The Surprising Truth About the Spiritual Life (Hint: It’s Messy)
In this episode, Dr. Greg offers a glimpse into why the path to holiness is not linear, how our psychological and spiritual lives impact one another, the importance of self-awareness, and why decreasing our defense mechanisms is key to becoming who God calls us to be.
Discussed in the episode:
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How can we strive for spiritual perfection while maintaining a sense of mental health?
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Why the path to holiness is not linear or “cookie-cutter” but actually quite messy;
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How specific personality patterns and defense mechanisms can hinder us from becoming who God created us to be;
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An exploration of the psychological and spiritual dimensions of the life of St. Therese of Lisieux;
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The importance of understanding our identity as a way to facilitate our own and others growth in holiness;
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Why integrating the different dimensions of our personality is crucial to growing in our spiritual and emotional lives;
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The importance of adaptability in becoming a psychologically and spiritually healthy person.
Resources mentioned or relevant:
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Past Being Human Episodes on integration, holiness, and Internal Family Systems theory/parts work:
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The Context of Holiness: Psychological and Spiritual Reflections on the Life of St. Thérèse of Lisieux by Marc Foley;
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Introduction to Internal Family Systems by Richard Schwartz;
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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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