Is it possible to love God, love your marriage, and still not know what "faithful" means in your specific situation? Are there thoughts you are afraid to entertain?

What if the silence around divorce in Christian spaces has never actually protected anyone?

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This is the conversation so many Christian women carry alone for years — sometimes decades — because they're not sure they're even allowed to ask it out loud: God, is it okay if I leave? In this episode, we address that question directly, honestly, and without pretending it's simpler than it actually is.

Drawing on Christian relationship counseling and an honest look at what Scripture actually says, this episode walks through:

• Why the topic of divorce feels so forbidden in church culture, and why that silence tends to add shame rather than protect anyone
• What Scripture actually says — presented as the range of views sincere, Bible-believing Christians genuinely hold, not a single verdict handed down from a podcast
• Real questions to bring to God and to a trusted pastor or Christian counselor, instead of searching for one tidy rule
• How fear shows up on both sides of this decision — the fear of staying somewhere unsafe, and the fear of leaving and being judged — and how faith meets you in either one

This episode speaks directly to you whether you're navigating narcissistic abuse and trying to understand what's actually happening in your marriage, rebuilding self-esteem worn down by years of doubting yourself, sitting with the specific loneliness of a relationship that isn't what you hoped it would be, or quietly circling this exact question without anyone to say it to out loud.

A note before you listen: This episode does not offer legal, pastoral, or individualized theological advice. Please seek your own pastor or Christian counselor for guidance specific to your situation.

ASK DR. WENDY- click link below

Submit a Question Here

Have you ever called your fear "wisdom" just to avoid admitting you're afraid?

What if the peace you keep praying for is being quietly blocked by the very fear you think is protecting you?

Is your caution actually discernment — or is it fear wearing discernment's clothes?

If you've been "being careful" about the same decision for months, or years, without any real movement, this episode is for you. We're naming something many Christian women have never been given permission to name: that fear, dressed up as patience or wisdom, is often the very thing keeping you stuck — costing you peace, joy, purpose, and the decisiveness you've been praying for.

Drawing on both Christian relationship counseling and practical, faith-guided decision-making, this episode walks through:

• The difference between real wisdom and fear disguised as wisdom — and how to tell which one is actually driving your decisions
• What fear is quietly costing you: your peace, your joy, your sense of purpose, and your ability to be decisive
• Three concrete steps to begin choosing faith over fear — not by waiting for fear to disappear, but by moving forward while it's still present
• Where God meets you specifically in the fear you've been carrying, and why fear was never evidence of weak faith

This episode speaks directly to you whether you're wrestling with loneliness in a relationship that doesn't feel safe, trying to understand a pattern that might be narcissistic abuse, working to rebuild your self-esteem after years of feeling not enough, or quietly circling the question of divorce without letting yourself say it out loud. Wherever fear has been steering, this episode offers a path back to peace — not fear's absence, but faith standing steady inside it.

A note before you listen: This episode offers general spiritual and emotional encouragement, not a substitute for individual therapy. If fear, anxiety, or a difficult relationship pattern is significantly impacting your daily life, please also consider connecting with a licensed Christian relationship counselor.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

ASK DR. WENDY A QUESTION! CLICK LINK BELOW!

Submit a Question!

Have you ever tried to answer "how do you feel about your relationship" and genuinely come up blank?

What if the numbness that's been protecting you is also the reason you can't seem to move forward?

Is the fear of making the wrong decision actually fear at all — or is it the absence of information your own feelings were supposed to give you?

If you've been stuck in indecision so long it's started to feel permanent, this episode is for you. We're exploring the science behind why your emotions exist in the first place — and why numbing them out, however understandable, may be the very thing keeping you frozen.

Drawing on both Christian relationship counseling and the science of emotional intelligence — including insights from Dr. Marc Brackett's research at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence — this episode walks through:

• A quick, accessible background on why you have emotions at all, and how they're designed to give you the information you need to make good decisions
• Why you may have gone numb inside a difficult or toxic relationship, and why that numbness was actually intelligent, not weak
• The paradox at the center of this episode: how refusing to feel your feelings doesn't protect you from being stuck — it creates the stuckness
• Three concrete steps to begin feeling safely again, so you can start moving toward a real decision instead of staying frozen in loneliness and indecision
• Where God meets you specifically in the vulnerable emotions you've been avoiding — and why bringing Him your honest heart is the foundation for coping with pain, not a detour from faith

This episode speaks directly to you if you've been circling the same indecision for months, wondering whether you're dealing with narcissistic abuse, weighing whether divorce is even on the table, or simply trying to figure out when to leave the fog of not-feeling and start feeling your way back toward clarity. You don't have to have the whole decision figured out today — you just have to be willing to feel one honest thing.

A note before you listen: This episode offers general emotional and spiritual encouragement, not a substitute for individual therapy. If numbness, indecision, or narcissistic abuse are part of your story, please also consider connecting with a licensed Christian relationship counselor who can walk with you through your specific situation.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

Next Steps:

Connect: Join my email list for weekly tips and encouragement: drwendy@navigatingtoxicrelationships.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/drwendyburchett

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/drwendyburchettpsyd

Join our Free Facebook group: "Navigating Toxic Relationships" https://www.facebook.com/groups/1348519390664188/

ASK DR. WENDY A QUESTION!

Submit a Question Anonymously to Dr. Wendy!

Have you ever tried to answer "how do you feel about your relationship" and genuinely come up blank?

What if the numbness that's been protecting you is also the reason you can't seem to move forward?

Is the fear of making the wrong decision actually fear at all — or is it the absence of information your own feelings were supposed to give you?

If you've been stuck in indecision so long it's started to feel permanent, this episode is for you. We're exploring the science behind why your emotions exist in the first place — and why numbing them out, however understandable, may be the very thing keeping you frozen.

Drawing on both Christian relationship counseling and the science of emotional intelligence — including insights from Dr. Marc Brackett's research at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence — this episode walks through:

• A quick, accessible background on why you have emotions at all, and how they're designed to give you the information you need to make good decisions
• Why you may have gone numb inside a difficult or toxic relationship, and why that numbness was actually intelligent, not weak
• The paradox at the center of this episode: how refusing to feel your feelings doesn't protect you from being stuck — it creates the stuckness
• Three concrete steps to begin feeling safely again, so you can start moving toward a real decision instead of staying frozen in loneliness and indecision
• Where God meets you specifically in the vulnerable emotions you've been avoiding — and why bringing Him your honest heart is the foundation for coping with pain, not a detour from faith

This episode speaks directly to you if you've been circling the same indecision for months, wondering whether you're dealing with narcissistic abuse, weighing whether divorce is even on the table, or simply trying to figure out when to leave the fog of not-feeling and start feeling your way back toward clarity. You don't have to have the whole decision figured out today — you just have to be willing to feel one honest thing.

A note before you listen: This episode offers general emotional and spiritual encouragement, not a substitute for individual therapy. If numbness, indecision, or narcissistic abuse are part of your story, please also consider connecting with a licensed Christian relationship counselor who can walk with you through your specific situation.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

Next Steps:

Connect: Join my email list for weekly tips and encouragement: drwendy@navigatingtoxicrelationships.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/drwendyburchett

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/drwendyburchettpsyd

Join our Free Facebook group: "Navigating Toxic Relationships" https://www.facebook.com/groups/1348519390664188/

ASK DR. WENDY A QUESTION!

Submit a question to be addressed in future episodes!

Have you ever caught your own reflection and immediately thought something unkind, for no reason at all?

What if the voice that tells you you're "too sensitive" or "too much" was never actually yours to begin with?

Why does rebuilding your self-esteem feel so much harder after a relationship that left you questioning your own reality?

If you've spent years being told you're too sensitive, too dramatic, too much — this episode is for you. We're talking about what happens to your self-esteem after living inside narcissistic abuse, and how to actually begin rebuilding it — not with a single breakthrough moment, but with small, repeatable practices that add up over time.

In this episode, drawing on both Christian relationship counseling and trauma-informed self-esteem work, we explore:

• Where self-esteem actually goes — how it erodes slowly, not all at once, often long before any one relationship began
• Why the harshest voice in your head probably isn't even yours, and how to start recognizing it as a "borrowed voice" instead of a fact
• The real difference between confidence and self-esteem, and why "fake it till you make it" advice so often fails
• Four small, repeatable practices to begin rebuilding self-esteem from the inside out
• Why your worth was never actually performance-based to begin with — and what faith offers that self-help culture often misses
• How rebuilding your sense of self connects directly to the loneliness so many women feel after narcissistic abuse, and to the fear of making the wrong decision that often follows it

Whether you're actively wondering when to leave a relationship that's worn down your sense of self, weighing the possibility of divorce, or simply trying to remember who you were before you started shrinking to keep the peace — this episode is a starting point for coming back to yourself.

A note before you listen: Self-esteem work is powerful, but it isn't a substitute for individual therapy — especially if narcissistic abuse or the possibility of divorce is part of your story. Please also consider connecting with a licensed Christian therapist who can walk with you through your specific situation.

Next Steps:

Connect: Join my email list for weekly tips and encouragement at drwendy@navigatingtoxicrelationships.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/drwendyburchett

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/drwendyburchettpsyd

Join our Free Facebook group: "Navigating Toxic Relationships" https://www.facebook.com/groups/1348519390664188/

Have you ever grieved the loss of a relationship while you're still in it?

Why do you feel lonely for someone who's sitting right next to you?

What if the "fear of making the wrong decision" isn't indecision — it's your body trying to protect you from a pattern you haven't fully named yet?

"Narcissist" has become one of the most searched, most misused words in modern relationships — and if you've spent late nights wondering whether it applies to your marriage, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we're pulling the word "narcissist" out of buzzword territory and into real, practical clarity. Drawing on both Christian relationship counseling and a trauma-informed understanding of narcissistic abuse, we explore what narcissism actually means clinically, what narcissistic abuse looks like relationally, and — more importantly — why the pattern matters more than the label.

We'll talk about:

• What narcissism actually is, clinically, and why a podcast (or a TikTok video) can't diagnose your husband
• What narcissistic abuse looks like inside a relationship — the idealize-devalue-discard cycle, gaslighting, and the slow erosion of self-esteem
• Why so many women get stuck in the fear of making the wrong decision, endlessly researching instead of trusting what they already know
• How to begin discerning when to leave a relationship — not as a single dramatic moment, but as a process rooted in honesty, safety, and faith
• Why the loneliness of this experience is so disorienting, and why you're not imagining it
• How faith and discernment work together — because trusting a pattern isn't a lack of faith, it's wisdom

Whether you're just beginning to ask questions about your relationship, or you've been circling the word "narcissist" for years without landing anywhere solid, this episode offers language, clarity, and permission to trust what you've been noticing all along.

A note before you listen: This episode is educational, not diagnostic. If you're navigating narcissistic abuse, considering divorce, or unsure when to leave a relationship that doesn't feel safe, please also connect with a licensed therapist or Christian relationship counselor who can walk with you through your specific situation.

Next Steps:

Connect: Join my email list for weekly tips and encouragement at drwendy@navigatingtoxicrelationships.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/drwendyburchett

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/drwendyburchettpsyd

Join our Free Facebook group: "Navigating Toxic Relationships" https://www.facebook.com/groups/1348519390664188/

"Did you know you can grieve a relationship while you're still in it?"

"What if the sadness you can't explain is actually missing the person you thought you fell in love with or grieving the marriage you dreamed of having?”

In today’s episode I will help you to identify hidden grief in your life and how to process grief in the messy middle of your relationship. Also we will explore what the Bible says about grief and His promises to comfort and help you THROUGH!

Next Steps:

Connect: Email me to join email list for weekly tips and encouragement at drwendy@navigatingtoxicrelationships.com

Join our supportive community: Free Facebook group "Navigating Toxic Relationships" https://www.facebook.com/groups/1348519390664188/

Podcast: https://feed.podbean.com/navigatingtoxicrelationships/feed.xml Connect: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1348519390664188/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/drwendyburchett

Are you so exhausted that no matter what you do, you can't catch up on rest? Do you feel as if you "can't take one more thing" or you may break down in tears in the middle of the grocery store?

You need an episode on "self-care"! In today's episode I share information about what real self-care looks like and 3 easy tricks to implement today to get you feeling better fast!

PS. And they really work, they are backed by science!

Next Steps:

Join a supportive community of Christian women learning to Navigate Toxic Relationships at the free Facebook group Navigating Toxic Relationships at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1348519390664188/

Join my email list at: drwendy@navigatingtoxicrelationships.com

Podcast: https://feed.podbean.com/navigatingtoxicrelationships/feed.xml Connect: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1348519390664188/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/drwendyburchett