"Slaves to Unconsciousness: A Somatic Reflection on Sin and Grace"
“Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.’” John 8:34
As a Christian, I’ve often wrestled with the language used in faith circles around our nature "You’re a sinner," "You’ll always fall short," "You need saving because you're broken." While I believe in the absolute need for Christ, I’ve also seen how this language, when misused, can foster shame, guilt, fear, and a deep sense of unworthiness the very things Jesus came to free us from.
It seems to me that many have been taught a version of the gospel that focuses more on our lack than on our belovedness. And when our faith roots itself in this chronic sense of lack, it breeds limiting beliefs that we carry deep into our bodies, our emotions, and our relationships.
But here’s what I believe to be true: Romans 5:8
"While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
This verse has always grounded me. Not because it reinforces how bad I am,
but because it reveals how incredibly loved I am right there in my mess, in my humanness, in my unconsciousness.
Sin as Unconsciousness
When I heard the phrase recently, “slaves to our unconsciousness,” it struck a chord especially in light of John 8:34:
"Everyone who sins is a slave to sin."
What if we reframed this?
What if we saw sin not as just moral failure, but as acting from our unconscious programming, those survival patterns, inherited beliefs, and generational wounds we don’t even realise we’re carrying?
This is where somatic therapy and root cause work became a game-changer for me.
In somatic work, we don’t just talk about the past, we notice how it lives in the body. We observe patterns, sensations, reactions. We become curious. In root cause therapy, we go even deeper gently accessing the subconscious, identifying limiting beliefs, and exploring the timelines of our lives and our family lines. We don't shame those parts, we witness them, surrender them, and allow Christ within us to bring truth, compassion, and transformation.
Because here’s the mystery:
The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives in us (Romans 8:11).
Not to condemn, but to transform—body, soul, and spirit.
The Pattern of Sin Isn’t Always a Conscious Choice
Many of us are not choosing to sin out of rebellion, we're reacting from a place of unawareness, often trapped in the muscle memory of trauma, family patterns, or beliefs we inherited without question.
This doesn’t excuse sin. But it gives us compassion for why transformation is a process. Why we need safe spaces, facilitation, and the inner work of the Spirit.
We can’t willpower our way to holiness.
We need awareness.
We need grace.
We need embodied tools that allow us to meet those unconscious parts with Christ's presence.
Transformation Is an Inside-Out Process
Jesus never said, "Shame yourself into freedom."
He said, John 8:32
"You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Truth brings awareness.
Awareness brings choice.
Choice brings healing.
Healing brings freedom.
In our darkest parts, in the anger, the fear, the overwhelm, we don’t need to pretend we’re not struggling. We can bring it all into the light. And when we do, we don’t find condemnation.
We find Christ metabolising those experiences with us. We find love. We find rest. We find home.
A New Narrative for Christian Women
So no, I don’t believe we were meant to live under a cloud of "not good enough."
I believe we were made like Him and for Him.
And the journey of faith is not about fixing ourselves but about waking up to His love, to our patterns, to the freedom He’s already given.
We don’t have to be slaves to sin.
We don’t have to be slaves to unconsciousness.
We get to choose a new way:
A life surrendered, aware, and anchored in grace.
Want to Explore This Further?
If this resonated, and you’re curious how somatic therapy and Christian faith can work together, I invite you to explore my Embody His Love or Generational Grace package. This work is a blend of faith, neuroscience, and Spirit-led healing. It’s gentle, powerful, and deeply honouring of who God made you to be.
I’d also love to invite you to our "Renewing the Mind" webinar, a space created especially for Christian women from all walks and denominations. In this session, we’ll explore practical tools to help you:
Identify limiting beliefs and patterns
Understand the unconscious roots of behaviour
Learn how to begin your own inner work in Christ
Reconnect with the Spirit within you and find safety in surrender
Let’s break the cycle. Let’s renew the mind. Let’s return to wholeness body and soul.
