📽 Q&A Video Transcript
👋 Introduction
Welcome back to the Q&A for Chapter Eight! A quick update before we dive in: these videos are now shifting to Thursdays instead of Wednesdays. That gives you more time to read and reflect before Friday’s journal prompt—and it gives me time to settle into the rhythm of a new job.
Let’s talk about nervous system speak.
🧠 Is the Right Brain Versed in Nervous System Speak?
One reader asked, “Is the right brain versed in nervous system speak?”—and that question cuts to the heart of this chapter.
Yes, the right brain is deeply fluent in the nonverbal, sensory, emotional data your body constantly processes. But to understand that data, your whole brain needs to get involved. Nervous system speak isn’t just raw sensation—it’s sensation plus interoception plus context. It's a full-body interpretive process, just like how we engage with sacred texts.
Some people have strong right-brain awareness but lack language for what they’re feeling. Others are trained to suppress or override sensation altogether, usually because they’ve been taught their body’s reactions are untrustworthy or sinful. That kind of disintegration is a hallmark of theological trauma.
💡 When Theology Trains You to Ignore Your Body
Especially in Western Protestant traditions, emotional responses are often dismissed—or worse, pathologized. You’re told not to trust your feelings. You’re trained to double down on belief instead of noticing how something feels in your body. The message is: if it hurts, pray harder.
But when your theology depends on disconnection from your own body, you lose access to vital data. Your nervous system may be screaming “no,” but you’ve been taught to hear that as doubt—or even sin.
⚖️ Thoughts Aren’t the Enemy—But They’re Not the Whole Answer
This doesn’t mean the left brain (and its thoughts) is bad. It just means it’s incomplete without integration.
This comes up a lot in therapy too. CBT gets labeled as too “heady,” but that’s only a problem if it's used in isolation. When cognitive strategies are combined with regulation and curiosity, they can be powerful. The issue isn’t that thoughts don’t matter—it’s that they’re only one part of the system.
🌍 After Trauma: Can I Ever Trust Again?
After religious trauma, many people feel terrified by how easily they were influenced. The loss of trust—especially in your own perceptions—can feel like its own kind of rupture. You might find yourself asking:
How could I have fallen for that?
How do I trust my own responses now?
What if I’m still vulnerable to manipulation?
That fear is real. And it’s not solved by thinking harder or believing better. It’s solved by building relationship with your body—by learning to stay connected even when things feel uncertain.
👁️ Can Curiosity Be a Lens?
Absolutely. Just like trauma or patriarchy can shape the way we interpret our bodies and the world, curiosity can too. It’s an intentional lens—one that opens space for observation, reflection, and complexity.
For example, if you notice your body bracing for manipulation, the instinct might be skepticism (a valid lens). But layering curiosity over that might sound like: What’s happening here? What made my body react this way? What else could be true? Curiosity helps interrupt all-or-nothing thinking and creates space to respond instead of react.
📝 Journal Prompt
Where has your body been speaking this week—and what would it look like to meet that moment with curiosity instead of critique?
📅 Next Week
I’ll see you next Thursday for Chapter Nine. And remember, questions are always welcome for any chapter we’ve covered so far. I’m so glad you’re still here.
