Relationship Prescriptions with Dr. Carol

Your past is not truly past; it is still impacting you today. In this episode, Dr. Carol talks with trauma therapist and licensed clinical social worker Adam Young to explore how making sense of your story can lead to freedom, meaning, and transformation. We unpack the ways your past still holds power over you—often in ways you don’t even realize—and why resistance to facing your story is so common. Adam Young shares insights into how memory works, why certain moments from your past feel “stuck,” and how your brain and body hold onto experiences and bring them into the present. You'll especially appreciate our discussion of God's role in your story - not as a spiritual bypass, but as a fully honest and yet deeply kind way of finding your relationship with God in your story. Connect with Adam Young on his counseling website, on Facebook, or Instagram. Learn more about the Allender Center. Find Adam's book Make Sense of Your Story: Why Engaging Your Past with Kindness Changes Everything Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries in-person intensives - a safe place to unpack your story and experience Jesus coming into your story to bring healing and wholeness. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

In this special Easter episode, I reflect on the deep meaning of Easter—yes, a historical event, but also as a personal and transformative reality. I share two moments in my own journey where Easter became especially significant, shaping how I see hope, redemption, and new beginnings. Through a biblical lens, we’ll explore the heart of the resurrection story and what it speaks to us today. Then I offer three practical ways to make Easter more meaningful in your own life—whether you’re longing for renewal, wrestling with disappointment, or simply wanting to experience this season in a deeper way. No matter where you find yourself this Easter, my hope is that this conversation encourages you to embrace the promise of resurrection in a way that fuels your hope both for today and for eternity.    Dr. Carol loves to hear form you. Leave your confidential message for Dr. Carol here.

The Christian church has long been a place of both refuge and harm for women, with many experiencing sexism, harassment, or a culture that upholds harmful power dynamics. That is certainly not the way of Jesus, so what can we do about it? In this episode, Dr. Carol talks with licensed counselor and former pastor Dr. Andrew Bauman to discuss the ways a pornified mindset distorts relationships, how church culture can perpetuate abuse, and what true healing and change require. Whether you’re a man seeking to unlearn harmful narratives or a woman longing for clarity and empowerment, this conversation is a must-listen. Connect with Dr. Andrew Bauman on his website, at the Christian Counseling Center, or on Facebook or Instagram. Find his book Safe Church: How to Guard against Sexism and Abuse in Christian Communities Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries in-person intensives - a safe place to unpack your story and experience Jesus coming into your story to bring healing and wholeness. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

Childhood sexual abuse leaves deep wounds—emotional, psychological, and spiritual. But healing is possible. In this powerful conversation, Dr. Carol sits down with Dr. Adam Dell, a licensed psychologist, trauma expert, and author, who shares his personal journey of healing and how both faith and therapy played a role in his restoration. With honesty and compassion, he unpacks the Bible’s perspective on trauma and sexual shame, addressing common struggles survivors face, from self-blame to feeling distant from God. Drawing from his clinical experience, Dr. Dell provides practical steps toward healing, emphasizing the power of truth, community, and God’s redeeming love. Whether you are a survivor seeking hope, a loved one wanting to support someone in their healing journey, or a believer wrestling with how faith and psychology intersect, this episode offers wisdom, encouragement, and the assurance that wholeness is possible. Connect with Dr. Adam Dell on his website, Facebook, or Instagram Find the book Dr. Dell co-authored: Freedom to Heal: A Christian Clinician's Guide to Treating Child Sexual Abuse Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries in-person intensives - a safe place to unpack your story and experience Jesus coming into your story to bring healing and wholeness. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

Pornography is no longer just a "worldly issue"—it has deeply impacted Christian marriages (including women) and families. In this powerful episode, we sit down with Ashley Jameson, Associate Director of Women’s Groups for Pure Desire, who has not only faced the reality of porn in her own story but has also walked alongside countless women seeking freedom and healing. She shares eye-opening statistics on porn’s devastating effects, from intimacy struggles in marriage to the rising number of women battling addiction. But this conversation isn’t about fear—it’s about redemption. Ashley Jameson offers hope-filled guidance for wives navigating betrayal, women wrestling with their own struggles, and parents seeking wisdom to protect and prepare their children in a hypersexualized world. If you or someone you love has been impacted by pornography, this episode is a must-listen, pointing toward the healing power of God’s grace and the steps to lasting transformation. Connect with Ashley Jameson through Pure Desire, or on Facebook. Get all the statistics. Get the full report Beyond the Porn Phenomenon: Equipping The Church For A New Conversation About Pornography, Betrayal Trauma, and Healing Check out our Sexpectations online course. Discover your pathway to sexual wholeness as you explore your sexual story. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

We may believe Jesus can change things. But we either get upset because we can't orchestrate things to make it happen, or get discouraged because it seems He's not doing what we expect. The truth is that everything changes when Jesus shows up! That beautiful moment when Jesus steps in is usually the beginning, and there's much transformation yet for us to experience. But there are elements we can embrace, places we can put ourselves, to make space for Jesus to do His transformative work. Dr. Carol talks about that in this episode, and introduces you to our Dr. Carol Ministries intensives/retreats, where in a small-group setting individuals can experience Jesus showing up in their story and changing everything. Find out more about our Intensives for yourself, or possibly for someone you love and care about. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

In your journey to transformation you will be tempted again. And most followers of Jesus will slip again. It's tempting to fall into a shame spiral. You may think, "I've got to try harder and be more self-disciplined." Or, "It's no use. I'm too far gone. I might as well give up." You find yourself hiding from yourself, others, and from God. In this episode Dr. Carol unpacks how to deal with slips and relapses in your transformation journey. She outlines practical steps to building your escape plan for when you're tempted, and also how to set yourself up for success with lifestyle patterns that lessen your vulnerability to being tempted in the first place. Check out these articles from Dr. Carol: - From Temptation to Triumph: Designing Your Personal Escape Plan - How to Find "Your People" When You Need Help Check out our Sexpectations online course. Discover your pathway to sexual wholeness as you explore your sexual story. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

What's your addiction? What do you go to in order to feel better? Some addictions are dark and especially destructive. Others are less obvious, but nonetheless keep us from living whole, healthy, and in union with God. On this episode Dr. Carol talks with therapist, author, and Episcopal priest Ian Morgan Cron about the path to recovery using the 12 steps toward a "spiritual awakening." This is a picture of the gospel! Ian shares his own story, and then unpacks what it looks like to experience your own journey of recovery, wholeness, and transformation.  Connect with Ian Morgan Cron on his website, his Typology podcast, Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Find Ian's book The Fix: How the Twelve Steps Offer a Surprising Path of Transformation for the Well-Adjusted, the Down-and-Out, and Everyone In Between or the accompanying Workbook. Check out our Sexpectations online course. Discover your pathway to sexual wholeness as you explore your sexual story. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

What are you doing to fill the empty places in your soul? We all do something. And for many, that's porn. But there's nothing too dark, too broken, too marred for Jesus to reach in and set a person free. Joshua Broome is a porn star turned preacher. On this podcast he talks with Dr. Carol about his story of what led him to become one of the most successful adult film stars, and how God brought him along a journey to amazing rescue and healing. And we talk about what porn does to a person, and the process of finding healing and freedom.  Connect with Joshua Broome on his website, Facebook, or Instagram. Find Joshua's book 7 Lies That Will Ruin Your Life: What My Journey from Porn Star to Preacher Taught Me About the Truth That Sets Us Free Check out our Sexpectations online course. Discover your pathway to sexual wholeness as you explore your sexual story. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

You've probably realized by now that trying harder doesn't work very long or very well. That may be especially true for those experiencing sexual brokenness. Today's episode is excerpted from a session at the Change(d) Conference 2024 where Dr. Carol was joined by Jonathan Daugherty, founder and president of Be Broken Ministries. He shares his own story, and then a powerful picture of why grace is the only foundation that works, and nine specific aspects of that grace-based transformation journey. Connect with Jonathan Daugherty and Be Broken Ministries at their website, his Pure Sex Radio podcast, Facebook, or Instagram. Get Jonathan's book Grace-Based Transformation Get access to the full Change(d) Conference 2024, including the Q&A with Jonathan Daugherty, and all the other sessions. Check out our Sexpectations online course. Discover your pathway to sexual wholeness as you explore your sexual story. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.