Episode 112: Insights From the East (Part Two), w/ Mother Natalia & Her Parents

In this second of a two-part episode, Dr. Greg and Mother Natalia finish their conversation from last week, this time diving deeper into the inner workings of Mother’s mind and heart as she vulnerably shares about her internal struggles. Together, Dr. Greg and Mother connect the dots between a psychological approach to understanding her experiences and the writings of the Desert Fathers and Eastern Catholic spirituality.

Discussed in this episode:

The internal lies that have influenced Mother Natalia’s behavior;
Why do we still act out of certain false beliefs?
The reaction of Mother’s parents to her sharing of her internal struggles;
How “parts theory” (Internal Family Systems) can help us to understand ourselves;
Following the example of Christ when listening to and understanding each of our parts;
Acceptance of our parts as a way to avoid “dialogue with the devil”;
The way that our natural survival instinct is at odds with our impending death, and the impact this has on our psychology;
The Eastern view of sin as an illness and the corresponding emphasis on Confession as a healing sacrament;

Resources mentioned or relevant:

Listen to part one of this podcast - Episode #111: Insights From the East (Part One), w/ Mother Natalia and Her Parents;
Check out What God is Not - Mother Natalia’s podcast;
Learn more about Christ the Bridegroom Monastery;
Watch The Chosen;
More about “parts work” - Episode #47: How to Turn Your Inner Worst Enemies Into Your Inner Best Friends;
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Learn about IDDM (Mentorship), our new model of daily accompaniment;
Become a member of the Integrated Life Community to get access to every course Dr. Greg has created;
Download The Integrated App for access to free audio exercises, the Catholic Mindfulness Virtual Retreat, courses, prayer resources, and more;
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Contact us! Have a topic or a question you would like Dr. Greg to address on the podcast? Want to give some feedback about this episode? Email us at beinghuman@catholicpsych.com - we would love to hear from you!

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