Erasing Shame

Most of us, if not all of us, have experienced pain and shame for being singled out, feeling lonely and isolated. And, some people have even survived violence, emotionally or physically; we do encourage people get help to have safety, quality of life, and renew a sense of hope through those challenges.

We have a conversation with Prasanta Verma, author of Beyond Ethnic Loneliness: The Pain of Marginalization and the Path to Belonging, about all that and more.

Show Notes

2021 Article by Prasanta Verma: “Churches Should Help Normalize Mental Health for Asian Americans” (Sojourners)

Prasanta Verma, MBA, MPH, is a freelance writer and poet. You can connect with her on Instagram @prasantaverma or her website prasantaverma.com.

Help for Domestic Violence

in the USA thehotline.org • 1-800-799-7233 • 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline or text START to 88788

Austin – Asian Family Support Services of Austin 877-281-8371

Boston – Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence 24-Hour Multilingual Hotline: 617.338.2355

Houston – Asians Against Domestic Abuse (AADA) is fluent in many native languages including: Arabic, Turkish, Turkic Languages, Farsi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati and are familiar with various cultures.

Los Angeles – Korean Bilingual After Hours Crisis Hotline:
(213) 338-0472 • 24-hour crisis hotline for domestic violence, sexual assault, & human trafficking • kfamla.org

Los Angeles – Center for the Pacific Asian Family 800-339-3940 繁體中文 한국어 日本語 Tagalog Tiếng Việt ខ្មែរ हिन्दी ไทย

New York City area – Womankind uses the multidimensionality of its Asian heritage to work alongside survivors of gender-based violence as they build a path to healing. 24-Hour Multilingual Helpline: 1.888.888.7702 with English, Spanish and 18+ Asian languages and dialects, including Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Tagalog, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and Vietnamese.

New York City area – Sakhi (Sakhi for South Asian Survivors) offers a safe and nonjudgmental space for you to connect with our trained advocates in 8 South Asian languages. Get help in नेपाली, বাংলা, हिन्दी, اردو. Call 1-212-868-6741 or text 1-305-204-1809

San Francisco Bay Area – Narika’s confidential toll-free Helpline 1-800-215-7308

South Asian Domestic Violence Organizations by state

Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence has a
Directory of AAPI domestic violence agencies to locate a program near you

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CREDITS:

Intro & Outro Music via Vlog No Copyright Music. Song: TVARI – Tokyo Cafe • Video Link: TVARI – Tokyo Cafe • Creative Commons—ShareAlike—Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)

In 2016, high school Victoria met high school Christin. Somehow, Christin thought Victoria was cool- an adjective Victoria did not believe about herself to be true until 2024 when cool adult Christin met cool adult Victoria. Their current subjective definition of “cool” is equivalent to “weird- the good kind”.

Listen to the story of how the two met during one pivotal transition period for Victoria. Consider their following questions: When you are in a temporary season of life (e.g. a new school for education, a foreign country for language learning, a different state for employment) is it worth investing in new friendships? What is your general definition of a “good” friend? How do you maintain long distance friendships? What do you do when friends drain your energy or you face conflict?

Submit your answer to our bonus question at the end and your reasoning!

Show Notes

Victoria Cheng linkedin.com/in/victoriaylcheng/

CREDITS:

Intro & Outro Music via Vlog No Copyright Music. Song: TVARI – Tokyo Cafe • Video Link: TVARI – Tokyo Cafe • Creative Commons—ShareAlike—Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)

Hanna Lee (Gospel Care Director at Tapestry LA Church, in Los Angeles) graciously takes us on a guided tour of their church’s Restoration Center, where broken people are invited to be restored by Jesus in the whole of life, through means of care, healing, and prayer.

Show Notes

Tapestry LA tapestry.la and its Restoration Center tapestry.la/restoration-center—Gospel Care, Intercessory Prayer, Inner Healing, Spaces Ministry, and Pastoral Care (upcoming)

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It’s Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature by Peter Scazzero

Soul Care: 7 Transformational Principles for a Healthy Soul by Dr. Rob Reimer

Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health by Dr. Thomas Insel

Tapestry LA’s sermon series, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality and Soul Care, are most valuable resources

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MUSIC CREDITS:

Intro & Outro Music via Vlog No Copyright Music. Song: TVARI – Tokyo Cafe • Video Link: TVARI – Tokyo Cafe • Creative Commons—ShareAlike—Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)

How does my personal background impact the way I express emotions and feelings today? How can I take care of myself while I take care of others placed within my care who are struggling with their emotional wellbeing? 

Mrs. Sarah Oh, friend, Pharmacist, mother, and Biblical Counseling Seminary student, provides personal insight on the topic of emotions. Listen in as she and Victoria scratch the surface of emotional expression and wellbeing within the context of being Asian women and Christ-followers in the United States.

Victoria Cheng linkedin.com/in/victoriaylcheng

Mrs. Sarah Oh linkedin.com/in/sarah-o-556b98b1

Phillips, Dr. Anita. The Garden Within: Where the War with Your Emotions Ends and Your Most Powerful Life Begins. Harpercollins Christian Pub, 2023.

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CREDITS:

Intro & Outro Music via Vlog No Copyright Music. Song: TVARI – Tokyo Cafe • Video Link: TVARI – Tokyo Cafe • Creative Commons—ShareAlike—Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)

Isabel Tom shares about why it’s extra challenging for us as Asian Americans to care for aging parents and grandparents. Isabel has worked in the field of senior care and shares so much wisdom, expertise, and practical knowledge that helps us navigate this inevitable season of life.

Be sure to check out her book, “The Value of Wrinkles: A Young Perspective on How Loving the Old Will Change Your Life” and online course ⁠”Prepare to Care” https://www.valueofwrinkles.com/⁠

(Recorded in November 2023 during national caregivers month.)

Victoria’s hot take: hustle culture is antithetical to human flourishing. Many people overvalue being productive and/or becoming an idealized version of themselves. As a result, people don’t know how or when to rest properly. Burnout and health (mental, physical, and emotional) issues are too common. Productivity isn’t inherently negative. Work and rest should function within God’s design for humanity.

Show Notes

• Victoria Cheng https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriaylcheng/
• Pastor Hugo Cheng https://www.cbcm.org/en-us/about/pastoralstaffprofile.aspx
• Victoria and Hugo Cheng’s Keynote at the Asian American Community Mental Health Conference in Maryland (begins 1:08) https://www.cbcm.org/Resources/SermonsOnline/videoplayer/TabId/294/VideoId/7338/language/en-US/Asian-American-Community-Mental-Health-Conference.aspx

To close out season 6, our longest running season of Erasing Shame, let’s introduce you to Victoria Cheng, who will be our season 7 co-host! She shares about her own mental health journey and what we can look forward to in the new season, as continue having honest and candid conversations about healthy living.

We explore the topic of perfectionism with Dr. Kenneth T. Wang (Professor of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary) by first understanding what it is (did you know there are 2 core dimensions?) and then how do we stop obsessing over perfectionism so we can be more humane and sane with ourselves and one another.

Show Notes

• Los Angeles AAPI Therapists https://www.aapitherapistsla.com

Listen in on this great conversation on a new episode of Erasing Shame with Dr. Judy Cha about how our identity is shaped, the pains we experience as Asian Americans, what the path to heart transformation looks like, how to have a hope that takes us through all of life’s challenges, and more!

And, you’ll hear it here first about her brand new book, “Who You Are: Internalizing the Gospel to Find Your True Identity” https://amzn.to/46dzwB7

Show Notes

“Who You Are: Internalizing the Gospel to Find Your True Identity” by Judy Cha https://amzn.to/46dzwB7

Redeemer Counseling Services redeemercounseling.com