Ep 18 Christian Branscombe: A Convicted Murderer And His Endless Path Towards Redemption

I had the unique opportunity to sit down with, and interview, the convicted murderer as seen on CNN’s “The Redemption Project with Van Jones.” Christian Branscombe received a life sentence without parole for murder and attempted murder convictions when he was just 19 years old. He was released 5 months ago at the age of 44. We discuss the choices he made that caused him to commit this violent crime as well as the choices that got him released.

In this episode, Christian recounts the isolation, sexual molestation, rejection, and significant shame that contributed to life altering choices he made that led him to kill and end up in prison. As he describes, “he became somebody that sacrificed everything that he really wanted in life to feel safe.” In a prison system that is not designed to facilitate real change, he was able to begin the path to receive redemption and peace. Through a miraculous release, he is now working to help those that are on both sides of violent crimes heal. “Our communities benefit when people that are healed can heal other people.”

“I think when we talk about resilience or we talk about the idea of where something this horrific can come from, we have to know that it doesn’t come from normal circumstances. And that people only choose to adapt this way under these extreme circumstances. So it doesn’t justify the actions and it definitely doesn’t mitigate any responsibility in it but it definitely contributes to us preventing it from developing in that severity in the future and giving us an idea of how to heal it in people who have received that trauma and are passing it on.”

“If I can’t feel my pain, I can’t relate to yours.”

“If I took a life because I couldn’t confront my shame then the only thing that is a form of redemption to me is to face that shame. And then to share that process with other people so that they have company in facing that same struggle.”

In this episode, you will hear:

- How Christian’s traumatized and traumatic experiences led him to feel unbearable shame and commit a violent crime

- His prison experience and the choices he made that helped him begin to heal and redeem himself

- The way he hopes to change the narrative of how we approach trauma and how we can help heal in our communities

Thank you so much for listening! Please subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share it with a friend.

COACHING GIVEAWAY!!!

Follow these steps to be entered into a drawing for a FREE coaching session with me!

Share the podcast or an episode on social media. Take a picture or screenshot of your share. Email the picture to [email protected] with “Coaching Contest” in the subject line. Share 5 or more times and you will be entered in to win a FREE coaching session with me!

If you have a guest idea or want to connect with me, please visit my website www.clearchoices.live or find me on Facebook .  I am also available for speaking engagements.

Other resources and links mentioned in this episode:

CNN's The Redemption Project Episode 7 "Left for Dead"

http://healingdialogueandaction.org/

Healing Dialogue and Action’s Twitter, Facebook, and direct donation page

Christian’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/christian.branscombe.5