What happens when you love God, you’re praying, you’re reading your Bible…and you’re still hurting?
In this episode of The Business of Inner Peace, I’m joined by trauma-informed master coach, author, and ReCLAIM founder Chel Cartmill for a powerful conversation about healing after covert emotional abuse, divorce, betrayal, and the loss of the life you thought you were going to have.
Chel shares her own journey through a decade of covert emotional abuse and the traumatic aftermath of divorce—and how that experience eventually led her to help others rebuild their confidence, reconnect with themselves, and step into who God created them to be.
We talk about what covert emotional abuse can actually look like, why it can leave you questioning your own reality, and how people-pleasing, suppressed emotions, and survival mode can disconnect us from our bodies and our own inner knowing.
But we also go somewhere I believe the Church desperately needs to go.
What if healing isn't simply about praying more, reading more Scripture, or trying harder to have enough faith?
What if God designed us with a mind, body, nervous system, emotions, and spirit—and healing can involve all of them?
Chel and I explore nervous system regulation, somatic work, breathwork, neuroplasticity, boundaries, self-love, and the importance of learning to receive instead of constantly giving from depletion.
We also talk about something many Christian women quietly wrestle with: the fear that certain healing practices are somehow “too woo” or “New Age,” even when they can be understood through the incredible way God designed the human body.
If you’ve ever wondered why you still feel stuck despite doing “all the right things,” this conversation is an invitation to release judgment, become curious about what your body may be communicating, and discover what healing can look like when faith, neuroscience, and the body are allowed to work together.
You were created as a whole person. Your healing gets to include your whole person, too.
In this episode, we talk about:
• What covert emotional abuse looks and feels like
• Gaslighting, people-pleasing, and losing trust in yourself
• Rebuilding your identity after divorce or relational trauma
• Why survival mode affects more than your thoughts
• Nervous system regulation and somatic healing
• Faith, breathwork, meditation, and the fear of “New Age” practices
• Why emotions aren't something Christians need to fear
• The difference between loving others and giving from depletion
• Learning to love yourself without abandoning your faith
• How mind, body, and spirit can work together in healing
Chel Cartmill is the founder of ReCLAIM, a transformational Christ-centered 12-week healing program for men and women navigating the loss of a spouse through death or divorce, and the author of Spider On My Neck, a memoir about deceit, betrayal, and learning to trust your intuition again.
CONNECT WITH CHEL
Website: www.chelcartmill.com
ReCLAIM: www.pathtoreclaim.com
