When Pain Becomes a Language — Understanding Self-Harm and Healing
Self-harm is one of those topics many people struggle to talk about openly—yet it affects individuals and families across every age and background. In this heartfelt episode of Honest Christian Conversations, I’m joined by Brittany Tinsley, who courageously shares her personal journey with self-injury from her teenage years into adulthood.
Brittany opens up about how self-harm began as a response to deep trauma—the suicide of a close friend at age fifteen—and evolved into a coping mechanism during seasons of chaos, grief, and emotional overwhelm. She challenges common misconceptions, explaining that self-injury is often not about wanting to die, but about seeking control, relief, or a way to manage pain when emotions feel unbearable.
This conversation also explores what healing truly looks like. Rather than a single, dramatic moment of deliverance, Brittany describes healing as a gradual process built on honesty, support, and God’s steady presence. By breaking the silence, creating a trusted support system, and learning to speak her urges out loud, she discovered that shame loses power when struggles are brought into the light. We also discuss compassionate, practical guidance for parents navigating the painful reality of finding a child is self-harming—approaching with calm, curiosity, and care rather than fear or judgment.
Brittany’s story ultimately reveals how God can redeem even the most painful chapters. Through her writing, advocacy, and upcoming book Stories Our Scars Tell, she offers hope to others walking similar paths, reminding listeners that no part of their story is wasted.
🎧 Listen to the episode to gain understanding, compassion, and hope around a complex topic—and to hear how healing often begins with being seen, heard, and loved.
💬 After listening, you’re invited to join the community conversation.
This is a space for gentle reflection, shared learning, and supportive discussion for those who are personally impacted or walking alongside someone who is.
Wife. Mother of five. Podcaster. Fiction Novelist
Ana is the host of the Honest Christian Conversations podcast and a prodigal saved by God’s unending grace.
She grew up in a legalistic Christian home where asking questions often felt wrong. In her early twenties, overwhelmed by confusion and hurt, she walked away from her faith. Yet even then, God’s love never stopped pursuing her. At thirty years old—and after a painful second divorce—He brought her back to himself, and she has never looked back.
As Ana returned to Christ, she began rebuilding her faith from the ground up and asked the questions she once feared to ask. Along that journey, she discovered inconsistencies, misplaced teachings, and even lies woven into the Christianity she grew up with. Instead of destroying her faith, this only deepened it. Out of that discovery, she founded Honest Christian Conversations. Ana's heart is to help others navigate the same tension she once lived with: wanting to know the real Jesus while sorting through the noise of deceptive teachings, spiritual manipulation, and “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
Everything she creates flows from gratitude for the God who rescued her, restored her, and continues to shape her into who He intended her to be.
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