Attaching to God: Neuroscience-informed Spiritual Formation

127 Landscapes of the Soul: Chapters 1-2 (read by Cyd Holsclaw)

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Jul 31, 2025

Discover how personalized approaches to spiritual growth can reshape your connection with God and others. Explore the impact of attachment relationships on faith, dissecting how early experiences influence emotional survival strategies. Learn about transforming trauma into joy and the importance of secure attachments in navigating life's challenges. Delve into the dynamics of faith and connection, understanding how God's love can help you break free from spiritual stagnation. Embrace the journey towards peace and deeper intimacy with God.

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ANECDOTE

Sid's Trauma-Triggered Panic

Sid panicked thinking Jeff was dead when he was just late due to traffic and a wrong building.
Her trauma from past parental deaths triggered intense survival responses automatically.

INSIGHT

Trauma Quickly Shapes Attachment

Fear or trauma learning in relationships is very fast, often requiring only one event.
These traumatic lessons shape the brain and body below conscious awareness.

INSIGHT

Nervous System Manages Connection Versus Protection

The autonomic nervous system shifts us between connection and protection modes for survival.
It cannot focus on both simultaneously, reflecting how we respond to safety or threat.

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Here is an audio snippet of our new book. Description below. Please buy and review.

______

Does it feel like you experience life in a totally different way than others? Like you are living somewhere else, and you can’t build connection or intimacy with God like others can?

There’s a good chance that you, like so many of us, have tried it all: read your Bible more, gone to church more, prayed more, and delved deeper into self-awareness. But you still struggle with discontent, anxiety, avoidance and doubt. You still feel stuck.

No matter where you find yourself emotionally, relationally, or spiritually, Jesus meets you there and helps you move toward a place of peace and rest. As pastors, coaches, and educators, Cyd and Geoff Holsclaw are very familiar with this struggle, and they are prepared to help. In Landscapes of the Soul, they draw on the science and spirituality of attachment theory, biblical wisdom, and the language of spiritual formation to show us why Christians tend to get stuck spiritually―and how to get unstuck and move forward.

Whether you feel like you’re living in a spiritual jungle, desert, or war zone, you will discover:

how you are designed to grow good roots through healthy relational attachment
how things go wrong through your often-distorted survival strategies
how God repairs your faith, hope, and love for Him, others, and ourselves
how Jesus quiets your anxious and avoidant faith
how to incorporate practices for building your security with God

You aren’t meant to live in the anxiety of a jungle, the desolation of a desert, or the chaos of a war zone. God designed you to live in joy and peace in relationship with Him, as if you are in a pasture, under the protective care of the Good Shepherd.

Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.

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