Gabriel Mizrahi

So, here's the first one.

Hi guys, I just listened to episode 1313, then listened to the OG episode, and honestly, thought it was very balanced.

Your response in this latest episode got me thinking about a time in my own life when I was deeply connected to a faith and faith community, and I sought a religious counselor's help.

I grew up in a very conservative, non-denominational Christian household in the 90s and early 2000s.

I could spend hours exploring that background, but when I was in my late 20s, I had a real awakening when I went off hormonal birth control.

Shout out to your episodes on that topic, by the way.

That was the interview with Dr. Sarah Hill, episodes 1031 and 1032.

and I realized I made a mistake in marrying who I did right out of college.

The relationship was not abusive or anything extremely bad, just probably not the person I would have chosen had my brain not been influenced by the birth control.

I also had a real crisis of faith and questioned everything from the marriage

to my desire for children, to do I believe what I say I do, or is this just me trying to please my parents and pretending about everything?

During that period of about six months, my husband and I ended up quote-unquote going to counseling, which was just meeting with a pastor and his wife from our church.

I don't want to say anything negative about them because they are truly lovely people who genuinely care and are good examples of what a pastor can be.

I went into these meetings questioning the efficacy of figuring out what was going on in my head and my marriage, but was genuinely open to changing my mind about the conclusion that I felt was inevitably coming.

What I found was that when I opened up about my questions, emotions, doubts, etc., I received responses that seemed trite and condemning.

For example, I shared that I had deep misgivings about why I got married in the first place to this guy,

even though there was nothing objectively wrong with him.

The response was that I should pray and maybe have some chocolate, because it's probably just my hormones taking over my emotions.

I'm just trying to imagine how this conversation went down.

Listen, guys, I don't know if I married the right person.