Wendi Rees: From Trauma to Triumph Through Faith, Author & Host of Truth Talk
Wendi Rees shares her journey from childhood sexual abuse by her father and stepfather in a strict religious environment to becoming an exotic dancer, and ultimately finding healing through faith and Ibogaine treatment. She now advocates for psychedelic-assisted therapy within Christian communities.
Summary
Wendi Rees recounts her traumatic childhood in a strict Independent Fundamental Baptist community where her pastor father ran what she describes as a cult-like church with extreme rules and control. At age 14, her parents divorced and swapped partners with another church family, creating additional trauma. Rees reveals she was sexually abused by multiple perpetrators, including her father from age 3 and later her stepfather. The abuse, combined with strict religious teachings that created a warped view of God, led to severe psychological damage. After the abuse, she spent nearly two years working as an exotic dancer as a way to regain control over her body and sexuality. A dramatic spiritual experience involving severe physical pain led her to quit dancing and begin rebuilding her relationship with God. Years later, suffering from TBI, complex PTSD, and suicidal ideation despite extensive traditional therapy, she tried Ibogaine treatment in Mexico. She describes this as a profound spiritual healing experience where God 'reintroduced' her to her heavenly father, providing the deep healing she needed. The experience was so transformative that she now runs Christian-centered Ibogaine retreats and is writing a book called 'The Christian's Guide to Psychedelics' to help other Christians access these healing modalities without fear. She argues that God created these plant medicines as healing tools, though they've been misused and stigmatized.
About this episode
<div> <p><strong>From Victim to Victor: Wendi Rees on Faith, Trauma, and Unexpected Paths to Healing<br /></strong><br />What if the tools for healing were already placed within God’s creation? And what if the journey toward restoration could be both deeply spiritual and profoundly transformative?<br />This week’s Team Never Quit Podcast guest, Wendi Rees, is an author, speaker, and podcast host who brings a powerful testimony of faith, resilience, and healing. In her new book, <em>The Christian’s Guide to Psychedelics: Finding Hope and Healing Through God’s Creation</em>, Wendi explores a thoughtful and faith-centered perspective on the role certain substances—such as Ibogaine, Psilocybin, MDMA, and Ketamine—may play in addressing trauma, addiction, and depression.<br />But at the heart of Wendi’s story is not a substance—it’s Jesus Christ.<br />A survivor of childhood sexual abuse beginning at age 11, Wendi spent decades wrestling with the lasting effects of trauma, shame, and identity. Through faith, prayer, and a long journey of surrender, she discovered a powerful truth: the Bible does not define believers as victims, but as victors through Christ.<br />In this deeply honest conversation, Wendi shares how learning to see herself through God’s eyes rather than the lens of trauma became a turning point in her life. She opens up about the difficulty of trusting others after abuse, the challenge of releasing burdens to God, and the transformative power of understanding the unconditional love of the Father.<br />Wendi explains that her work and writing are not about promoting psychedelics—but about exploring whether some of God’s creations, when approached prayerfully and responsibly, might serve as tools that point people back to the ultimate source of healing: Jesus.<br />Today, she helps individuals and groups walk through journeys of resilience, faith, and holistic wellness—encouraging people to move from pain toward restoration and from victimhood to victory.</p><p><strong>In this episode you will hear:<br /></strong>• I grew up believing: drinking, drugs, and anything sexual was a one-way ticket to hell. (9:25) <br />• When we moved to Texas, I was shocked to find out that not only were my parents getting divorced, but this other couple from our church was also getting divorced, and my dad was marrying her, and my mom was marrying him. So, they just swapped partners. (9:55)<br />• Being the oldest kid, I provided the most sermon examples. (13:45)<br />• Our corporal punishment, today would be [considered] child abuse. (14:01)<br />• This was all going on while he was molesting me. (15:48)<br />• I had five abusers. I did not have relationships with these other people like I did with my dad. (19:31)<br />• I ended up in a topless bar almost over 2 years, trying to get back control over my body & my sexuality that had been stolen from me. (23:22)<br />• When your dancing, you’re not praying. (25:20)<br />• I saw God through the eyes of my father, very scary and ready to smite me at any time. (25:51)<br />• A lot of people don’t talk about it. It’s like a taboo thing. They feel the shame of it as if somehow, it’s a reflection of them. (29:41)<br />• I needed a lot of healing. I had a TBI, complex PTSD, nothing was working. (35:41)<br />• When I decided to try Ibogaine as a last resort, it was so profoundly God’s presence. He literally came and rescued me. (36:06)<br />• God met me and gave me what I needed in that moment. (46:12)<br />• We make it so hard as Christians to even communicate with God. (52:01)<br />• Jesus is the only answer. Iboga is the tool that He used in my life. (57:18)<br />• There’s nothing wrong with needing help. (84:37)</p><p>Support Wendi:<br />-order her book —> <a href="https://amzn.to/4bhonnR">https://amzn.to/4bhonnR</a> <br />- podcast —> <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/truth-talk-with-wendi/id1579578886">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/truth-talk-with-wendi/id1579578886</a><br />- IG —> Wednirees</p><p><strong>Support TNQ<br /> </strong><em>-</em> IG:<em> </em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/team_neverquit/"><em>team_neverquit</em></a><em> , </em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/marcusluttrell/"><em>marcusluttrell</em></a><em> , </em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/melanieluttrell/"><em>melanieluttrell</em></a><em> , </em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/huntero13/"><em>huntero13</em></a><em><br /> - </em><a href="https://www.patreon.com/teamneverquit"><em><a href="https://www.patreon.com/teamneverquit">https://www.patreon.com/teamneverquit</a></em></a><em><br /></em><br /><strong>Sponsors:<br /> - </strong><a href="http://navyfederal.org/"><em><a href="http://Navyfederal.org">Navyfederal.org</a></em></a><em> <br /> - </em><a href="http://bubsnaturals.com/"><em><a href="http://bubsnaturals.com">bubsnaturals.com</a></em></a><em> [Promo code TNQ]<br /> - </em><a href="http://davidprotein.com/TNQ"><em><a href="http://davidprotein.com/TNQ">davidprotein.com/TNQ</a></em></a><strong><br /> - </strong><a href="http://mizzenandmain.com/"><strong><a href="http://mizzenandmain.com">mizzenandmain.com</a></strong></a><strong> [Promo code: TNQ20]<br /> - </strong><a href="http://masterclass.com/TNQ"><strong><a href="http://masterclass.com/TNQ">masterclass.com/TNQ</a></strong></a><strong><br /><br /> - </strong><a href="http://dripdrop.com/TNQ"><strong><a href="http://Dripdrop.com/TNQ">Dripdrop.com/TNQ</a></strong></a><strong><br /> - </strong><a href="http://shopmando.com/"><strong><a href="http://ShopMando.com">ShopMando.com</a></strong></a><strong> [Promo code: TNQ]<br /> - </strong><a href="http://tractorsupply.com/hometownheroes"><strong><a href="http://Tractorsupply.com/hometownheroes">Tractorsupply.com/hometownheroes</a></strong></a><strong><br /> - </strong><a href="http://meetfabiric.com/TNQ"><strong><a href="http://meetfabiric.com/TNQ">meetfabiric.com/TNQ</a></strong></a><strong><br /> - Prizepicks (TNQ)<br /><br /> - </strong><a href="http://armslist.com/TNQ"><strong><a href="http://armslist.com/TNQ">armslist.com/TNQ</a></strong></a><strong><br /></strong><br /> - <em> </em><a href="http://pxgapparel.com/TNQ"><em><a href="http://PXGapparel.com/TNQ">PXGapparel.com/TNQ</a></em></a><br /> - <a href="http://bruntworkwear.com/TNQ">bruntworkwear.com/TNQ</a><strong><br /><br /> - </strong><a href="http://shipsticks.com/TNQ"><strong><a href="http://shipsticks.com/TNQ">shipsticks.com/TNQ</a></strong></a><em><br /><br /> - </em><a href="http://stopboxusa.com/"><em><a href="http://stopboxusa.com">stopboxusa.com</a></em></a><em> {TNQ}<br /><br /> - </em><a href="http://tonal.com/"><em><a href="http://Tonal.com">Tonal.com</a></em></a><em> [TNQ]<br /> - </em><a href="http://greenlight.com/TNQ"><em><a href="http://greenlight.com/TNQ">greenlight.com/TNQ</a></em></a><em><br /><br /> - </em><a href="http://drinkag1.com/TNQ"><em><a href="http://drinkAG1.com/TNQ">drinkAG1.com/TNQ</a></em></a><em><br /><br /> - </em><a href="http://hims.com/TNQ"><em><a href="http://Hims.com/TNQ">Hims.com/TNQ</a></em></a><em><br /></em><br /></p></div>
Key Insights
- Rees describes her father's church as cult-like, requiring contractual allegiance to him personally rather than to God, and controlling every aspect of members' lives including taking 10% of their paychecks
- She experienced sexual abuse from five different perpetrators, starting at age 3 with her father and continuing with her stepfather after her parents divorced and swapped spouses with another church family
- Rees argues that when earthly fathers who are meant to be protectors become abusers, it creates a 'warped view' of who God is and distorts one's sense of self-worth in God's eyes
- After years of abuse, she worked as an exotic dancer for nearly two years as a way to regain control over her body and sexuality, feeling safer on stage than at home
- A dramatic physical pain experience led to her spiritual awakening when she promised God she would never dance again if the pain stopped, and it immediately ceased
- Despite extensive traditional therapy including EMDR and spending over $100,000 on treatment, she found no relief from TBI, complex PTSD, and suicidal thoughts until trying Ibogaine
- During her 22-hour Ibogaine journey, she experienced what she describes as God's direct presence giving her information, insight, and instructions in an orderly fashion
- The Ibogaine experience allowed her to recover memories from before age 11 that had been completely blocked, revealing the abuse started much earlier than she previously remembered
- She argues that God uses various methods of healing, comparing how Jesus healed different blind people differently, and that plant medicines are tools God can use for restoration
- Rees now runs Christian-centered Ibogaine retreats that replace traditional shamanic elements with biblical practices, using worship music instead of tribal music and prayers instead of mantras
- She contends that Christians have been wrongly taught to avoid these medicines due to stigma, arguing that God created plants for healing as evidenced throughout scripture from Genesis to Revelation
- Her book contains over 250 biblical scriptures supporting the use of plant medicines for healing, challenging churches to meet people where they are rather than maintaining stigmatized positions
Topics
Transcript
This episode of the Team Never Quit podcast is brought to you by Navy Federal Credit Union. Navy Federal celebrates veterans of all branches and their families on Veterans Day and every day of the year. If you want to learn more about how they can help you, go visit NavyFederal.org. When your father, when your earthly father, who God put in your life to be your protector and give you the security, especially a little girl, the security that you need and how you see yourself, when that relationship is fractured like mine was, you have such a warped view of who God is and who you think you are in His eyes. All right, everybody, welcome back to…
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