Childhood Trauma

How do we begin to understand the landscape of our soul in light of our spiritual journey? What does it look like to live a more integrated life—one that honors the connection between mind, body, and spirit?

For pastors and authors Cyd and Geoff Holsclaw, these questions became deeply personal as they explored their own spiritual formation and the hidden forces that shape the way we relate to God, ourselves, and others. Drawing from the science of attachment and its profound spiritual implications, they have examined how our earliest experiences of connection can influence our understanding of God, our relationships, and the way we navigate the world. In their book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, they offer a compelling framework for cultivating deeper intimacy with God and greater wholeness in our lives.

In this conversation, Davey, Cyd, and Geoff explore why faith and healing can sometimes feel disconnected, how attachment theory provides a powerful lens for understanding our spiritual lives, and what it looks like to navigate the terrain of our souls with compassion, honesty, and grace.

If you've ever wondered how your past experiences continue to shape your relationships, your faith, or the way you see yourself and God, this episode offers both insight and hope. No matter what terrain you've traveled, healing and transformation remain possible through Christ, deeper self-awareness, and the secure connection we were created to experience.

How can we begin to untangle the thoughts and emotions that are keeping us stuck or pushing us toward unhealthy forms of coping? What does it look like to embrace the God-given agency we have over our minds?

Dr. Lee Warren is a practicing neurosurgeon who has experienced the depths of grief and loss after losing his son, Mitch, years ago. Through his own journey of pain and healing—as well as his deep understanding of the brain as a neurosurgeon—he began to connect the truth of what Scripture says about our minds and thoughts with the science of the brain. Dr. Warren believes each of us has the ability to do “brain surgery” on ourselves in order to experience deeper healing from loss, trauma, and the wounds we encounter throughout life.

In his book, The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery: Connecting Neuroscience and Faith to Radically Transform Your Life, Dr. Warren helps readers understand the power they have in their healing journey while offering practical wisdom for growing through difficulty into resilience.

In this conversation, Davey and Dr. Warren discuss the difference between the brain and the mind, the incredible power our thoughts have in the healing process, and why God gave us emotions in the first place.

If you are feeling stuck and find yourself turning to unhealthy habits or patterns in the midst of pain, this episode will encourage you with the hope that God can radically transform your life as you learn the life-changing art of self-brain surgery.

How do we find people who can help us carry the weight of our stories? How do we learn to experience safety in community when relationships themselves have often been the source of deep pain?

Author, speaker, and podcaster Toni Collier has endured profound hardship throughout her life, including caring for a parent at a young age, surviving an abusive marriage, experiencing sexual betrayal, enduring sexual manipulation as a child, walking through two divorces, and more. Learning to trust others with the deepest parts of her story did not come easily. Yet through the healing power of what she calls a Confessional Community, Toni began experiencing layers of healing and freedom she never thought possible. In her latest book, Don't Try This Alone: How to Build Deep Community When You Want to Hide from Your Pain, Toni shares how authentic, vulnerable community can become one of the primary ways God brings healing through suffering.

In this episode, Davey and Toni talk about why confession and vulnerability are such essential parts of healing, how we can become safe people that others trust with their pain, and the emotional and spiritual dangers of isolation and hidden suffering.

If opening up to others has felt difficult—especially in seasons of pain, disappointment, or heartbreak—this conversation will remind you that healing was never meant to happen alone and that God often uses deep, authentic community as part of the restoration process He wants to invite you into.

How can you tell the difference between big emotions that are part of the human experience and true dysregulation connected to past trauma? What does it look like to safely move the energy of anxiety, fear, and stress out of the body?

Lacey Jervis helps countless women recognize the ways their physiological responses impact how they show up in everyday life, relationships, and faith. Through her work, she offers a pathway toward greater safety, regulation, and emotional security by helping women better understand the connection between trauma, the nervous system, and the body.

In this special part two episode, Davey and Lacey continue their conversation by exploring practical somatic practices that can support healing and restore a sense of safety within the body. They discuss how to recognize the difference between a survival response and a normal response to life’s challenges, why unresolved trauma can remain stored in the body long after an event has passed, and practical ways to help the nervous system return to regulation and peace.

If you are looking for practical wisdom on how to calm your body’s physiological responses after trauma, this conversation will offer grounded, accessible tools you can begin practicing right now and will teach you ways to move the energy of fear, anxiety, and pain through the body so that you can more fully show up to your life, relationships, faith, and calling from a place of calm, safety, and presence.

How do we reconcile our dysregulation after trauma when it comes to our faith? What is the connection between our physiological experience and God?

It was through Lacey Jervis own experience with trauma that she began to understand the profound impact the body’s physical responses can have after loss. After losing her dad to a heart attack at a young age while she was home with him, Lacey began to recognize how deeply trauma affects both the nervous system and our perception of ourselves, others, and even God. That journey eventually led her to help others navigate the complex relationship between trauma, the body, and faith.

Through her work with women as a Somatic Therapist, Lacey began helping clients untangle their physiological responses from what they often assumed were spiritual failures. As she guided them toward understanding the body’s reactions and equipped them with tools to restore safety and regulation, many began to realize that what they believed was a faith issue was often a physiological response rooted in trauma.

In this episode, Davey and Lacey journey through her story of losing her dad and explore the lasting ways trauma impacts the body, the physiological responses that can remain long after a traumatic event and why it is so important to understand the difference between dysregulation and disobedience.

If you have ever felt like your faith was weak because of the ways your body becomes dysregulated after trauma, this conversation will remind you that God is not disappointed in your dysregulation. Instead, there is an invitation to holiness through your humanity.

How do we begin to move through the pain we’ve buried for so long? And how can our willingness to be vulnerable create space for others to share their own stories honestly?

Pastor Chris Durso never imagined how a single question could uncover years of suppressed pain. During a therapy session, the simple prompt—“How was your childhood?”—opened the door to long-buried memories of sexual abuse he experienced as a child at the hands of someone within the church. What followed was not only the resurfacing of those moments, but also the unexpected weight of PTSD and the beginning of a difficult, yet transformative, journey toward healing.

In this episode, Davey sits down with Chris to talk about what it looks like to confront childhood trauma, how to navigate PTSD in the context of community, and why authenticity in the church is so essential for true healing.

If you’ve ever experienced wounds from your past resurfacing in unexpected ways, this conversation is a reminder that even in the most painful parts of our story, Jesus is present—and healing is possible.