Healing the Unresolved

Today’s podcast discusses how there is often a disparity between our self-perception and how others perceive us. Where we are with this is like being on a continuum. We don’t want to be at either extreme. However, sometimes our self perception is so low that we don’t quite fully function spiritually, and we end up recusing ourselves from the life that God wants us to live.

Today’s podcast discusses the parable of the prodigal son and covers concepts and processes that are not as obvious as sin, but have just as much, if not more, power to pull us away from the house of the Father. The intangible things that we pursue, crave, yearn for, and chase, are much harder to spot and to be conscious of, but can lure us far away from God and from our dignity.

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone who is trying to understand why they so often end up having the same experiences repeatedly, specifically in the area of interpersonal relationships. Today’s podcast takes a look at a topic that is not often discussed, and that is when often we inadvertently re-create old relationship patterns because we tend to gravitate to what we know and what we...

Today’s podcast addresses some confusion over whether it’s okay or not to pray for healing. Many have been on the receiving end of mixed messaging on this topic. Some are told to not pray for healing and to just rejoice for their suffering. While that is not wrong, we are often yearning for more, such as for hope and comfort. We are not to abandon others to their pain, especially if we are not suf...

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone who had been through a very difficult series of health traumas and scares involving themselves, their child, their husband, and their parents. The submitter of the question is struggling to feel normal again and to feel safe. Steps that can be taken to restore that sense of safety and normalcy are covered in the podcast.

Today’s podcast speaks on a very important topic that is one of the cornerstones of our spirituality. It is essential that we be able to receive the love of God and accept and truly believe that God loves us. However, our life experiences often taint or contaminate our perception of God and His love. To make matters worse, we have shame over our struggle with our perceptions and believe that God h...

Today’s podcast focuses on how the months of January and February are actually months of critical spiritual activity even though in the world and creation, it’s a time of inactivity and hibernation. There is particular focus on a new year’s audit we can do on ourselves involving the four R’s of: Roles, Relationships, Regrets, and Resolve.

Today’s podcast covers the topic of self abandonment. We often identify abandonment as taking place within a dyad or within interpersonal relationships. However, we can abandon ourselves in various ways. These ways can range from self-doubt to more serious self abuse, with many more forms in between. When self-abandonment occurs, this opens the door to despondency and despair. When we do not aband...

Today’s podcast discusses the need to know when it’s time to simply let go of certain forms of emotional baggage when we get into later stages of life. We often don’t emotionally feel like our chronological age. However, as our years grow short, there’s just certain things we don’t want to be carrying; so that when the time comes, we can easily transition to the kingdom of God. Often times we are...

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone struggling to understand how self denial and self acceptance do not conflict with each other. Both self denial and self acceptance depend on one another. If we do not maintain the appropriate application and balance of both, we will spiritually stall out; either in the state of complacency or despondency.

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone who has been having disagreements with their spouse over whether or not to visit extended family during the holidays. The various factors that should go into making these decisions is discussed. A nativity activity and meditation is also given to help the submitter of the question and listeners to help make the right decisions during this advent seas...

Today’s podcast offers a reflection on Saint Paul’s recent epistle in which he describes how anything revealed becomes visible and what is visible becomes light. We are all invited to participate in the beautiful process of converting dark secrets, struggles, and sins into light by bringing them to the light of day, the light of consciousness, the light of Christ.

Today’s podcast explores a topic that we all have experienced, but rarely discuss. We know that expectations are troublesome and that hope is healthy. But what about a yearning? Examples of healthy yearnings and unhealthy ones are discussed and explored. The origins of unhealthy yearnings, and havoc they can wreak in our lives, are also a focal point.

Today's podcast revisits and builds upon a previous episode that was about when we unconsciously follow a script from the past. However, this topic is expanded today to how we can create new unhealthy scripts or narratives in the present without realizing it is happening. A stressful time can lead to negative self-dialogue that can become a habit. It can create a new procedural memory of how we re...

Today's podcast focuses on the importance of being able to be honest with ourselves and be able to say we are not okay during times of struggle. More of life sticks to us than we realize. The paradox is that when we can acknowledge we are not presently okay, then we know we will be okay. Denial is costly and far more damaging than we realize.

Today’s podcast offers a brief meditation on certain experiences that drive home the reality that our lives will not always be as they are now. Also, how the most significant moments in our lives are often the ones we take for granted and gloss over. We often proceed in the space of assumptions; assuming there will be time down the road to say certain things, or to ask for forgiveness, or to forgi...

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone who is trying to make sense of whether it is them or others that’s the cause of broken family relationships. Sometimes when we are in the face of unreasonable and unhealthy behavior, we can doubt ourselves and begin to even question our own sanity. However, sometimes it can be a little bit of us and sometimes a lot. Today’s podcast discusses being ab...

Today’s podcast helps someone who is navigating a toxic situation in a parish setting. Some feel it is never an option to leave a parish and then there are others who treat leaving a parish too flippantly. A healthy parishioner-parish relationship is sustained by a healthy synergy; where one protects, nourishes, and sustains the other. When that synergy is broken, a change is sometimes needed.

Today’s podcast speaks about how a key component to a peaceful departure from this world is traveling lightly. Specifically in the form of not carrying emotional baggage any longer than we have to. Sometimes, when we have had profound unmet needs, a part of us can linger back at an earlier time, and we can wait a lifetime for something to come around that never will in the form we are seeking. Whe...

Today’s podcast speaks to the importance of being able to acknowledge and recognize when we’ve had a measured or healthy response to something. Both accountability and mercy are important for spiritual health. The second half of the podcast focuses on being careful what we expose ourselves to on social media. If we were not had an event then we don’t need to insert our ourselves there retroactivel...

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone who is disheartened and confused as to why they keep experiencing powerful triggers and emotional reactions to certain situations when they thought they did all of the healing work. We often don’t realize, that a part of our brain didn’t get the memo, that it’s OK to react differently to things and that we have the power to choose how we respond to s...

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone who’s been through a very difficult ordeal in their parish setting. Often times in these situations, confusion and hurt abound. Knowing when it’s okay to walk away and start new somewhere can be a difficult decision. Traumatic experiences are profoundly disempowering. Part of the healing process is becoming empowered. It’s okay to use God’s gift of f...

Today’s podcast is a brief discussion on how traumatic experiences can be passed down. Often those on the healing path have gone to great lengths to make sure their children never experience what they did. However, often to our dismay, we might notice our kids showing the same struggles we did. This is because our painful experiences can get passed down genetically. This can be a painful realizati...

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone who has been very very confused by the discrepancy between the memory of their experiences and what their body is telling them. This can often lead us to doubt ourselves and make us believe and feel that something is wrong with us. When our body is telling us a story we do not understand or have memory of, it can feel very frightening. Leaning into w...

Today’s podcast discusses how friendships in today’s world are hard to come by. There are multiple reasons for this. One is that the resources of time and having the mental bandwidth for a friendship are more scarce. However, our society also has become more egocentric and self-centered, which disrupts the synergy and reciprocity needed for a healthy friendship. There is also a difficult discussio...