Are you ready to embrace a life of deep fulfillment where you don't just survive, but thrive? Welcome back, to the "Created To Thrive" podcast, your practical guide to emotional healing, spiritual growth, and stepping into your God-given potential.

In today's episode, "Understanding How Bitterness Develops: Practical Steps Towards Healing and Growth," we dive deep into his often overlooked emotion that can silently consume our hearts and minds. Host Lori K. Snyder and guest Lisa Pinney candidly discuss how hurt and prolonged anger can lead to bitterness, and offer insights into healing from abuse, trauma, and how to find healing and support in processing difficult emotions.

Lori introduces the topic, emphasizing that bitterness is an emotion that can be difficult to process and that this conversation discusses molestation and abuse, which might be triggering for some listeners, especially those who have experienced abuse or difficult situations. She vulnerably shares her own experiences and struggles with bitterness, acknowledging its impact on their lives. 

Bitterness is a complex emotion, closely tied to feelings of helplessness, jealousy, rejection, and a lack of love or understanding. Our hosts explore the root causes of bitterness, emphasizing how long-standing feelings of being trapped or misunderstood contribute to its growth. They stress the importance of bringing these feelings into the light and finding non-judgmental listeners to help alleviate the weight of bitterness.

They discuss the importance of being seen, known, and validated, drawing from biblical examples like Hagar and Tamar. However, they also stress that forgiveness is essential but does not automatically equate to healing. Healing requires ongoing work, honesty, and vulnerability. They highlight the significance of finding non-judgmental support, such as therapy or coaching, to walk through the healing process. They emphasize the need for trauma-informed support and caution against simplistic advice like "just pray more" that can be harmful.

They encourage listeners to acknowledge their emotions, remove masks, and be honest with themselves and God. They share the significance of finding safe people to confide in and seek support from, as healing often happens in relationship with others.

Throughout the conversation, they emphasize the role of self-compassion, breaking down harmful beliefs, and cultivating new neural pathways in the brain to overcome bitterness and its effects. The episode concludes with the importance of partnering with God in the healing process, recognizing the significance of cultivating the heart and beliefs.

Connect with Lisa Pinney https://www.wholenessinpractice.com

Lisa Pinney is the developer of a new app, called The Get Attuned app, which is a tool that allows its users to privately take care of their emotions at home. It is now available in the Google play store, and soon to be in Apple app store.

Connect with Lori K. Snyder

Website: https://loriksnyder.com

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/lori.snyder.1610

https://www.instagram.com/lorikaysnyder/

Key topics of Recognizing Bitterness:

- Self-awareness and judging ourselves based on God's perspective

- Practicing self-compassion and replacing negative thoughts with truth

- Struggling with self-criticism and feeling defeated by expectations

- Host’s personal experience with abuse and molestation

- Feelings of devaluation, silenced voice, and stolen identity

- Finding healing and true identity through a relationship with God

- Quoting scriptures alone not bringing inner peace

- Needing someone to be completely honest with

- Carrying silent secrets as a hindrance to personal growth

- God's redemption and transformation of negative parts of our stories

- Intentional effort and willingness in the healing process

- Obedience in forgiving others, but true forgiveness rooted in God's love

- Entrusting justice to God, letting go of vengeance

- Redemption attainable before reaching heaven

- Seeking justice by allowing God to minister to us, asking who He says we are

- Discerning if God is speaking, aligning His words with His nature and Scripture

- Justice coming through personal thoughts from God and testing them

- Betrayal and abuse wounds altering life, but God can provide truth and healing

- Healing in relationship with others, sharing with at least one person

- Confessing sins to others for healing in relationships

- Healing from traumatic events happening in relationship with others

- Prayer and deepening relationship with God being helpful in healing journey

- Going to a prayer and healing home for forgiveness and healing

- Conversation focusing on anger and processing it

- Shift to discussing bitterness as prolonged anger

- Personal experience with bitterness and desire to help others find healing

- Acknowledging where you are and removing masks

- Getting honest with yourself, doctor, and God

- Emotions as not bad, acknowledging them

- Therapy and support groups available for unresolved trauma

- Tamar's life negatively affected by lack of validation from David

- Forgiveness and healing mentioned as different things in Scripture

- Healing requiring work and potentially support groups or therapy

- Recognizing bitterness as the first step in seeking help from God

- Brain's wiring to create loops and how ingrained behaviors become over time

- Creating new neural pathways through encounters with spirituality, ministry, and therapy

- Reverting back to old patterns when triggered, recognizing and moving towards healthier mindset

- Advising women to submit to abusive partners causing bitterness and helplessness

- Growing anger and resistance against such advice, examples of abuse cover-ups

- Counterbalancing submission with husband's instruction to love and respect wives

- Bitterness fueled by helplessness, jealousy, being misunderstood, rejection, and lack of love or value

- Jesus' sacrifice liberating women from mistreatment

- Bitterness taking root in long-term feelings of helplessness or being misunderstood

- Denying bitterness in evangelical and charismatic circles leading to suppression

- Bringing bitterness into the light through open communication

- Seeking trauma-informed therapy or coaching

- Need for trauma-informed pastoral support, addressing underlying issues.