Welcome home. I'm Dr. Tamah, a minister, licensed psychologist, and sacred artist.

And this is Homecoming, a podcast to facilitate your journey home to yourself.

While I will provide weekly inspiration and mental health tips, this podcast is not the same as personalized therapy.

I'm so excited you're on the journey. If you want to request specific topics or to submit a poem for me to read on the podcast,

email me at homecomingpodcast at gmail.com. Also, to build our community, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share. Let's begin.

Welcome home co-journers. I'm glad you're here for another episode. And I'm excited that you have one more week to vote for the Homecoming podcast.

We have been nominated for an NAACP Image Award in the category of Best Self Help in Lifestyle Podcasts.

If you have not already cast your ballot and you want to support the podcast, please go to vote.naacp, image awards.net.

That's vote.naacp, image awards.net, and scroll down to the podcast category and then vote for Homecoming.

Thank you so much for your support. I truly appreciate it. And we have two poems on today, so I'm going to read an excerpt from each.

First is from Emma, and it's called Shine Bright. Dance with your fears. Sing it from your heart. God won't reject you. God loved you from the start.

God sees all the pretty pieces of who you are. God doesn't judge. God does not envy or shame your scars. God is proud of the strong woman that grew out of that.

God sees a beautiful young lady with a powerful voice and wisdom on her side. God tells you you're good enough and now for life.

Don't believe the lies that others told you. You are a whole being as you are. I made you as my daughter and I love you for that.

Never be afraid to love. Never be afraid to just be. Don't you ever hide. Your colors are allowed to shine. Shine them to the world and shine them bright.

Thank you so much, Emma, for that piece reminding us that we are loved and we can let our light shine. And the next piece is from Maddie and Maddie's poem reads,

I'll find myself in an emotional drought start for the love I deny myself to heal and forgive myself is the road back to self love constantly remembering my value and contributions.

A healing rain drenches me again. I remember to forgive and feel the healing rains drench my soul forgiveness is the road back home.

Thank you, Maddie. I appreciate your poem as we think about the multiple pathways to get back home to ourselves and you raise the importance of self love and self forgiveness.

And in our first piece, Emma was talking about the love of God and I wanted to raise that poem on today in particular because I know we have a range of faith traditions represented among cojourners, but on today I want to respond to a request from someone who is writing about the experience of emotional spiritual or religious abuse.

So when you've been a part of a spiritual community or religious community that was emotionally abusive that can disrupt us in terms of our journey home to ourselves and holistically we want to consider that not only the psychological impact of it, but the spiritual impact of it.

And so we want to consider whether you are a part of a spiritual community or a religious community, you know what are some signs that there is emotional abuse that this is toxic that it is unhealthy.

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