Richard Tierney 

Richard joined Momma on August 4, 2025 for a live Q&A via Twitch and YouTube to talk about Religion & Mental Health

About Richard

Richard teaches children and young people that their feelings and emotions are not mental disorders, but rather their God-given instincts to use in the face of any danger (real or imaginary). Children are the future of tomorrow, and if we don't nurture them and empower them to make healthier decisions, the world will suffer for it in the long run.

Richard also teaches individuals how to heal any mental disorder diagnosis by treating the cause. What happened in the past didn’t happen to the person you are today—it happened to a younger aspect of you, your inner child, for instance. That’s why it is imperative to return the baggage and the details of what happened to our younger self, in a safe and non-intrusive manner.

Richard does this by introducing individuals to a new 12-step program (one of 14 such programs designed off of the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous, with their permission). It’s always been an inside job. Medication is the equivalent of putting a band-aid on an open wound; it only offers short-term relief. No, we need to teach folks to heal the hole in their soul that is eating away at them. To do this, we need to treat the soul with a spiritual solution.

Richard teaches clients to come to this process with open-mindedness, willingness and honesty—acknowledging that the best efforts of man fail them, and that they need to claim the promised miracles of the Bible:

• To cast out their demons

• Slay their dragons

• Quieten the voices in their head, for up to 24 hours at a time

• Break free of the bondage and shackles of the past

Socials / Links for Guest Connection

• Facebook: 

  • https://www.facebook.com/richard.tierney.759802

  • https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550243353404

  • https://www.facebook.com/thevictoryprinciple/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tierney-therapy-b7a6441b6/

• Books: 

  • https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPM68FFQ 

  • https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPM5N1FN 

References / Things Mentioned During the Stream

• https://www.thecabin.org/ 

Episode Summary

If you're questioning whether traditional therapy and religion have all the answers, or you're caught between faith and mental health frameworks that don't quite fit, this episode is for you.

Richard Tierney works with trauma survivors using a combination of visualization, spiritual practice and a modified 12-step program. He frames his approach around the idea that mental disorders stem from past trauma held by younger versions of ourselves, rather than being inherent mental illnesses requiring lifelong management.

Tierney's core premise involves separating your current self from the person who experienced trauma. He argues that if you're 40 now and experienced abuse at 12, you're not the same person. Therefore, you shouldn't carry that trauma as your own identity. His healing process involves visualizing your younger self, mentally transferring the trauma back to them, and releasing it through ritualistic acts like burning written lists of grievances.

He emphasizes three eight-hour segments daily: eight hours for sleep (given to God/your chosen higher power through prayer), eight hours for work, and eight hours for personal activities, hobbies and relationships. This framework aims to create resilience by diversifying your life rather than depending on one job or one person for identity.

Tierney's spiritual approach doesn't require traditional religion. He encourages people to develop a personal relationship with God/your higher power through practices like writing out worries, burning the list as a burnt offering, and repeating affirmations starting with "I am" to reprogram unconscious thinking. He's explicit that this works regardless of church attendance or denomination.

The conversation touched on how his approach relates to conventional mental health treatment. Tierney distinguishes between mental illness (which requires professional treatment) and mental disorders (which he believes stem from trauma). He's critical of treating symptoms through medication alone, arguing this ignores the root cause. He acknowledges that many clients struggle with letting go of victim identity, especially if their sense of purpose comes from advocacy around their diagnosis.

Tierney shared his own history: childhood trauma at 12, decades spent in victim mentality, struggles with addiction and isolation and eventual recovery through 12-step programs and therapy work in Thailand. He moved from Catholicism to a more individualized spiritual practice after witnessing the church deny funeral rites to suicide victims.

On forgiveness, he argues that wishing abusers well and leaving judgment to God removes their power over you, though this doesn't mean condoning their actions. He encourages people to share their stories but distinguish between what happened to their younger self and who they are today.

The interview emphasized personal agency and spiritual reframing over diagnosis and medication. Tierney frames mental health challenges as soul wounds rather than brain disorders, presenting his methodology as an alternative path rather than a complement to conventional treatment.