Common Grace & Trauma: Why Healing Takes More Than Prayer
In this episode, Dr. J sits talks with Christine Kite—counselor, trauma specialist, and thoughtful guide at the crossroads of faith and psychology—for a compassionate and eye-opening conversation on mental health and the church. With vulnerability and clarity, Christine unpacks the weight of trauma, the realities of PTSD, and the healing power of being seen, known, and supported.
Together, Christine and Justin explore the complicated relationship many Christians have with mental health—where stigma still lingers, silence can be spiritualized, and professional help is sometimes seen as a lack of faith. Through honest storytelling, theological reflection, and clinical insight, this conversation invites listeners to reimagine healing as both sacred and scientific.
From cognitive behavioral therapy to community care, from cultural shifts to the power of empathy, this episode doesn’t shy away from hard truths—but it also refuses to abandon hope. Christine challenges us to integrate our spiritual convictions with emotional honesty and to become communities where people don’t have to hide their pain to belong.
Whether you’re a skeptic of therapy, a trauma survivor, or someone walking alongside those who suffer, this episode offers a gentle but firm reminder: healing is holy, and asking for help is not weakness—it’s wisdom.
The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves by Curt Thompson
Anatomy of the Soul: Surprising Connections between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices That Can Transform Your Life and Relationships by Curt Thompson
Getting Unstuck from PTSD: Using Cognitive Processing Therapy to Guide Your Recovery by Patricia A. Resick, Candice M. Monson, and Kathleen M. Chard
- Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology, and How You Can Heal by Donna Jackson Nakazawa
- Side by Side, Riverview Church Care Ministry
- The American Psychological Association (APA)
- Cognitive Processing (CPT) Therapists in Lansing, MI
- Mayo Clinic, Psychiatry and Psychology
