Welcome to Episode 97 of the Being Human Podcast: The Saints, Our Psychology, and Healthy Self-Denial w/ Dr. Bryan and Amy Grace

Flogging, hair shirts, extreme fasting…Some of the saints went to extreme measures to mortify their bodies, which can lead us to wonder if we need to do the same to attain sanctity.

In this episode, Dr. Greg, Dr. Bryan, and Amy Grace dive into discussion about healthy vs. unhealthy self-denial, and how our psychology impacts the mortification of our bodies. 

Discussed in this episode:  

• How do we reconcile self-denial with self-care?
• The true purpose of mortification of our bodies; 
• The balance needed between paying attention to our emotional and bodily lives while not allowing them to dictate every choice we make; 
• The danger in picking out particular stories or data points from the lives of the saints to justify a specific point of view; 
• When self-denial becomes detrimental to our spiritual and/or psychological lives; 
• The temptation to pride that is part of the practice of penance;
• The importance of examining motives behind self-denial to ensure behavior is happening from a place of freedom versus a place of compulsion;  
• Determining the particular attachments that interfere with intimacy with God.  

Resources mentioned or relevant:

• See the Instagram post about St. Francis and St. Thérèse; 
• Listen to Episode #65: Self-Compassion vs. Self-Denial: Finding the Balance;
• Book: The Mindful Catholic: Finding God One Moment at a Time;
• Read Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraph referenced: #2015);
• More about Exodus 90;
• Book: The Extraordinary Parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin;
• Book: Leonie Martin: A Difficult Life (sister of St. Thérèse of Lisieux);
• More about St. Simeon the Stylite;
• Learn about IDDM (Mentorship) and how it can help you;
• Schedule a free 15-minute consultation call with our staff to discuss your situation and how we can support you!
• Sign up for Being Human, our weekly newsletter, to stay up to date on exciting developments at CatholicPsych;
• Download The Integrated App for access to free audio exercises, the Catholic Mindfulness Virtual Retreat, courses, prayer resources, and more;
• Become a member of the Integrated Life Community to get access to every course Dr. Greg has created;
• Visit our website to read the CatholicPsych blog, shop in the CatholicPsych bookshop, or discover other resources we have available.  

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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