E188 | Susan Carson | Safe Enough to Heal: Why the Church Gets Trauma Wrong and What to Do Instead
Welcome to the Face to Face podcast and episode 188 with spiritual director and author Susan Carson. Susan tells her story of meeting Jesus at 18, later experiencing spiritual trauma, and moving into a contemplative path of prayer and inner healing. We talk about how neuroscience, Christian mystics (especially Julian of Norwich), and the biblical idea of kenosis (Philippians 2) come together in her "safe space" approach—noise-free, shame-free, and formula-free—focused on embodied, face-to-face connection. We discuss how church environments can be unsafe and harmful, why healing is low-and-slow rather than a quick fix, what it cost Susan relationally (including LGBTQIA+ convictions), and her new book releasing May 5, with more at susancarson.net.
Instagram: @susancarsonauthor YouTube: @SusanCarson Substack: @susancarsonauthor
00:00 Podcast Welcome
00:29 Episode Intro and Summer Plans
02:38 Meet Susan Carson
05:04 Her Spiritual Journey
08:17 Mystics Meet Neuroscience
12:29 Kenosis and Healing Space
16:14 Good News After Deconstruction
23:10 Church Safety and Trauma
25:47 Book Controversies and Costs
28:13 Safety and Trauma Basics
29:05 Church Culture and Safe Spaces
29:50 Leaders Doing Inner Work
31:23 The Quick Fix Myth
32:33 Contemplative Healing Journey
36:59 What Contemplative Really Means
39:22 Low and Slow Rewiring
42:40 Book Takeaways and Release Info
45:50 Thesis Origins and Farewell
47:05 Podcast Wrap Up
