In this episode, Ingrid Nishimoto shares an honest and deeply personal journey through faith, purity culture, religious trauma, health crises, and deconstruction. Drawing from her experience as a Korean American and second-generation immigrant, Ingrid reflects on how family, community, illness, grief, and changing beliefs shaped the way she understood herself, God, and her faith.
We explore the lasting impact of purity culture and abstinence messages, including how they can shape our sense of worth, agency, and relationship with our bodies. Ingrid also talks about the health crises that prompted her to question long-held theological beliefs and eventually reconsider ideas about hell, grace, justice, and the character of God.
A significant part of Ingrid's story is her relationship with her mother and the ways her mother's own transformation and awakening to grace influenced Ingrid's understanding of faith. She also shares about navigating hereditary cancer risk and grief, and how experiences of uncertainty and loss contributed to her spiritual journey.
The conversation turns toward healing and what it can look like to move beyond simply questioning beliefs. Ingrid discusses therapy, EMDR, boundaries, self-compassion, and the process of reclaiming personal agency after religious trauma.
Ultimately, this episode is about making space for a faith that is no longer rooted in fear—a journey toward greater freedom, compassion, and a more life-giving understanding of God.
Bio:
Ingrid Nishimoto is a Korean American, second-generation immigrant whose personal journey has taken her through faith, purity culture, religious deconstruction, health challenges, and healing from religious trauma. Her experiences with hereditary cancer risk, grief, therapy, and EMDR have shaped a deep commitment to agency, self-compassion, and creating space for more life-giving ways of understanding faith. Through her story, Ingrid brings a thoughtful and honest perspective to the complexities of unlearning inherited beliefs while finding greater freedom, wholeness, and grace.
Links:
Connect with Ingrid on Instagram @ingridnishimototherapy
Ingrid's website: https://www.ingridnishimototherapy.com/
