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