This week, we begin a month-long series addressing mental health from a Flipped Table Theology perspective.
** We placed a trigger warning on this week’s episode due to the sensitive nature of the conversation in the areas of mental health, religious trauma, loneliness, and abuse-related issues that are raised.**
We start by unpacking some of the harmful experiences we have each had in sacred spaces regarding mental health. We hope that this conversation helps others who have had similar experiences to know that they are not alone and there are different faith-based perspectives on anxiety, depression, mental health disorders, and trauma.
As always, you can visit our website for show notes for the links, book suggestions, music, and resources discussed in each episode: www.flippedtabletheology.com.
Holly shared a beautiful poem that she wrote about mental health and the church.
Mental Illness
They blamed it on trauma,
They named it with the DSM.
They treated it with medication
When all along the it,
Is me.
It’s part of my rhythms and seasons,
It finds it’s way into my bed,
My relationships,
My celebrations,
My grief.
I am more than my mental illness,
But this gruesome, dark
Weight of mine is still a piece of me.
It’s in the way my brain has been wired,
And rewired.
It’s in the experiences I’ve had
That have broken me.
It’s the way my brain has protected me
To survive.
I embrace the therapy.
I fight for my healing,
But do not dismiss my suffering
With accusations of faithlessness.
What I need is not prayer
And holy anointing water,
But health insurance
That covers my EMDR.
What I need is
Not just sermons,
But access to doctors without waiting lists,
And medications
That come without hefty price tags.
What I need is
Compassion
When I cannot show up.
Empathy,
When I do.
And what I need is to know that
My illness is not invisible,
It’s not demonic,
It’s not sin,
But it is sickness. And It is science.
And it’s the scariest part of me,
But it is part of me.
And it’s the part of me that possibly
Needs you, the church, the most.
-Holly Rose
This week's direct show notes link is: https://www.flippedtabletheology.com/conversations/conversation-7-mental-health-and-the-church
We hope you are able to find a safe, supportive community in your deconstructing because "no one deserves to deconstruct alone" as we mentioned during week 17. Our Flipped Table Theology Facebook group may be a starting place for you and we encourage anyone who is deconstructing or processing religious trauma to join.
The Flipped Table Theology Podcast is a production of The Flipped Table Collective. You can explore all of the resources, classes, events, and trainings that the Flipped Table Collective has to offer at www.flippedtablecollective.com.
This week, we begin a month-long series addressing mental health from a Flipped Table Theology perspective.
** We placed a trigger warning on this week’s episode due to the sensitive nature of the conversation in the areas of mental health, religious trauma, loneliness, and abuse-related issues that are raised.**
We start by unpacking some of the harmful experiences we have each had in sacred spaces regarding mental health. We hope that this conversation helps others who have had similar experiences to know that they are not alone and there are different faith-based perspectives on anxiety, depression, mental health disorders, and trauma.
As always, you can visit our website for show notes for the links, book suggestions, music, and resources discussed in each episode: www.flippedtabletheology.com.
Holly shared a beautiful poem that she wrote about mental health and the church.
Mental Illness
They blamed it on trauma,
They named it with the DSM.
They treated it with medication
When all along the it,
Is me.
It’s part of my rhythms and seasons,
It finds it’s way into my bed,
My relationships,
My celebrations,
My grief.
I am more than my mental illness,
But this gruesome, dark
Weight of mine is still a piece of me.
It’s in the way my brain has been wired,
And rewired.
It’s in the experiences I’ve had
That have broken me.
It’s the way my brain has protected me
To survive.
I embrace the therapy.
I fight for my healing,
But do not dismiss my suffering
With accusations of faithlessness.
What I need is not prayer
And holy anointing water,
But health insurance
That covers my EMDR.
What I need is
Not just sermons,
But access to doctors without waiting lists,
And medications
That come without hefty price tags.
What I need is
Compassion
When I cannot show up.
Empathy,
When I do.
And what I need is to know that
My illness is not invisible,
It’s not demonic,
It’s not sin,
But it is sickness. And It is science.
And it’s the scariest part of me,
But it is part of me.
And it’s the part of me that possibly
Needs you, the church, the most.
-Holly Rose
This week's direct show notes link is: https://www.flippedtabletheology.com/conversations/conversation-7-mental-health-and-the-church
We hope you are able to find a safe, supportive community in your deconstructing because "no one deserves to deconstruct alone" as we mentioned during week 17. Our Flipped Table Theology Facebook group may be a starting place for you and we encourage anyone who is deconstructing or processing religious trauma to join.
The Flipped Table Theology Podcast is a production of The Flipped Table Collective. You can explore all of the resources, classes, events, and trainings that the Flipped Table Collective has to offer at www.flippedtablecollective.com.