The Best of You

173. From Silence to Safety: Reclaiming Women’s Stories in Faith Spaces with Therapists Christy & Andrew Bauman

Aug 28, 2025
Guest
Dr. Andrew Bauman
Guest
Dr. Christy Bauman
In this enlightening discussion, therapists Dr. Christy Bauman and Dr. Andrew Bauman delve into making faith spaces safer for women. Christy shares the six vital rites of passage women go through, illuminating their sacred experiences and the importance of reclaiming their narratives. Andrew highlights his research with over 2,800 women in churches, revealing deep-seated issues of sexism. Together, they offer concrete steps for creating supportive and equitable church environments, fostering shared power and honoring women's voices.
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INSIGHT

Body-Centered Spiritual Identity

  • Christy frames the female body as central to spiritual identity and vocation, not peripheral to theology or psychology.
  • She argues women's life cycles contain distinct embodied wisdom that theology and science often overlook.
ADVICE

Use Rites To Understand Seasons

  • Map women's life stages as rites: birthright, initiation, exile, creation, intuition, legacy to understand embodied transitions.
  • Use story work first, then apply it to the body to heal and integrate these passages.
INSIGHT

Initiation Is A Vulnerable Juncture

  • Initiation (first bleeding/sexual awakening) is a vulnerable juncture where shame, neglect, or abuse commonly occur.
  • Cultural silence around bleeding turns a biological rite into psychological harm if unsupported.
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