abuse in the OPC

    Send us Fan Mail Our guest for this episode is Theresa Garcia Robertson, one of 5 girls - now women- who were abused by a pastor or elder in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) and specifically the Presbytery of the Southeast (PSE). Her story first broke on the Sons of Patriarchy podcast which you can listen to here: Sons of Patriarchy episode Apple Podcasts Sons of Patriarchy episode Spotify podcasts Caroline Garcia Osborne's (Theresa's younger sister and main victim of Boyd Miller) episode on Sons of Patriarchy Noelle Well's report on the Presbytery of the Southeast's meeting about the case Google drive docs of all the case files pertaining to Boyd Miller & Covenant OPC Are you in the OPC, and need help? Contact: Presbyterian Advocacy Coalition We welcome all feedback. You can reach us at: the.rest.podcast.info@gmail.com

    43 min

  6. Jan 18

    Guest Interview | Brian Lee of Broken to Beloved

    Send us Fan Mail Our guest for this episode is Brian Lee: pastor, coach, and speaker as well as a survivor of spiritual abuse and religious trauma.  He has spent his time since leaving vocational ministry in 2021 working to provide recovery and resources for fellow victims and survivors via the creation of an online healing platform called Broken to Beloved. He hosts a multi-day virtual Annual Summit there to help survivors find paths through their healing journey, as well as ongoing cohorts of healing, a podcast, and online book club.  Broken to Beloved website B2B Apple podcast  B2B Spotify podcast B2B Instagram We welcome all feedback. You can reach us at the.rest.podcast.info@gmail.com

    30 min

  7. Jan 5

    Guest Interview | Poet & Author Brittany Hart

    Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Season 3! In this kickoff episode I welcome poet Brittany Hart as she shares excerpts from her new book, Surviving Wonderland: A Journey Beyond Control.   She is an author and poet who writes at the intersection of spiritual trauma, recovery, and the slow rebuilding of a liberated self. Her debut collection, Surviving Wonderland: A Journey Beyond Control, transforms her lived experience in a high-control religious group into art that speaks to anyone reclaiming their voice after harm. She now supports fellow survivors through creative writing, online guides, and spaces of gentle, grounded healing.  Her journey has been as chaotic as Alice's fall down the rabbit hole. Brittany follows the White Rabbit of the IHOPKC movement into a spiritually traumatic world, making herself small in order to fit their prescribed formulas.  You can follow her work here: Instagram Substack Be sure to follow the NEW RE.S.T. Facebook page here as well as Instagram. As always, we welcome all feedback. Reach out to us at the.rest.podcast.info@gmail.com

    42 min

  8. 06/18/2025

    Guest Interview | Mike and Susan Adams : Part 2

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode I continue my conversation with the husband and wife grace team, Mike and Susan Adams, hosts of the podcasts The UnSunday Show and The Grace Café. In the last episode, they each shared their stories of how they met Jesus and why they started their podcasts. In this episode we focus our conversation on the covenants found in the Bible.  We will be discussing the way certain churches have created a whole belief system called covenant theology. This system is an unbiblical way that they control believers by convincing them that they are bound to keep part of the Old Covenant law. You can find all of Mike and Susan's resources here:  Grace Cafe Podcast website The UnSunday Show website The UnSunday Show Instagram The UnSunday show TikTok The UnSunday Show YouTube Channel The Grace Cafe YouTube Channel Reach us at: the.rest.podcast.info@gmail.com

    52 min
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About

Spiritual Trauma has been defined as occurring when a person's religious experience is stressful, degrading, dangerous, abusive, or damaging.  I am a mother joined by my adult daughter as we discuss our family’s story of recovering from spiritual trauma. In each episode of REST we will share our experience of 17 years in a church community with a high-control culture within the denomination of the OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Church). Thankfully we are now on a journey toward true soul rest. We welcome your feedback and stories.  You can reach us at the.rest.podcast.info@gmail.com

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