Homebrewed Christianity Podcast

What if everything we think we know about trauma and healing is backwards? Today I'm talking with Aizaiah Young about his incredible new book "Trauma and Renewal" and honestly, this conversation blew me away. Isaiah survived a near-death motorcycle accident right after passing his PhD comprehensive exams (talk about terrible timing), and during a 16-hour surgery, he had this profound mystical encounter with Jesus that completely reshaped how he thinks about transformation. But here's the thing - this isn't some individualistic "I found healing and so can you" story. Instead, Aizaiah argues that real healing is relational, communal, and intercultural, and he's doing something really brave by including his parents' voices throughout the book as they process this traumatic journey together. We dive deep into contemplative tradition, Internal Family Systems therapy, the vision he had of sitting in silence by a river with Jesus (who apparently has a great sense of humor), and how the whole Western approach to self