What if the reason you struggle to hear God isn’t because He’s not speaking—but because part of you doesn’t feel safe enough to listen?

In this conversation, Christian counselor Stefanie Hinman explains how our nervous system, attachment wounds, trauma, shame, and past relationships can affect the way we experience God.

Sometimes we can believe in our heads that Jesus is loving and safe while our bodies respond as though connection is dangerous. Stefanie describes how learning to quiet, regulate, and experience safety can create space for a deeper connection with Jesus.

We also talk about why people often withdraw when they’re hurting, how to support someone without trying to fix them, and why simply being seen and known can be deeply healing.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• Why fight, flight, or freeze can make connection with God difficult
• The difference between knowing God is safe and actually feeling safe with Him
• How childhood and attachment wounds can shape your picture of Jesus
• Why regulation can sometimes come before deeper emotional or spiritual processing
• What to do when you pray or listen and feel like you “got nothing”
• How to respond to someone’s pain without minimizing or fixing it
• How to notice the things that cause you to withdraw from God—and reconnect

Stefanie describes flourishing as becoming aware of what draws us toward connection and what causes us to withdraw, especially patterns rooted in fear, shame, lack, or striving.

Learn more about Stefanie and her resources:
https://bounceproject.org

Want to learn how to hear God more clearly?
Join the free Hearing God Challenge:
https://hearinggodchallenge.com

Chapters

00:00 Why hearing God can feel difficult
03:10 Learning to experience Jesus as safe
08:24 Trauma, attachment, and the need for safety
16:45 How your nervous system affects hearing God
22:59 Stop trying to fix people who are hurting
34:09 What to do when you hear “nothing” from God
40:48 Striving, withdrawal, and learning to flourish