Vicki Diemert
Trauma-Informed Story Work/Faith, Relationship & Emotional Healing Coach
About
Vicki Diemert | Trauma-Informed Christian Coach, Biblical Counselor & Couples Coach
Trauma-Informed Christian Coaching for Individuals and Couples
Biblical Counseling for Trauma, Anxiety, Church Hurt, Betrayal, and Relationship Healing
Vicki Diemert is the founder of The Healing Narrative and a trauma-informed Christian coach with a Master's in Biblical Counseling. She helps individuals and couples understand emotional pain, relationship struggles, church hurt, betrayal trauma, and infidelity through a biblical, trauma-informed, and narrative-focused approach.
Serving clients throughout Arizona and online across the United States, Vicki integrates biblical truth with trauma-informed care, Narrative Focused Trauma Care™, and trauma-informed couples coaching to help people experience lasting transformation.
Christian Trauma Coaching That Helps You Understand Your Story
Many Christians have been told:
"Just pray more."
"Forgive and move on."
"Don't dwell on the past."
While these responses may contain truth, they often don't explain why painful experiences continue affecting emotions, relationships, and faith.
Trauma-informed Christian coaching helps you understand why your reactions make sense, how your life experiences shaped you, and how God invites healing rather than shame.
Healing isn't about pretending the past didn't happen.
Healing comes through understanding your story, grieving what was lost, and learning new ways of relating to yourself, others, and God.
What Is Trauma-Informed Christian Coaching?
Trauma-informed Christian coaching combines biblical wisdom, nervous system awareness, attachment science, and story work to help individuals and couples heal from emotional wounds.
Rather than simply changing behaviors, this work explores the deeper patterns beneath them.
Clients often come seeking help for:
- Christian trauma recovery
- Church hurt
- Spiritual abuse
- Anxiety
- Emotional numbness
- Relationship conflict
- Marriage struggles
- Betrayal trauma
- Infidelity recovery
- Shame
- Family of origin wounds
- Adult children of emotionally unhealthy families
- Identity struggles
- Emotional regulation
- Boundaries
- Grief and loss
Biblical Counseling Meets Trauma-Informed Care
Vicki's approach bridges biblical counseling with trauma-informed care.
She believes emotional reactions are rarely random. Trauma-informed Christian coaching combines biblical truth, attachment theory, trauma-informed care, and story work to help people understand why they react the way they do.
Together you'll explore:
- Family of origin dynamics
- Attachment patterns
- Core beliefs
- Shame
- Protective survival strategies
- Emotional triggers
- Relational patterns
- Faith formation
- The impact of trauma on marriage and relationships
Rather than asking, "What's wrong with you?"
The better question becomes:
"What happened to you, and how does your story still shape your life today?"
The Healing Narrative Process
Every client walks through a framework designed to create lasting transformation.
Safety
Healing begins by creating emotional and relational safety.
Story
Explore your family history, important relationships, painful experiences, and defining moments.
Understanding
Learn how your brain, body, emotions, and faith have adapted to difficult experiences.
Naming Shame and Grieving
Identify losses, unmet needs, false beliefs, and places where shame has hidden your true story.
Impact and Responsibility
Understand how survival strategies affect your relationships while learning to take responsibility without condemnation.
Practice
Develop healthier ways of relating to yourself, your spouse, your family, and God.
Transformation
Experience greater emotional freedom, relational health, integrity, and spiritual maturity.
Christian Coaching for Betrayal, Infidelity, and Marriage Recovery
Many couples find themselves trapped in cycles of hurt, defensiveness, withdrawal, or repeated conflict.
Vicki works with individuals and couples experiencing:
- Infidelity
- Betrayal trauma
- Broken trust
- Emotional disconnection
- Communication breakdown
- Marriage conflict
- Rebuilding intimacy
- Recovery after affairs
Rather than rushing forgiveness, this work helps couples understand:
- What happened
- Why it happened
- How each person's story shapes the relationship
- What genuine repair looks like
- How trust is rebuilt over time
Forgiveness and reconciliation are not the same.
Healing requires honesty, responsibility, compassion, and consistent repair.
Healing from Church Hurt and Spiritual Trauma
Many faithful Christians carry wounds from unhealthy churches, leadership, or spiritual environments.
If you've experienced:
- Church hurt
- Spiritual abuse
- Religious shame
- Fear of disappointing God
- Confusion about faith after painful experiences
this work creates space to explore those experiences with honesty while remaining rooted in biblical truth.
Faith should never require denying your humanity.
Why Clients Choose The Healing Narrative
Clients appreciate an approach that combines:
- Biblical Counseling
- Trauma-Informed Christian Coaching
- Narrative Focused Trauma Care™
- Trauma-Informed Couples Coaching
- Story work
- Attachment-informed care
- Emotional awareness
- Grace-filled accountability
- Practical relational tools
Many discover:
- Their reactions finally make sense.
- Shame begins to lose its grip.
- Relationships become healthier.
- Faith feels more authentic.
- Healing becomes possible.
About Vicki Diemert
Vicki Diemert is the founder of The Healing Narrative.
She holds a Master's in Biblical Counseling and has advanced training in:
- Biblical Counseling
- Narrative Focused Trauma Care™
- Trauma-Informed Couples Therapy
- Christian trauma-informed coaching
She works with individuals and couples seeking deeper healing through a compassionate, biblically grounded understanding of trauma, relationships, and personal story.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is trauma-informed Christian coaching?
Trauma-informed Christian coaching combines biblical principles, trauma education, attachment theory, and story work to help people understand emotional pain, relationship patterns, and spiritual growth in a compassionate and practical way.
Is this biblical counseling?
Vicki's work is rooted in biblical counseling while also integrating trauma-informed care, Narrative Focused Trauma Care™, and relational neuroscience to help clients understand how experiences shape emotions, beliefs, and relationships.
Do you work with couples?
Yes. Vicki works with couples navigating conflict, betrayal, infidelity, communication struggles, emotional disconnection, and rebuilding trust.
Do you help with church hurt?
Yes. Many clients come seeking healing from church hurt, spiritual abuse, religious shame, or confusing faith experiences.
Do you offer online Christian coaching?
Yes. Coaching is available online for clients throughout the United States and in person for clients in Arizona when available.
Schedule a Discovery Call
If you're looking for trauma-informed Christian coaching, biblical counseling, or help navigating relationship struggles, church hurt, betrayal, or emotional healing, a discovery call is the best place to begin.
Together we'll discuss your story, what you're experiencing, and whether The Healing Narrative is the right fit for your healing journey.
Healing begins by understanding your story—and discovering that your reactions make sense, your pain matters, and transformation is possible.
Packages
Free Discovery Call
A 30-minute space to slow down, gain clarity on what you need help with, and explore if this work is a good fit for you.
Ask about the affordable long term group + individual option!
Ask about the affordable long term group + individual option!
If you’re ready to understand why you feel stuck—
and begin moving toward real change—
and begin moving toward real change—
We’ll talk through what you’re experiencing and whether this work is a good fit for you.
Serving clients in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Mesa, Chandler, Tempe, and throughout Arizona, as well as online across the U.S.
Serving clients in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Mesa, Chandler, Tempe, and throughout Arizona, as well as online across the U.S.
60-Minute 1:1 zoom Session
A 60-minute guided space to explore patterns, reactions, relationships, and unresolved experiences so you can better understand how your story has shaped you, untangle confusion, and identify what may be keeping you stuck. Together, we will explore what your emotions, relationships, and reactions may be communicating, creating space for greater self-awareness, healing, meaningful change, and movement forward.
5 session package
Healing and growth often happen through consistency. This package includes 5 sessions at a 10% discounted rate for those wanting dedicated space to explore patterns, build insight, and move toward lasting change.
Marriage Coaching
Marriage coaching that helps couples better understand relational patterns, strengthen communication, explore the impact of personal story, and move toward healthier connection through a faith-based and trauma-informed lens.
⭐ The Healing Narrative Journey
Healing isn't a quick fix. It's a journey.
The Healing Narrative Journey is an affordable 6 month, trauma-informed, faith-based healing experience that combines private coaching, guided healing community, story work, biblical wisdom, and supportive community to help you make sense of your story, strengthen your relationships, deepen your connection with God, and move from surviving to living with greater freedom, hope, and wholeness.
Guided Relational Restoration Process
Are you looking for a structured and supportive process to work through relational pain, unresolved conflict, or rupture with a friend, family member, church relationship, or important person in your life? This guided and neutral process creates space to be heard, clarify concerns, work toward collaborative goals, and explore pathways toward repair, understanding, and restoration.
1:1 session in person
A 60-minute guided space to explore patterns, reactions, relationships, and unresolved experiences so you can better understand how your story has shaped you, untangle confusion, and identify what may be keeping you stuck. Together, we will explore what your emotions, relationships, and reactions may be communicating, creating space for greater self-awareness, healing, meaningful change, and movement forward.
The Gathering
A monthly place to bring what’s actually happening. Come with your questions, relationships, patterns, emotions, and faith and find practical support, meaningful conversation, and a space to grow.
Testimonials
"Working with Vicki helped me understand reactions I’ve had for years that I could never quite explain. I had prayed about certain struggles and tried to move forward, but the patterns kept repeating. Through our conversations, I began to see how earlier experiences were shaping how I interpreted situations and responded to people. What surprised me most was how compassionate the process felt. Instead of feeling judged or analyzed, I felt understood. That alone brought a sense of relief and clarity I hadn’t experienced before."
- — Coaching Client
"Vicki has a way of listening that helps you hear your own story differently. I came in feeling confused about why certain situations in my life were still affecting me so deeply. She helped me slow down and look at experiences I had mostly pushed aside. For the first time, the emotional patterns I was struggling with actually started to make sense. Our work together helped me approach my faith and my emotions with more honesty and less pressure to simply ‘get over it.’"
- -Individual Coaching Client
"One of the most meaningful parts of working with Vicki was the sense of safety she created. I never felt rushed to share more than I was ready to, yet the questions she asked helped me see connections in my story that I had never considered before. It helped me understand why certain relationships felt so difficult and why some situations triggered such strong responses. I left our sessions with a deeper sense of clarity and a more compassionate view of my own story."
- Coaching Client
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I feel emotionally numb as a Christian?
Emotional numbness is often a protective response developed over time, especially when pain hasn’t been acknowledged or cared for. It’s not a sign of weak faith—it’s a sign your story needs attention.
WHY DO I FEEL EMOTIONALLY NUMB AS A CHRISTIAN?
WHY DO I FEEL EMOTIONALLY NUMB AS A CHRISTIAN?
Feeling emotionally numb as a Christian is more common than people admit.
You may still believe in God.
You may still be showing up, praying, reading your Bible.
You may still be showing up, praying, reading your Bible.
But inside, something feels distant, muted, or shut down.
Emotional numbness isn’t a sign that your faith is failing.
It’s often a sign that your story hasn’t been fully understood or cared for.
It’s often a sign that your story hasn’t been fully understood or cared for.
WHAT DOES EMOTIONAL NUMBNESS FEEL LIKE?
You might feel:
- Disconnected from your emotions
- Unable to access joy, sadness, or even anger
- Exhausted from trying to “feel something” again
- Confused about why your faith feels flat
- Like you’re going through the motions but not fully present
And maybe what’s been most disorienting…
Is that no one has helped you make sense of it.
WHAT IS EMOTIONAL NUMBNESS?
Emotional numbness is not the absence of feeling.
It’s the presence of protection.
It’s the presence of protection.
At some point, your body and mind learned that feeling deeply was:
- unsafe
- overwhelming
- or unsupported
So instead of continuing to feel pain without care…
Your system adapted by turning the volume down.
WHY DO CHRISTIANS EXPERIENCE EMOTIONAL NUMBNESS?
Many Christians have been taught—directly or indirectly:
- Emotions can’t be trusted
- Faith means moving on quickly
- Forgiveness should be immediate
- Struggling emotionally reflects weak faith
So instead of being helped in their pain…
They learned to:
- suppress it
- spiritualize it
- or ignore it
This is often called spiritual bypassing—using spiritual language to avoid emotional reality instead of engaging it.
WHY DO I STILL FEEL STUCK EVEN WHEN I PRAY?
You can’t heal what hasn’t been understood.
If your pain was:
- dismissed
- minimized
- or rushed past
Then your system is still carrying it—even if your mind is trying to move on.
That’s why:
- more prayer doesn’t always change it
- more effort doesn’t fix it
- more knowledge doesn’t resolve it
Because healing requires more than insight.
HOW DO I HEAL FROM EMOTIONAL NUMBNESS AS A CHRISTIAN?
Healing begins when your story is approached differently.
Through a trauma-informed Christian coaching process, you begin to:
- Understand what shaped your responses
- Recognize the protective patterns you developed
- Make sense of your emotions instead of dismissing them
- Engage your story with honesty, curiosity, and compassion
This process follows a pathway:
Safety → Understanding → Naming & Grieving → Practice → Transformation
As your story is cared for, your capacity to feel begins to return.
Not all at once.
But slowly, safely, and meaningfully.
But slowly, safely, and meaningfully.
IS EMOTIONAL NUMBNESS A LACK OF FAITH?
No.
If you feel numb, it does not mean:
- you don’t love God
- you’re doing faith wrong
- you’ve failed spiritually
It means something in your story needs attention.
And healing doesn’t come from trying harder.
It comes from being understood.
Why Faith Alone Hasn’t Felt Like Enough
Many Christians are taught:
- Emotions can’t be trusted
- Healing is a decision
- Forgiveness should be immediate
But Scripture shows us something different.
Jesus didn’t bypass pain.
He entered it.
He named it.
He responded to people with presence—not pressure.
He entered it.
He named it.
He responded to people with presence—not pressure.
If your faith feels disconnected from your emotional life,
it’s not because you’re doing it wrong.
it’s not because you’re doing it wrong.
It’s because you were never shown how to integrate the two.
Does forgiveness mean I have to trust again?
No. Forgiveness and trust are not the same. Trust is rebuilt through honesty, consistency, and repair—not simply granted.
What is spiritual bypassing and why it keeps you stuck
WHAT IS SPIRITUAL BYPASSING? (AND WHY IT KEEPS YOU STUCK)
Spiritual bypassing is when spiritual language or beliefs are used to avoid emotional pain instead of helping you move through it.
It often sounds like faith.
It often looks like obedience.
It often looks like obedience.
But instead of bringing healing…
It keeps you disconnected from your story, your emotions, and sometimes even from God. Spiritual bypassing may feel like faith—but real healing begins when your story is no longer avoided.
WHAT DOES SPIRITUAL BYPASSING LOOK LIKE?
Spiritual bypassing can sound like:
- “Just pray more”
- “Just forgive and move on”
- “God is in control, so don’t dwell on it”
- “Everything happens for a reason”
- “You shouldn’t feel that way”
These statements aren’t always wrong.
But when they’re used to avoid pain instead of engage it…
They can leave you feeling:
- dismissed
- confused
- alone in your suffering
WHY DO CHRISTIANS USE SPIRITUAL BYPASSING?
Most people don’t do this intentionally.
It often comes from:
- Discomfort with emotions
- Lack of understanding around trauma and the body
- A desire to help quickly
- Misunderstanding what faith actually requires
So instead of slowing down and entering someone’s pain…
We reach for quick spiritual answers.
WHY SPIRITUAL BYPASSING IS HARMFUL
Spiritual bypassing doesn’t remove pain.
It disconnects you from it.
And what isn’t processed doesn’t disappear—it stays in your body, your relationships, and your patterns.
This is why you might:
- Keep reacting the same way in relationships
- Feel stuck even after praying or forgiving
- Struggle to trust yourself or others
- Feel numb, overwhelmed, or shut down
Because the root issue hasn’t been cared for.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE ACTUALLY SHOW US?
Jesus did not bypass pain.
He entered it.
He asked questions.
He named what was happening.
He responded with presence—not pressure.
He named what was happening.
He responded with presence—not pressure.
He wept.
He grieved.
He allowed people to tell the truth about their experience.
He grieved.
He allowed people to tell the truth about their experience.
Biblical healing is not about avoiding pain.
It’s about engaging it in the presence of God and others.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FAITH AND SPIRITUAL BYPASSING?
Spiritual bypassing says:
- “Move on quickly”
- “Don’t feel that”
- “Just trust God”
Healthy faith says:
- “Let’s understand what happened”
- “Your experience matters”
- “God meets you in your pain, not outside of it”
Faith doesn’t rush healing.
It creates space for it.
HOW DO I STOP SPIRITUAL BYPASSING?
Healing begins with slowing down.
Instead of asking:
“What should I do?”
“What should I do?”
Begin asking:
- What am I actually feeling?
- What happened that led to this?
- What hasn’t been acknowledged or cared for?
Through a trauma-informed Christian coaching process, you begin to:
- Understand your emotional responses
- Identify where your pain has been bypassed
- Learn how to engage your story honestly
- Experience healing that includes both faith and emotion
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU STOP BYPASSING YOUR PAIN?
When your story is finally engaged instead of avoided:
- Your emotions begin to make sense
- Your reactions become less confusing
- Your relationships begin to shift
- Your connection with God deepens
Because you’re no longer avoiding your experience…
You’re bringing it into the light.
ABOUT MY APPROACH
I’m Vicki Diemert, a trauma-informed Christian coach helping people of faith make sense of their emotional pain, relational struggles, and experiences of church hurt.
With training in biblical counseling, trauma-informed care, and narrative-focused trauma work, I guide people through a process that goes beyond insight—into real, lasting transformation.
My approach integrates both faith and emotional health, because healing doesn’t happen by ignoring your story—it happens by understanding it.
This work is grounded in a process I use with every client:
Safety → Understanding → Naming & Grieving → Practice → Transformation
Because real change doesn’t come from trying harder.
It comes from being understood, cared for, and engaged differently.
It comes from being understood, cared for, and engaged differently.
READY TO BEGIN?
If you’re ready to experience healing that doesn’t bypass your story:
👉 Schedule a free call:
https://calendly.com/thehealingnarrativecoach/30min
https://calendly.com/thehealingnarrativecoach/30min
Is this faith-based?
Yes. My work integrates emotional healing with Christian faith.
Many people who come to me love their faith but feel confused about how to understand emotional pain, past experiences, or relational wounds within that context. My approach honors both faith and emotional reality without forcing people to choose between the two.
What is narrative-focused story work?
Narrative-focused story work helps people explore the experiences that shaped how they see themselves, others, and God.
Narrative-focused story work helps people understand the experiences that shaped their emotional patterns, beliefs, and relationships.
Rather than focusing only on current problems, story work looks at the larger themes within a person’s life story. This often helps individuals see connections between past experiences and present reactions, bringing clarity and reducing shame.
Many emotional reactions and relational patterns make more sense when we understand the deeper themes in our story. Rather than simply trying to “move on,” this work helps people develop clarity, compassion for themselves, and greater freedom in how they respond to life and relationships.
Who is narrative-focused trauma-informed coaching for?
This type of work is often helpful for people who:
- feel emotionally stuck in certain patterns
- want to understand their reactions in relationships
- have experienced church hurt or spiritual confusion
- want emotional healing that respects their Christian faith
- feel that past experiences still influence their present life
- have experienced abuse, harm or betrayal
What is trauma-informed Christian coaching?
Trauma-informed Christian coaching helps people explore emotional patterns, past experiences, and relational dynamics in a way that respects how the nervous system and memory work.
This approach recognizes that emotional reactions are often connected to earlier life experiences. Instead of simply focusing on behavior change or spiritual advice, trauma-informed coaching helps individuals understand the deeper story shaping their responses.
What is my framework?
Healing happens through a clear, trauma-informed, narrative-based process that helps you understand your story, your patterns, and how they impact your relationships.
My framework is:
Safety → Story → Understanding → Naming Shame & Grieving → Impact & Responsibility → Practice → Transformation
Each step builds on the next:
Safety
Your story is approached with care, curiosity, and compassion—not correction or pressure.
Your story is approached with care, curiosity, and compassion—not correction or pressure.
Story
We explore your family of origin, key life experiences, and relational wounds to understand what has shaped you.
We explore your family of origin, key life experiences, and relational wounds to understand what has shaped you.
Understanding
You begin to see why you think, feel, and respond the way you do—including core beliefs, shame, and protective strategies.
You begin to see why you think, feel, and respond the way you do—including core beliefs, shame, and protective strategies.
Naming Shame & Grieving
What happened to you is acknowledged and processed. You begin to name loss, pain, and the impact it has had on your identity.
What happened to you is acknowledged and processed. You begin to name loss, pain, and the impact it has had on your identity.
Impact & Responsibility
You gently examine how your patterns may be affecting your relationships—learning to take responsibility without shame and move toward repair.
You gently examine how your patterns may be affecting your relationships—learning to take responsibility without shame and move toward repair.
Practice
You begin showing up differently in real relationships—with greater clarity, honesty, and integrity.
You begin showing up differently in real relationships—with greater clarity, honesty, and integrity.
Transformation
Change becomes natural—not forced—as your story is understood and new ways of relating take root.
Change becomes natural—not forced—as your story is understood and new ways of relating take root.
This framework is especially helpful for people navigating:
- relationship conflict or disconnection
- betrayal or infidelity
- church hurt or spiritual confusion
- anxiety, emotional overwhelm, or feeling “stuck”
- patterns in relationships that don’t seem to change
Because real healing doesn’t come from trying harder.
It comes from understanding your story—and learning how to engage it differently.
Is this therapy?
No. My work is coaching and guided story engagement, not therapy or mental health treatment.
I help individuals explore emotional patterns, past experiences, and relational dynamics through a trauma-informed, narrative-focused framework. This work can bring clarity and understanding to the ways our story shapes how we experience life, relationships, and faith.
If you are currently seeking therapy for mental health treatment, working with a licensed therapist may be the most appropriate step.
Can I heal without revisiting my past?
Healing doesn’t require reliving everything—but it does require understanding what shaped you. Avoiding your story often keeps you stuck in it.
Let's Connect