Attaching to God: Neuroscience-informed Spiritual Formation

How, in our churches, can we walk with those struggling with the effects of trauma? How can we create spaces for deep connection with God and authentic healing? How can we become more than trauma-informed, becoming God’s people who are truly trauma-responsive as those who follow the crucified and risen Jesus? Cyd and Geoff sit down with Janyne McConnaughey (PhD) to talk about a practical and compa...

Can disembodied ways of thinking and living lead to a more embodied faith? No. And that’s why we need to look at the promise and perils of faith deconstruction. Everyone's journey of deconstruction is different. But only some paths lead to a more embodied faith, while others perpetuate the very problems we are trying to deconstruct.  We talk about how deconstructing faith can be good, and how...

Like Jesus, we need to overturn the tables of those peddling gender hierarchies within the temple of our bodies. Because our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, we need to overturn this harmful equation of sex and salvation with a gender hierarchy. In this episode, with Dr. Beth Felker Jones, we talk about the recent outrage over the article " Sex Won’t Save You (But It Points to the One W...

Why have we turned "your body is a temple" into a shaming mechanism? What if our bodies are the place we meet God? The place through which we glorify God? Dr. Beth Felker Jones joins Cyd and Geoff to talk about a theology of the body, and how we can lead our culture and churches into deeper freedom. Follow Dr. Jones at Church Blogmatics.  Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the So...

Shouldn't Jesus change how we see people? So why is it that Christians seem to have as many enemies as others? We talked with Jon Hand about why "enemy mode" is so prevalent in the church, and how being Jesus-centered gives us a new identity and a new perspective on others. This episode is a continuation of our interview with Jim Wilder on " How To Escape Enemy Mode ." ATT...

Chronic stress and trauma are not just emotional. They change our bodies. It affects our physical nature, causing illness. And the reverse is true. When physical remedies don’t seem to be available, our relational and spiritual lives just might be the healing we need. Rose Madrid Swetman , pastor, coach, and spiritual director, talks about her experience with a kind of heart failure and the surpri...

How do you escape enemy mode? When your brain and body are just against someone (and maybe you don’t even know why).  What if one brain state could explain why we stop listening to, talking with, or caring about, other people? What if this brain state reveals why we lose it on people, fall out of love, and traumatize one another? Clinical Psychologist & Neurotheologian Jim Wilder is on to talk...

Loneliness and disconnection have been on the rise for a long time in our society. We long for a deep meaning to make sense of our lives, but we don't know how to find it. How can we find a Connected Life? Embodied Faith host Geoff Holsclaw (PhD) talks with professor of psychology Todd Hall (PhD) about finding "The Connected Life" through growing our relational knowledge and strong...

Original Sin? How about "original trauma". What would change if we shifted from one to the other? How might that shift our view of ourselves, of sin, and of salvation? And what does Christian mysticism have to do with it? Jonathan Puddle is a contemplative, Jesus-following mystic who helps people find God at work in their inner lives. He is the author of the award-winning, You Are Enough...

Self-compassion can be hard? Integrative coach spiritual director Cyd Holsclaw guides you through a short practice (6 minutes) to help you give yourself more compassion and receive the compassion of God. Related Episode: What is Self-Compassion? Why is it important for faith journey? Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You in...

What is Self-Compassion? How is it different than self-esteem? And why is it important for our spiritual lives? Geoff and Cyd Holsclaw (he's a theologian and pastor, she's an integrative coach and spiritual director) talk about self-compassion and why it matters. And see why the self-esteem movement is dead and how self-compassion and humility are replacing it See Dr. Kristin Neff's...

We spend our days feeling like we’re the only one with problems, when everyone else has their act together.  We feel like other are achieving so much, but we aren’t living up to our potential.  What if the answer wasn’t a higher self-esteem, but a lower anthropology? What if instead of expecting more from others (and ourselves) we actually expected less? Host Geoff Holsclaw (PhD) talks with David...

Are emotions and moods contagious, between people and in groups? Why are we unconsciously drawn to certain people and repelled by others? And what does this have to do with leadership? Embodied Faith host, Geoff Holsclaw (Phd), talks with professor MaryKate Morse of Portland Seminary about LIMBIC RESONANCE , leadership, and the shifts between connection and protection. MaryKate has authored  Lifel...

I want to pursue God. But part of would rather not. Another part is a little afraid of God. And anther is worried that God is just done with me.  Is God big enough for all our parts? Embodied Faith host Dr. Geoff Holsclaw sits down with spiritual director and trained IFS (Internal Family Systems) practitioner Brian Hohmeier.  Brian serves as director of curriculum development for the Order of the...

Is there something between being SELFISH and SELFLESS? Between CODEPENDENCY and total INDEPENDENCY? How do I stop painful patterns in my life? How can we mend the past and life in the present? And how can I make joyful connect with others, God, and myself. Embodied Faith host, Geoff Holsclaw, talks with Dr. Alison Cook about discovering your true self in God. Check out her new book, The Best of Yo...

Maybe you’ve heard of spiritual disciplines, or spiritual practices.  But why should we focus on them being embodied? What difference do our bodied make in the spiritual life? Micro-church pastor Josh Wilson join us to talk abut why his church focuses on embodied spiritual practices.  Get the FREE ebook, The Brain God Gave Us , when you join the Embodied Faith community (connecting you to new epis...

Is navigating the realities of trauma a (if not THE) defining context of mission and witness for the church in North America? And if so, what does that mean for pastors, leaders, and church members? Pastor, community organizer, and contextual theologian Fred Liggin talks about creating spaces of "security, support, voice and choice" as necessary aspects of witnessing to God's kingdo...

Why do certain things seem to set me off? Why do I sometimes turn on the people I love? Where do these too big thoughts and feelings come from?  Often it is past trauma invading the present.  Can anything be done about it? And how can Jesus be involved? I'm talking with Dr. Karl Lehman about catching the past as it invades the present,  how we can get better at it, and how we can allow Jesus...

People who are wounded, suffering, or traumatized need the Gospel.  They need the liberation of Jesus.  But what if HOW we share the gospel HURTS more harm HELPS? Charles Kiser joins the show to talk about trauma-informed evangelism so that we can keep from place unnecessary stumbling blocks in front of the freedom that comes through knowing Jesus. Get the FREE ebook, The Brain God Gave Us , when...

Can we move from just surviving to thriving? Why do we always feel so out of sorts with the world? How does human nature (biology) and niche construction (culture) work together (or not)? Perhaps instead of opposing human "being" and "doing", a focus human "becoming" can help us understand the biological and cultural aspects of discipleship. This is what we are talkin...

Are theologians dabbling in neuroscience over-reaching? Are neuroscientists talking about theology being reductionistic? And what happens when theologians and neuroscientists agree that joy and peace are the foundation of human experience?  These questions and many more guide the time with Dr. Jim Wilder. Jim Wilder is a Clinical Psychologist & Neurotheologian at Life Model Works .  He is auth...

Does a seemingly robust spirituality actually mask deep childhood wounds?  Can calls to repentance and forgiveness cause harm instead of healing?  Does the message of the cross sometimes cause more bondage than breakthrough? These are the type of questions we need to ask as more and more people grapple with their own trauma and how the church can be a place of healing and hope, rather than deeper...

Can complex developmental trauma help us think better about theology and the Bible?  Can theology help us think about trauma? Adrienne Gibson (LCP) talks about about her work with trauma (generational, vicarious, and complex developmental trauma), her shift into teaching trauma to future pastors, how she has seen the for/against pendulum swing regarding therapy and theology, and how she is working...

Did Jesus suffer trauma? Did he experience PTSD? We know Jesus suffered in his death.  But did he suffer throughout his life? As Isaiah 53:3 says, the servant of God is “despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”  What if that pain, those sorrows, that grief is better expressed as trauma?  That’s what we are talking about today during Holy Week, as we remember Jesus...

What is EMDR? How can it help people heal from trauma? And what's it got to do with faith, hope, and love? These are the questions we'll be looking at with Shane Moe, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with clinical specializations in EMDR, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy. Get the FREE ebook, The Brain God Gave Us , when you join the Em...