Healing the Unresolved

When Performance Hurts: Understanding Emotional Memory

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone who experiences fear and debilitating physical symptoms anytime they try to engage in music. In the past they had experienced painful criticisms following performances or just for having that interest. Today’s podcast focuses on how we might be able to remember the physical details of a memory, but not have recall of the painful memories associated with it. Once those emotions can be recalled and felt again, we are able to put them back in the past

Running from Ourselves

Today’s podcast discusses specific examples of self avoidance and how subtle they are. As a result, we often overlook them and don’t see how they are feeding the larger struggles in our lives.

Why We Struggle with Boundaries

Today’s podcast explores why boundary setting sometimes goes overboard or is overactive. The various reasons discussed can help explain both our over active boundary systems and also why we might be the one frequently crossing boundaries.

Trauma and Avoidance: What if the Disciples avoided the Tomb?

Surprised by the Love of God

Today’s podcast offers a brief reflection on how we tend to be drawn to what is familiar even if what is familiar is negative. So often we anticipate anger and punishment. Sometimes our deepest fear is that God will be angry and punish us. However, we have to live in such a way that the love of God and mercy is what are familiar and the norm.

The Stewardship of Having Children

Today's podcast answers a question from someone struggling over whether or not they should have another child. They have many conflicting feelings and worries. In those worries is the concern they are not being a good steward if they have another child.

The Safe Presence of Self in the Spiritual Life

Today’s podcast is a discussion of the paradox of our sense of self. In order to become selfless, we have to have some sense of self. To completely abandon any sense of self can leave us to spiritually flounder and actually abandon who God wants us to be. There is a more detailed discussion on what aspects of self we are to hold onto and engage.

The Great Doubter: Religious Scrupulosity OCD

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone who has struggled with obsessive compulsive disorder and has noticed it affecting their orthodox Christian spiritual life. Specifically, they are always convinced God hates them and is punishing them. Today’s podcast discusses what is actually driving those beliefs and some options and areas to explore in finding long-term relief.

Surviving an Enmeshed Family

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone who is struggling to cope with an enmeshed family of origin. Despite being married and having their own kids, and their siblings all being married and having their own kids, the family of origin functions as though none of that has happened. This can be a very confusing reality to live in. The guilt of the family can be powerful, but we often don’t realize that when we serve an enmeshed family system we are actually working against the life God wan

The Robbery of Rescuing

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone who is struggling with why God doesn’t just grant them healing from the effects of their experiences after so many years of doing the healing work. We know from raising children, that rescuing too soon robs them of growth opportunities. Also, the healing work is a wonderful growth opportunity, where a beautiful synergy is to play out between ourselves and God.

The Empty Tomb Apology

Today’s podcast discusses the healing power of apologies. Each apology has the ability to create the space of the empty tomb in the heart of another. Apologies often wield a power we don’t realize. While we try not to err, each stumbling becomes an opportunity to apologize, and in doing so we participate in a death and resurrection.

EFT Tapping: Friend or Foe?

Today’s podcast answers a question from somebody seeking reassurance that EFT, otherwise known as emotional freedom therapy, is spiritually safe and consistent with the orthodox Phronema. General guidance on how to test out these new techniques is also given.

Growing Our Mustard Seed Moments

Today's podcast is a reflection on Matthew 13:31-36. In this gospel reading, there are two parables, the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the leaven. In our present age, we tend to overlook the present moment and the moments we deem to be the most insignificant, in our quest for something more significant. As a result we overlook the most significant moments of our lives, which happen to be our mustard seed moments. If we could only be attentive to these moments, we would experien

To Parent or Not to Parent

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone who is recently engaged and fears having children. Specifically, they fear that they will re-create their own life experiences in the lives of their kids. The podcast today gives concrete scenarios to guide on so that we might avoid re-creating the past.

A Deeper Confession: Combining the Healing Work and Repentance

Today’s podcast explores how the healing work, which is the resolving of our fallen experiences, sharpens our spiritual tools and deepens our confessions. There is a unique synergy between the healing work and repentance. Examples are covered as to just how the healing work deepens our repentance and therefore our confessions.

Be Wise as a Serpent: Spotting Unhealthy Systems

Today’s podcast draws upon the scripture verse in which Jesus tells us, “to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove”. We are called to do no harm, but that does not mean to be gullible or naïve. We are called to be discerning. There are many souls out there who feel hurt and taken advantage of by individuals. However, there are many who have been hurt by unhealthy or dysfunctional systems. It is important that we raise our level of awareness of these systems in order to protect others and th

An Encounter with the Holy Spirit is a Test of Patience

Today’s podcast reflects on the Leave-taking of the feast of Pentecost. We often acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit, but miss encounters with the Holy Spirit due to our own impatience, lack of trust, and our own denials. Today’s podcast offers an exploration of what we need to do to have real encounters with God through the Holy Spirit.

Somatic Experiencing Therapy: Is it Spiritually Safe?

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone who has been going through somatic experiencing therapy. They are concerned that it is not rooted in the Orthodox Faith and does not overtly guide on Orthodox principles. What this type of therapy is and whether it is safe or not are discussed.

Where we Begin and Leave off: Awareness of Spiritual Boundaries

Today’s podcast discusses three ways in which we may often violate the spiritual boundaries of another without realizing it. When this occurs, it is often due to an inability to self-regulate emotionally, being egocentric, or struggling with codependency. It is essential for the spiritual life that we have a strong sense of where we begin and leave off and where others begin.

A Most Beautiful Inheritance: Simple Grief

Today’s podcast talks about a most beautiful inheritance that we can all leave our children. As parents we often worry about leaving a financial inheritance. However, we often overlook the universal inheritance that all of us leave our kids. We leave our children an inheritance of either simple grief or complicated grief, depending on how we have parented and how well we loved them. This inheritance of simple grief is also a form of generational wealth, as it gets passed on for generations.