What happens when the past refuses to stay buried?

In this episode of the Be Well Podcast, we step into a space many recognize but rarely name — the presence of what lingers. This episode, “Healing Hauntings: Confronting What Lingers,” is a conversation that explores how unspoken grief, unresolved memories, and spiritual dislocation continue to shape our lives, our relationships, and our institutions.

Our guest, Mindy McGarrah Sharp, Professor of Practical Theology and Pastoral Care, invites us to reframe “haunting” not as something to fear, but as an invitation — to become curious about what has been overlooked, avoided, or silenced. Together, we examine what it means to confront these lingering realities with honesty, care, and collective responsibility.

This episode offers a trauma-informed, theologically grounded exploration of how healing begins — not by avoiding what hurts, but by tending to it with intention. From personal memory to institutional accountability, we consider how telling the truth, listening deeply, and staying present to one another can open pathways toward wholeness, repair, and renewal.

You’ll hear about:

• How “haunting” names the lingering impact of unspoken pain — and why what we avoid inevitably returns.
• Why confronting personal and collective wounds is essential for healing, rather than something to bypass or suppress.
• The role of curiosity, truth-telling, and deep listening in trauma-informed care and spiritual formation.
• Practical ways individuals and communities can engage healing work with accountability, humility, and shared responsibility.

Who this is for:
This episode is for pastors, chaplains, educators, caregivers, and leaders — as well as anyone navigating personal or communal wounds — who are seeking faithful, trauma-informed ways to engage what has been left unresolved. If you’re wrestling with hard questions about memory, justice, and healing—whether in your family, your community, or your institution—this conversation offers both language and invitation. It’s for those who sense that avoiding the past is no longer an option, and who are ready to step, with courage and care, into the work of confronting what lingers so that deeper healing can begin.

Listen, share, and subscribe — because we believe that we can be well.