My Story: Healing Is Possible

For a long time, I’ve felt the gentle prompting to share my story — not just the polished parts, but the honest, messy journey of how I found healing through faith, therapy, and God’s grace.

It’s not a story I’ve told often, but I know how powerful it is when someone shares their heart and you realize you’re not alone. My hope is that my story will remind you that no matter where you’ve been or what you’ve walked through, healing is possible — and God can use every part of your story for good.

Growing Up in Brokenness — and Finding Glimpses of Grace

I grew up in a home where love and pain often coexisted. My parents were good people who also struggled deeply with addiction and mental health challenges. Their divorce when I was three years old began a childhood filled with instability — remarriages, loss, and chaos became a normal part of life.

But in the middle of that brokenness, God placed people in my life who showed me love and stability. My grandmother, for example, was a constant source of warmth and comfort. Her home was a refuge — a place filled with homemade bread, bedtime stories, and the kind of love that reminded me what safety felt like.

Even then, I see now how God was placing small lights in my path — moments of grace that would one day help me understand His love.

The Lingering Effects of a Painful Childhood

Though life eventually felt more stable, the effects of early trauma stayed with me. I struggled with friendships, emotional regulation, and self-worth. I longed for connection and tried to fill that emptiness through relationships, believing that if I just found the “right” person, the pain would finally go away.

At times, my high school years were challenging but it was also a time when my faith became an anchor. I felt peace in church, and over time, I came to recognize it as the presence of the Holy Spirit.

At 21, I served a full-time mission for my church, where I came to know — not just believe, but know — that God loves me. I saw His hand in my own life and in the lives of others, and it changed me forever.

Loss, Love, and the Realization That Healing Takes Work

Addiction remained a part of my family’s story. My dad eventually found sobriety through AA and has now been sober for 30+ years. My mom, however, continued to battle her addictions and passed away when I was 27 from a drug overdose. Losing her was heartbreaking. I grieved not only her death but the relationship we would never have.

After my mission, I reconnected with my high school boyfriend, and we married soon after. He’s been one of the greatest blessings in my life — kind, steady, and patient. But even a wonderful marriage couldn’t erase the pain I carried.

As a mother and wife, I struggled with perfectionism, self-criticism, and the belief that I needed to be happy all the time to be “good.” I poured myself into motherhood, raising four beautiful children, but I didn’t know how to care for myself. I thought being a good mom meant constantly sacrificing my needs. I felt emotionally drained.

That’s when God led me to Al-Anon, a support group for those affected by another’s drinking. My heart was ready to start this healing work. I worked the steps, leaned on God for strength, and began to truly heal. Slowly, He restored what had been broken.

When Faith and Therapy Work Together

As healing took root, I began to sense a calling — to help others find what I had found. I returned to school, earned my master’s degree in social work, and became a therapist.

Now, when I sit with women who are hurting, ashamed, or exhausted, I understand their pain. I’ve lived it. And I’ve seen how faith and therapy can work hand in hand to bring freedom and peace.

Healing doesn’t mean forgetting the past — it means allowing God to redeem it.

What I’ve Learned Through Healing

• God can use your pain for purpose. Nothing from your story is wasted when you give it to Him.

• Self-care honors God’s creation — you. Your needs matter.

• Therapy and faith go together. God often uses skilled helpers to bring healing.

• You are not defined by your past. You are defined by who God says you are — loved, chosen, and worthy.

Today, I can truly say I’m grateful for my story. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s evidence of God’s grace in motion. I love the person He’s helped me become.

A Message for You

If any part of my story speaks to your heart — if you’re tired of carrying the weight of your past or struggling to find peace — please know there is hope.

God can heal what feels impossible to heal. And therapy can be one of the tools He uses to do it.

If you’re ready to take that next step toward emotional and spiritual healing, I’d be honored to walk alongside you.

You don’t have to walk this journey alone. Discover how faith-based therapy can bring peace and healing — visit LisaLewisTherapy.com to learn more.

Your story matters. And with God, healing is always possible.