Interior Integration for Catholics

Intro: Welcome to the podcast Interior Integration for Catholics -- the podcast formerly known as Coronavirus Crisis: Carpe Diem! And for one episode, the last episode we called it "Resilient Catholics" -- but there is a podcast out there already called "The Resilient Catholic" so we don’t want to create confusion and division. InteriorIntegrationCatholicsEncompasses Human Formation Radical Transformation Shoring up the natural foundation for the spiritual life Resilience I’m clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski and I am here with you, to be your host and guide.  This podcast is part of Souls and Hearts, our online outreach at soulsandhearts.com, which is all about shoring up our natural foundation for the Catholic spiritual life, all about overcoming psychological obstacles to being loved and to loving God and neighborThis is episode 50, released on January 11, 2021and it is titled: In Search of a healthy, ordered sexuality.  This is the second episode in our series on sexuality.  We are going to spend time on sexuality and in the coming weeks we will address many topics, including masturbation, pornography, adulterous affairs, pre-marital sex, asexuality, homosexuality, artificial contraception and sexual trauma and its effects.  But to put those issues into context, we need to understand what a health sexuality looks like.  Vitally important because sexuality is so sensitive to how we live our lives in the natural realm   Also vitally important because an authentic Catholic view on sexuality is so radically different from what the world offers us. Most baptized Catholic reject Catholic teaching on many sexual issues. So many Catholics struggle with sexual issues.  Lots of confusion. Lots of distress.  We need a guiding star, an image of what sexuality should be.  That's what this episode is about. We will look at the authoritative sources of Catholic teaching but really flesh them out in a way that appreciates how people are wired physiologically, neurologically and psychologically So we can have answers to why we so often find ourselves falling and going astray in the sexual realm.  PartsExamplesVitally important to recognize a healthy sexuality because our sexuality is so sensitive to how we live our lives in the natural realm -- are we living in an ordered, virtuous way in harmony with natural and divine realities, or are we basing our actions on our subjective, distorted perceptions of reality.  Sexuality is either the first or one of the first areas in our life to go wrong when we depart from reality.  Sensitive barometer to how things are ordered or not ordered in our lives.  Most baptized Catholic report that they reject Catholic teaching on many sexual issues. Pew 2014 Survey of more than 7200 Catholics, 57% Favor or Strongly Favor Same-sex Marriages Pew 2016 survey of 817 Catholics only 8% of Catholics believe using contraception is morally wrong.  41% believe its morally acceptable and 48% believe it's not a moral issue.Lots more statisticsSocial referencing:  evaluating one’s own modes of thinking, expression, or behavior by comparing them with those of other people so as to understand how to react in a particular situation and to adapt one’s actions and reactions in ways that are perceived to be appropriate.  APA dictionaryLukewarm Catholics look a lot like lukewarm Methodists, look a lot like lukewarm Jews, look a lot like lukewarm Buddhists, look a lot like lukewarm agnostics, look a lot like lukewarm atheists. Going with the cultural flowRelying on own perceptions and insightsEverybody being influenced by the societal trends.  We don't want to be constrained Reductionism.  Universal, Eternal Moral Laws --> Confining, chafing Rules -->  outdated decrees from decades or centuries ago, promulgated by old white men in black cassocks who aren't supposed to be having sex anyway -- what do they know?  How are these teaching possibly relevant to my life in the 2020s.  Thou shalt not, thou shalt not, creating an impression that sex is bad, almost any sexual activity is bad, I'm tired of being told how bad I am . License vs. freedom Freedom is the capacity to choose the good for me and for others Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. By free will one shapes one's own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude (#1731). License is the capacity to choose what I want -- to take what I want  root of licentiousness -- lacking legal or moral restraints and especially disregarding sexual restraints Me as the measure Enlightenment -- man as the measure of all things instead of God. Ordered sexuality is what I think it is for me.  Assumption that I know what is best for me, by my own lights No need for divine revelation No acceptance of an external authority Chesterton “We do not really want a religion that is right where we are right. What we want is a religion that is right where we are wrong.” The Catholic Church and Conversion Assumption that I can determine what is best for me.   So many Catholics struggle with sexual issues.  Lots of confusion. Lots of distress.  Catholic teaching on sexuality is very misunderstood, often watered down, often misrepresented.Intensity of bodily experience -- affects us.  Market for it.  We have itching ears 2 Timothy 4: 2-4  Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine.  3 For there shall be a time, when they will not endure sound doctrine; but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: 4 And will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables. St. Hilary of Poitiers:  mid-fourth century AD:  …they will gather teachers together for these things which they desire. They will compile a doctrine that fits in with their desires, since they are no longer eager to be taught. They want to bring together teachers for that which they already desire in order that this large number of teachers whom they have sought and assembled may satisfy the doctrines of their own passionate desires. ON THE TRINITY 10.2.69 GK Chesterton:  The Catholic Church and Conversion 1926 : We do not really want a religion that is right where we are right. What we want is a religion that is right where we are wrong. In these current fashions it is not really a question of the religion allowing us liberty; but (at the best) of the liberty allowing us a religion. Th...

Intro: Welcome to the podcast Resilient Catholics -- the podcast formerly known as Coronavirus Crisis: Carpe Diem!  That's right, in this new year we have a new name, and it's fitting because we have broadened our scope to do so much more than help you, our listeners deal with the Coronavirus Crisis.  When this started out. Coping skills, build resilience, not alone-- crisis management.  Now a long crisis.  Now not just about making it through the coronavirus crisisNow we are really about increasing resilience through transformation -- a radical transformation of self, overcoming anything that gets in the way of us loving God our Father and Mary our Mother with the trust and dependence of a little child. Resilience from a Catholic perspectiveAnd there are both great similarities and great differences in resilience understood from a Catholic Perspective and Resilience from a secular perspectiveResilience through Human formation --  a lot more to say about this in the future. We are still all about rising up and embrace the possibilities and opportunities for spiritual and psychological growth right now, in these days, all grounded in a Catholic worldview.    I’m clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski and I am here with you, to be your host and guide.  This podcast is part of Souls and Hearts, our online outreach at soulsandhearts.com, which is all about shoring up our natural foundation for the Catholic spiritual life, all about overcoming psychological obstacles to being loved and to loving God and neighborThis is episode 49, released on January 4, 2021and it is titled: The secret impact of our shame on our sexualityThis is the 13th and final episode in our series on shame.  We are wrapping up that series, but we will be coming back to shame over and over again in future episodes, because of how central it is in our lives.  This is also the first episode on a new series of episodes, a new series all about sexuality.  We are going to spend time on sexuality and in the coming weeks we will address many topics, including masturbation, pornography, adulterous affairs, pre-marital sex, asexuality, homosexuality, and sexual trauma and its effects.  And we're going to get into the topic of sexuality the same way we do with all the topics on this podcast. We assume that what the Catholic Church has always infallibly taught to be true is indeed true, and then starting from that theological, philosophical and metaphysical base, we bring in the best of what psychology offers.  And we harmonize the best of psychology with what we know  to be true by Divine Revelation.  Here we don't try to reshape Catholicism to fit the latest and greatest woke ideas from the world about sexuality.  So I will be coming from that Catholic base.  And that is a minority position in psychology -- if you want to know what the latest trends and beliefs are in the secular psychology community you can check out the guidelines that the American Psychological Association puts out on its website APA.org. This podcast is for people who really want to understand psychology harmonized with the perennial teaching of the Catholic church And to that end, I invite feedback, especially if I teach anything that is in error.  Please get in touch with me at crisis@soulsandhearts.com or at 317.567.9594.  Citations -- Catechism, Canon Law, Denzinger's Compendium, Ludwig Ott Fundamentals of Catholic DogmaDon't email me and tell me that a confessor you went to ten years ago said that masturbation is normal and God doesn't mind it all.  That's not helpful.   Sexuality is such a huge and complex issue and so confusing for people.  One of the two most difficult topics for people to discuss.  The other one?  My relationship God, how I see God, all the personal or lack of personal connection with Jesus, with God our Father, with the Holy Spirit, with Mary, our Mother. Sexuality is difficult and confusing for so many reasons Shame is at the center -- hard to talk about this because it is so personal and so intimate, and often so bound up with shame.  Sexuality not talked about, not discussed Modeling from parents -- conveyed a sense of embarrassment No modeling from others Deep feelings of incompetence, not knowing, not understanding Not sure about what is normal and not normal, what is morally acceptable, what is not Not wanting to embarrass a spouse or fiancé or girlfriend or boyfriend Not wanting to make the listener uncomfortable Not sure if the other person -- like a therapist -- will respect Catholic beliefs. Many clients reach out to Catholic therapists because of this fear -- if I am struggling with porn use or masturbation will this therapist inwardly mock my beliefs -- or outwardly say that masturbation is normal and porn use can enhance one's sexual experience.  Many clients are afraid to disclose to a Catholic therapist their sexual experiences, for fear of being judged -- two-edged sword Some grounds for that -- some Catholic therapists are uncomfortable with hearing, may feel undue pressure to make sure some change happens,  May be overly concerned with their own "participation" in some way with sexual material coming up.  Not know what to do, and signal to the client that it's better "not to go there."  Sexuality part and parcel of our bodies, all about our bodies Body keeps the Score -- body is where we tend to hide all kinds of unresolved psychological issues Catholics often hold Manichean and Jansenist ideas about the body.  Catholics who are serious about their faith often have a propensity to start with self-judgement and self-condemnation, like at the end of a trial, without really understanding themselves well. Internal self-shaming And all of this makes sense, makes sense, because almost all of us Catholic adults have sinned sexually.  Review of Shame (Episodes 37, 38 for full picture) Shame is:  a primary emotion, a bodily reaction, a signal,  a judgement, and an action. (Click to episode 38 for a summary) Qualities of shame Shame is hidden.  Hidden from others, hidden from God, often hidden from the therapist, hidden from self.    Shame inhibits positive emotions And a Catholic view of sexuality, in which sexuality is ordered to what is good, true and beautiful is so different than what the world offers us. Moral issues Stating a standard -- even reading a Bible passage can be considered hate speech.  Cancel culture.  Rule based rather than relationship-based approaches So many needs and messages being expressed

Intro: Welcome to the podcast Coronavirus Crisis: Carpe Diem!, where by God’s grace, you and I rise up and embrace the possibilities and opportunities for spiritual and psychological growth right now, in these days, all grounded in a Catholic worldview.   This podcast is about transformation -- a radical transformation of self, overcoming anything that gets in the way of us loving God our Father and Mary our Mother with the trust and dependence of a little child.  This podcast is all about real love in real relationships and it's messy.   I’m clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski and I am here with you, to be your host and guide.  This podcast is part of Souls and Hearts, our online outreach at soulsandhearts.com, which is all about shoring up our natural foundation for the Catholic spiritual life, all about overcoming psychological obstacles to being loved and to loving God and neighbor -- This is episode 48, released on December 28, 2020 and it is titled: Shame and Repentance: St. Dismas it is the 12th episode in our series on shame.  Thank you for being here with me. This episode stands alone Episodes 37, 38 and 39 lay out the conceptual foundations on shame Two episode we discussed how shame can lead to tragedy in the story of Judas Iscariot, and last episode, we looked at shame and redemption in the story of St. Peter Continuing to illustrate shame and related concepts with stories Now we are going to look at an story of intense shame and repentance.  The story of the St. Dismas -- aka the "good thief" crucified at Jesus right handReally going to look inside of the mind, heart, body and soul today of St. Dismas in his passionReally focus on understanding what happened in his life Understanding him in terms of his parts -- his different modes of operating, or his subpersonalities. Making sense of his decisions, his choices In our suffering, we can learn from St. Dismas.  An incredibly hopeful storyA story that offers us so much more than immediately meets the eye in the few verses devoted to him in the Gospels. 

Intro: Welcome to the podcast Coronavirus Crisis: Carpe Diem!, where by God’s grace, you and I rise up and embrace the possibilities and opportunities for spiritual and psychological growth right now, in these days, all grounded in a Catholic worldview.   This podcast is about transformation -- a radical transformation of self, overcoming anything that gets in the way of us loving God our Father and Mary our Mother with the trust and dependence of a little child.  This podcast is all about real love in real relationships and it's messy.   I’m clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski and I am here with you, to be your host and guide.  This podcast is part of Souls and Hearts, our online outreach at soulsandhearts.com, which is all about shoring up our natural foundation for the Catholic spiritual life, all about overcoming psychological obstacles to being loved and to loving God and neighbor -- This is episode 47, released on December 21, 2020 and it is titled: Shame and Redemption: St. Peter and You it is the 11th episode in our series on shame.  Thank you for being here with me. This episode stands alone Episodes 37, 38 and 39 lay out the conceptual foundations on shame Last episode we discussed how shame can lead to tragedy in the story of Judas Iscariot.  Continuing to illustrate shame and related concepts with stories Now we are going to look at an story of intense shame and redemption.  The story of the Apostle PeterReally going to look inside of Peter's mind, heart, body and soul todayReally focus on understanding what happened in his life Making sense of his decisions, his choices I share his name.  I connect with him, he makes so much sense to me.  Very similar parts. In our fallen world, in our fallen human condition, all of us have elements of what Peter struggled with.  We can learn from Peter's redemption Profiling St. Peter Teaching you to recognize parts in other, parts in yourself  I am an IFS therapist -- really interested in parts of people Understanding parts really helps us grow in the understanding of ourselves and others Socrates:  Know thyself Jesus:  Removing the beam in your own eye Recognizing, identifying your parts and the parts of others is really helpful for loving the other person.  Why? Loving a person means accepting loving all their parts.  All of them. It is really helpful to know a part in order understand what it needs.   Doesn't mean affirming every actionDoesn't mean agreeing with every opinionDoesn't mean endorsing every desireDoesn't mean encouraging every impulseSee what you resonate with What are parts? Discrete, autonomous mental systems, each with own idiosyncratic range of emotion, style of expression, abilities, desires views of the world. Modes of operatingSubpersonalitiesOrchestra modelFocus is on integration.  Get forced into extreme roles -- attachment injuries and relational traumas Three roles Exiles -- most sensitive -- become injured or outraged.  Threatens the system, external relationshipsExploited, rejected, abandoned in external relationshipsWant care and love, rescue, redemptionshame.  Need for redemption Managers Protective, strategic, controlling environment, keep things safe Obsessions. Compulsions, reclusiveness, passivity, numbing. Panic attacks, somatic complaints, depressive episodes, hypervigiliance. Firefighters Stifle, anesthetize, distract from feelings of exiles No concern for consequences Binge eating, drug/alcohol use, dissociation, sexual risk taking, cutting Parts can take over the person Like in Pixar Movie Inside Out -- anger taking over the control panel of the main character Riley We call it blending.  IFS on the Self -- (recorded) Self defined as the seat of consciousness Self can be occluded or overwhelmed by parts When self accepts and loves parts, those parts transform back into who they were meant to be Self-led mind is self-righting. self -- Active inner leader -- more than mindfulness Parts find the relationship with the self very reassuring But to reap the benefits they have to unblend from and notice the self This is frightening can challenging to parts Agency in the parts -- parts are making decisions about unblending in IFS model Intrinsic qualities of the self Curiosity Compassion Calm Confidence Courage Clarity Creativity Connectedness Kindness The self can be easily occluded, obscured, hidden by protective parts who take over in response to fear, anger or shame St. Peters Parts -- or modes of operating Boldness, self confidence  Overconfidence Manager Part.  Fisherman who owned his own boat A part that wants to be big.  Have to make quick decisions Dangerous occupation Respected in Galilee, a leader Courage, Fortitude Leads to forgetting the teaching of Jesus Established, married.  Defends against a shame exile.  Spontaneity/Impulsivity Manager leaping inQuick reactions -- this part leaps into action instantaneously Man of action Courage here too Trusted his instincts.  Capable of intense emotionDriven by that emotion Seizing opportunities as they arise See opportunity, seize opportunityNo ditheringCan lead to ra...

Intro: Welcome to the podcast Coronavirus Crisis: Carpe Diem!, where by God’s grace, you and I rise up and embrace the possibilities and opportunities for spiritual and psychological growth right now, in these days, all grounded in a Catholic worldview.   We are going beyond mere resilience, to rising up to the challenges in our lives and becoming even healthier in the natural and the spiritual realms.  I’m clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski and I am here with you, to be your host and guide.  This podcast is part of Souls and Hearts, our online outreach at soulsandhearts.com, which is all about shoring up our natural foundation for the Catholic spiritual life, all about overcoming psychological obstacles to being loved and to loving God and neighbor -- it short, this podcast is all about relationships -- it's all about becoming much more relational in our lives and in our faith. This is episode 46, released on December 14, 2020and it is titled: Shame and Tragedy: Judas Iscariot and Youit is the tenth episode in our series on shame.  Thank you for being here with me. Last episode we discussed how shame can lead to idolatry.  Now we are going to look at an example of how shame did lead to idolatry the rejection of the true God for a false godthe story of Judas, whose life ended in tragedy, the tragedy of abandoning and betraying Jesus Christ, true God and true manReally excited about this episode Really going to look inside of Judas' mind, heart, body and soul today Really focus on understanding what happened in his life, why did he act the way he did. Why did he do it?  I don't accept the typical explanations for Judas' behavior because they seem too simplistic, they don't resonate at all with me.  In our fallen world, in our fallen human condition, all of us have elements of what Judas struggled with.  I believe that there is the potential in you to repeat what Judas did.  Fallen world, fallen natures.  There but for the grace of God go I.  Origin unknown, often attributed to John Bradford, Evangelical preacher of the 16th century.  We can learn from Judas' tragic end.  We are continuing to really immerse ourselves in the spiritual dimensions of shame. How shame on the natural level can impact us in spiritual ways Grace builds on nature -- disorder in the natural realm undermines the spiritual life.  I like to teach through familiar stories, weaving stories together.  Especially through Scripture, really getting into the Word of God.Deeper understand of the people in the Bible stories, to see them in three dimension, bringing them to lifeScripture is a gift from God to us -- a precious gift a way that God reveals himself to us And a way that God reveals you to you.  If you look carefully, you can see aspects of yourself, parts of yourself in the people of Scripture You can connect with their experience, and I am here to help you with that. Stories help to illustrate the concepts we are learning and connect with them.  Stories give us tangible examples so that we can really grip on to what we are trying to understand.  Judas was an important, powerful, evocative and mysterious figure to me growing up from when I was 5 I remember being about 5 years old and insisting to my mother that Good Friday should really be called "Bad Friday" because of how Jesus died.  Deeply impressed by the story of the passion and death of Jesus.  5 and 6 year old think in black and white -- clear, simple categoriesAnd I thought Judas was very, very naughty to betray Jesus and tell Jewish priests how to catch him so they could nail him to the cross.  That was very naughty.  And Judas was a thief, too.  He stole things.  That was important to me.  Let me tell you a story about my history as a thief.  I was not a very good thief.  But I was a thief at one time.  Stealing was not tolerated in my family. When I was five we were on our road trip back from the Christmas visit with grandma and grandpa, and we stopped at a gas station.  Inside the store, there was a Christmas tree decorated with striped candy sticks. Not just red and white, this one had all the colors of the rainbow. Oooh, pretty.  Oooh, tasty.  Shiny, too.  Pretty, tasty, shiny.  I took one.  I'm not sure I was even really aware I was stealing.  Sucking on it in the car, making it sharp and pointy.  Where did you get that?  No pretense.  Mom and Dad -- that's not right,  Dad makes a U-turn on the two lane highway, and  drove me back about 10 miles to the gas station and I had to go in and tell the manager what I had done.  I surrendered the half-eaten pointed little striped candy stick.  I was mortified.  Manager was very gracious, made it no big deal.  I experienced real shame at the time.  And I vowed to reform and not steal ever again.    From my parents' reaction, I learned that stealing was very, very bad.  It was a rule not to steal, even a commandment -- Thou shalt not steal, and that included taking candy canes off of Christmas trees inside gas stations.  A part of me really learned that to be good, you have to know the rules and follow the rules and Judas was not following the rules about not killing Jesus and not stealing money.  Could Judas be any worse?  Judas was very, very naughty.  Fast forward two years.  When I was about 7, a man named Tim Rice came into my life.  He told me a riveting story, portraying Judas in a very different way than just being very, very naughty.  He told me about Judas' feelings and thoughts and worries and how distressed Judas had been and how Judas had done some bad things, but Judas was very human.  I listened to the story that Tim Rice told me -- I wanted to hear it over and over again.  Judas was so different than I had thought.  He was more than just a stealer who betrayed Jesus. Who was Tim Rice? -- wrote the lyrics for the Rock Opera Jesus Christ Superstar.  Andrew Lloyd Weber wrote the lyrics.  Blast from the past-- anybody going back to the 1970s with me now?Mom and Dad had the vinyl -- the two volume set and though I didn't have TV growing up, we did have a nice stereo and I was allowed to play records the turntable.  Looking back on that it seemed a little ridiculous to let a seven year old play records on this really, really nice audio equipment, but there it was And I, at seven years old, eight years, nine years  old -- all the way until my sophomore years of college, I really gripped on to this musical JC Superstar was so emotionally evocative for me.  Emotions just welled up in me in so many ways that never really happened at Mass or in religion class.  Tim Rice really was telling me the most compelling story of Jesus and Judas and the Apos...

Intro: Welcome to the podcast Coronavirus Crisis: Carpe Diem!, where by God’s grace, you and I rise up and embrace the possibilities and opportunities for spiritual and psychological growth right now, in these days, all grounded in a Catholic worldview.   We are going beyond mere resilience, to rising up to the challenges in our lives and becoming even healthier in the natural and the spiritual realms.  I’m clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski and I am here with you, to be your host and guide.  This podcast is part of Souls and Hearts, our online outreach at soulsandhearts.com, which is all about shoring up our natural foundation for the Catholic spiritual life, all about overcoming psychological obstacles to being loved and to loving God and neighbor -- it short, this podcast is all about relationships -- it's all about becoming much more relational in our lives and in our faith.  This is episode 45, released on December 7, 2020Thank you for being here with me.  and it is the ninth episode in our series on shame.  and it is titled: How Shame Leads Us to IdolatryWe are now Diving into the spiritual dimension of shame.This podcast is all about transformation -- fundamental transformation of all of us -- all parts of us.  Even the parts we keep secret, hidden.  This podcast is all about removing psychological obstacles to following the two great commandmentsNot entertainment.  Not about having a good time, just enjoying a entertaining podcast, funny and distracting.No this podcast is about developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, a personal relationship with God our spiritual Father, and a personal relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary, our spiritual MotherAny psychological obstacles you have to relating with others, you will have in relating to God.  You will bring those relational inhibitions, those relational problems into your spiritual life because they are formed into you and they have not been healed through experiencing throughout your whole being who God really is.   Spiritual realm is not some special place where the relational limitations you have are just dispensed, you're no longer trouble with them.  No, you are still you in the spiritual realm.  Any psychological issues you have with your earthly father and mother you will bring into your relationship with God as Father and Mary as Mother.  Child psychologist -- transferencesTwo major assumptions in the natural realm for why we don't have a personal relationship with a loving God. Assumption 1.  We do not believe that we are worthy to be in relationship with God -- driven by shame Assumption 2.  We do not believe that God is worthy to be in relationship with us -- driven by negative God images -- see episodes 23-29 Idolatry.  We are not worshiping God as He is. And here is the more tragic part:  We stay with those assumptions, even though they are so manifestly problematic and harmful.  We don't seek, we assume that assumptions one and two are true.  Her is the great offer I am making to you.  I am inviting you on an adventure, an adventure to discover who you really are, an adventure to discover who God really is, and adventure in learning to relate and to connect with our God, our God who is personal, who is relational, who is loving, who is Love Himself.  If you really knew who God was and you really knew who you are, and you really knew how God truly saw you -- you would always run to His loving arms.  You really would.  But you don't know these realities at a deep, integrated level.  We know them to some degree in our heads, in a theological way, in an abstract way, we can quote the Catechism.  But not in our hearts, our souls, and our bones.  In fact, at a gut level, at an intuitive level  the vast majority of us have varying degrees of certainty or confidence in very warped assumptions about ourselves and assumptions about God.  These assumptions are wildly different from what God reveals to us about who he is and who we are through Scripture, through Tradition, and through the perennial teachings of our Catholic Church.  In our hearts, in our bodies, in the depths of our souls, in our unconscious, We believe in lies.  This is so common.  And it's deadly and so much of it is driven by shame.  Review of Shame Definition of Shame Explored this in a lot of detail in Episode 37, the first in our series on shame.  Shame is: The primary problem we have in the natural realm -- foundational problem.  Grace perfects nature, if our natural foundation is infused with shame, it makes the foundation for our spiritual life shaky, unreliable, uncertain.  That gives birth to so many secondary problems -- we tend to focus on the secondary problems, the problems that are further downstream -- so we are not getting to the root.  Shame is:  a primary emotion, a bodily reaction, a signal,  a judgement, and an action. (Click to episode 38 for a summary) Qualities of shame Shame is hidden.  Hidden from others, hidden from God, often hidden from the therapist, hidden from self.    Shame inhibits positive emotions Strategies for coping with shame Chronic shame needs to be attenuated, reduced, titrated, ordered, regulated. Chronic shame develops when a little boy or little girl has a sense of being rejected, unwanted, a burden.  When the child changes behaviors, does what he can to be better in the eyes of the adult and still is rejected, he can conclude that he just is a bad kid.  The difficulty is in the response of the others -- the caregivers.  But the child bears the burden of shame caused by the shaming of the caregivers.  Child sees parts of himself that are unacknowledged and unacceptableOstracized or invaded.  And we assume that God responds to us like our shaming caregivers -- soulset.  We generalize from our experiences of shame and assume that God is like those caregivers.  This is called a transference.  Transference is a phenomenon within psychotherapy in which the feelings a person has about their parents, as one example, are unconsciously redirected or transferred onto the therapist. It usually concerns feelings from a primary relationship during childhood.Ubiquity of Shame.  Shame as the silent killer -- Episode 37 Shame can lead to spiritual death. Shame is the Silent Killer who Stalks you from inside  (episode 37) and despair is the murder weapon. Spiritual view on this Primary struggle is against powers and principalities. Satan's goals -- personal relationship with you. Satan is real, folks.  Big effort in certain very mainstream Christian c...

Intro: Welcome to the podcast Coronavirus Crisis: Carpe Diem!, where by God’s grace, you and I rise up and embrace the possibilities and opportunities for spiritual and psychological growth in this time of crisis, all grounded in a Catholic worldview.   We are going beyond mere resilience, to rising up to the challenges of this pandemic and becoming even healthier in the natural and the spiritual realms than we were before.  I’m clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski and I am here with you, to be your host and guide.  This podcast is part of Souls and Hearts, our online outreach at soulsandhearts.com, which is all about shoring up our natural foundation for the Catholic spiritual life, all about overcoming psychological obstacles to being loved and to loving.  This is episode 44, released on November 30, 2020Thank you for being here with me.  and it is the eighth episode in our series on shame.  and it is titled: Rape, Incest, Shame, and Silence: A True Story Reexamined, Part 3We continuing to deal with very heavy, very difficult material.  We are continuing our deep exploration of the internal worlds of Crown Prince Amnon and Princess Tamar as recounted in 2 Samuel 13.   We opened that up in Episode 40, with Part 1 We continued  the story in Episode 43, last week with Part 2Now in Part 3, we are continuing to learn what we learned about shame in the conceptual information about shame from Episodes 37, 38, 39.We're going to focus on listening as we were learning about in Episodes 42 and that we continued practicing in episode 43 -- important to listen to episodes 40 and 43 before this one.  Cautions  (summarize below) There is an incestuous rape of a teenager in this story. I am not going into unnecessary graphic aspects about the rape itself there isn't a need to get into the all the specific details of it However, I am bringing out the emotional, relational and psychological impact of the traumas here, and not just the rape, but the betrayals and the failures to protect, and the injustice of it all and all the aftermath Those aspects -- betrayal, abandonment, the implications, the meaning of those contextual factors can be and often are worse than the actual physical violations.  And Tamar tells us that in the scripture.  Those realities can be very difficult to take, it's understandable why people want to avoid discussing them.  We need to be real about these things.  People who are traumatized, people who are burdened with shame, who are confused, who are lost -- they need resources.  These kinds of awful violations happen.  A lot.  We need to talk about them.  In this podcast I go into them.  There is no neat and tidy way to talk about incest and sexual violence and its aftermath, especially the experience of shame.  No whitewash, no clichés, no pious pablum.  And we need to be able to put these thing into a Catholic context, see them from a Catholic viewpoint. Warnings --Summarize below.   let's be prudent here in listening to the story -- not an episode for little kids to necessarily be listening to.  As important as it is to deal with these topicsBe thoughtful about where you are in your life journey, where you are in your healing -- this story may strike close to home for many of youYou don't have to listen to the story or my analysis of it -- listen only if it is good for you -- even for people who are really psychologically well integrated, this is painful stuff.  Unresolved sexual trauma -- this may be a great time, it may be a terrible time listen to it.  Unresolved incestUnresolved betrayalUnresolved abandonment, especially by parents or church or civic leadersSibling issues.  Window of tolerance the zone of nervous system arousal in which you are able to function most effectively. When you are within this zone, you can readily take in information, process that information, and integrate that information more readily. You can listen.  People in the window of tolerance are feeling emotions at moderate levels, not overwhelmed with emotion (hyperarousal) and not numbing their feelings out (hypoarousal). Review of levels of listening -- check out episode 42.  Brief review.  Summarize below Listening to trauma may be easier with a written narrative than in person with the people immediately present Listening to --  Level 1 listening -- Listening with your mind, taking in information Often called active listening Listen carefully to what is happening in the story Grasping the content, the facts Requires attention, concentration, taking in what the person is saying.  Focus externally on the characters, not internally on what is going on with your parts.  Not distracted by own self-focus Listening for -- Level 2 listening -- Rarer.    This is speculative, we hold it lightlyListening to fill in the gaps in each character's big pictureWhat is beyond and behind the words? Listening for the deeper layers of meaning in order to perceive what has not been said outright. understanding the experiential context for each of the characters Listening to what the character does not say or do -- omissions.  What are we listening for when we are listening for?  The person's experience -- to grasp the person's experience -- all the inner stuff.  EmotionsIntentionsThoughtsDesiresAttitudes toward the world Impulses Vision of the worldWorking models of the world, assumptions.  ValuesPurpose in lifeI listen for identity and for shame.  Engage the Faculty of imagination to help us fill in the gaps  Taking in what the person means (in contrast to what the person says in Level 1) What we are not doing:  Not evaluating the merits of that perspective, not getting caught up in judging that perspectiveNot looking to right wrongs, not looking for justice, not asking deep existential questions about how could that terrible thing have happened to the person, not formulating advice, not looking to impress.  Setting all that aside.   To be with the characters in their stories, their narrative.  Understanding them first.  Taking that character's perspective in.  Seeing the world through the other person's eyes.  No matter how inaccurate or distorted that perception of the world may seem to be to us.  Listening with -- Level 3 listening -- Very rare -- characteristic of great therapists Listening with your whole self. <...

Intro: Welcome to the podcast Coronavirus Crisis: Carpe Diem!, where by God’s grace, you and I rise up and embrace the possibilities and opportunities for spiritual and psychological growth in this time of crisis, all grounded in a Catholic worldview.   We are going beyond mere resilience, to rising up to the challenges of this pandemic and becoming even healthier in the natural and the spiritual realms than we were before.  I’m clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski and I am here with you, to be your host and guide.  This podcast is part of Souls and Hearts, our online outreach at soulsandhearts.com, which is all about shoring up our natural foundation for the Catholic spiritual life, all about overcoming psychological obstacles to being loved and to loving.  This is episode 43, released on November 23, 2020Thank you for being here with me.  and it is the seventh episode in our series on shame.  and it is titled: Rape, Incest, Shame, and Silence: A True Story Reexamined, Part 2We are back to dealing with very heavy, very difficult material.  We are going back to the story of Crown Prince Amnon rape of his half-sister the princess Tamar that is recounted in 2 Samuel 13.  Remember that both Prince Amnon and Princess Tamar were King David's children.  We opened that up in Episode 40, with Part 1 -- now that we have taken two episodes to look deeply at King David's upbringing, especially around shame and his wounds So that we can better understand his role in this present situation And now we are ready to return to the rape and so much of what went into it and came out of it.  We are going to be applying what we learned about shame in the conceptual information from Episodes 37, 38, 39.We're going to focus on listening as we were learning about in Episodes 41 and especially 42.  Cautions  There is an incestuous rape of a teenager in this story. I am not going into unnecessary graphic aspects about the rape itself there isn't a need to get into the all the specific details of it However, I am bringing out the emotional, relational and psychological impact of the traumas here, and not just the rape, but the betrayals and the failures to protect, and the injustice of it all and all the aftermath Those aspects -- betrayal, abandonment, the implications, the meaning of those contextual factors can be and often are worse than the actual physical violations.  And Tamar tells us that in the scripture.  Those realities can be very difficult to take, it's understandable why people want to avoid discussing them.  We need to be real about these things.  People who are traumatized, people who are burdened with shame, who are confused, who are lost -- they need resources.  These kinds of awful violations happen.  A lot.  We need to talk about them.  In this podcast I go into them.  There is no neat and tidy way to talk about incest and sexual violence and its aftermath, especially the experience of shame.  No whitewash, no clichés, no pious pablum.  And we need to be able to put these thing into a Catholic context, see them from a Catholic viewpoint. Warnings -- let's be prudent here in listening to the story -- not an episode for little kids to necessarily be listening to.  As important as it is to deal with these topicsBe thoughtful about where you are in your life journey, where you are in your healing -- this story may strike close to home for many of youYou don't have to listen to the story or my analysis of it -- listen only if it is good for you -- even for people who are really psychologically well integrated, this is painful stuff.  Unresolved sexual trauma -- this may be a great time, it may be a terrible time listen to it.  Unresolved incestUnresolved betrayalUnresolved abandonment, especially by parents or church or civic leadersSibling issues.  Window of tolerance the zone of nervous system arousal in which you are able to function most effectively. When you are within this zone, you can readily take in information, process that information, and integrate that information more readily. You can listen.  People in the window of tolerance are feeling emotions at moderate levels, not overwhelmed with emotion (hyperarousal) and not numbing their feelings out (hypoarousal). Review of levels of listening -- check out last episode Listening to trauma may be easier with a written narrative than in person with the people immediately present Listening to --  Level 1 listening -- Listening with your mind, taking in information Often called active listening Listen carefully to what is happening in the story Grasping the content, the facts Requires attention, concentration, taking in what the person is saying.  Focus externally on the characters, not internally on what is going on with your parts.  Not distracted by own self-focus Listening for -- Level 2 listening -- Rarer.    This is speculative, we hold it lightlyListening to fill in the gaps in each character's big pictureWhat is beyond and behind the words? Listening for the deeper layers of meaning in order to perceive what has not been said outright. understanding the experiential context for each of the characters Listening to what the character does not say or do -- omissions.  What are we listening for when we are listening for?  The person's experience -- to grasp the person's experience -- all the inner stuff.  EmotionsIntentionsThoughtsDesiresAttitudes toward the world Impulses Vision of the worldWorking models of the world, assumptions.  ValuesPurpose in lifeI listen for identity and for shame.  Engage the Faculty of imagination to help us fill in the gaps  Taking in what the person means (in contrast to what the person says in Level 1) What we are not doing:  Not evaluating the merits of that perspective, not getting caught up in judging that perspectiveNot looking to right wrongs, not looking for justice, not asking deep existential questions about how could that terrible thing have happened to the person, not formulating advice, not looking to impress.  Setting all that aside.   To be with the characters in their stories, their narrative.  Understanding them first.  Taking that character's perspective in.  Seeing the world through the other person's eyes.  No matter how inaccurate or distorted that perception of the world may seem to be to us.  Listening with...

Intro: Welcome to the podcast Coronavirus Crisis: Carpe Diem!, where by God’s grace, you and I rise up and embrace the possibilities and opportunities for spiritual and psychological growth in this time of crisis, all grounded in a Catholic worldview.   We are going beyond mere resilience, to rising up to the challenges of this pandemic and becoming even healthier in the natural and the spiritual realms than we were before.  I’m clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski and I am here with you, to be your host and guide.  This podcast is part of Souls and Hearts, our online outreach at soulsandhearts.com, which is all about shoring up our natural foundation for the Catholic spiritual life, all about overcoming psychological obstacles to being loved and to loving.  This is episode 42, released on November 16, 2020Thank you for being here with me.  and it is the sixth episode in our series on shame.  and it is titled: Practicing Deep Listening:  Understanding King David's ShameIntroduction to IFS. Developed by Richard Schwartz  Discussion of Parts Discrete, autonomous mental systems, each with own idiosyncratic range of emotion, style of expression, abilities, desires views of the world. Modes of operatingSubpersonalitiesOrchestra modelFocus is on integration.  Get forced into extreme roles -- attachment injuries and relational traumas Three roles Exiles -- most sensitive -- become injured or outraged.  Threatens the system, external relationshipsExploited, rejected, abandoned in external relationshipsWant care and love, rescue, redemptionshame.  Need for redemption Managers Protective, strategic, controlling environment, keep things safe Obsessions. Compulsions, reclusiveness, passivity, numbing. Panic attacks, somatic complaints, depressive episodes, hypervigiliance. Firefighters Stifle, anesthetize, distract from feelings of exiles No concern for consequences Binge eating, drug/alcohol use, dissociation, sexual risk taking, cutting Parts can take over the person Like in Pixar Movie Inside Out -- anger taking over the control panel of the main character Riley We call it blending.  IFS on the Self -- (recorded) Self defined as the seat of consciousness Self can be occluded or overwhelmed by parts When self accepts and loves parts, those parts transform back into who they were meant to be Self-led mind is self-righting. self -- Active inner leader -- more than mindfulness Parts find the relationship with the self very reassuring But to reap the benefits they have to unblend from and notice the self This is frightening can challenging to parts Agency in the parts -- parts are making decisions about unblending in IFS model Intrinsic qualities of the self Curiosity Compassion Calm Confidence Courage Clarity Creativity Connectedness Kindness The self can be easily occluded, obscured, hidden by protective parts who take over in response to fear, anger or shame General state for most people is to be quite blended Leads to self-absorption 3 levels of Listening -- Laura Whitworth, Henry Kimsey-House, Phil Sandahl & John Whitemore 1998  Co-active Coaching: New skills for coaching people toward success in work and life.    I am expanding their concepts.  Listening to --  Level 1 listening -- Listening with your mind -- Many people struggle with this Often called active listening Listen carefully to what the person says Grasping the content Requires attention, concentration, taking in what the person is saying.  Focus externally on the other person, not internally.  Not distracted by own self-focus Listening for -- Level 2 listening -- Rarer.  Characteristic of very good therapists.  Listening in search of something-- filling in the gaps in the person's big pictureWhat is beyond and behind the words?Holding it lightly.  Speculative endeavor.  Listening to what the person does not sayListening with the third ear  The "third ear," a concept introduced by psychoanalyst Theodor Reik 1983 Book , refers to a special kind of listening -- listening for the deeper layers of meaning in order to perceive what has not been said outright. It means understanding the emotional underpinnings conveyed when someone is speaking to you.What are we listening for?  The person's experience -- to grasp the person's experienceEmotionsIntentionsThoughtsDesireAttitudes toward the world Glass half empty or half fullImpulses Vision of the worldWorking models of the world, assumptions.  ValuesPurpose in lifeI listen for identity and for shame.  Listening for both the words and the entire context 70-93% of communication is nonverbal -- Albert Mehrabia, Professor Emeritus at UCLA Voice -- tone, inflection, volume 38% of communication Body language -- glance patterns, facial expressions (including micrexpressions -- smiling matters a lot), posture, fidgeting, head movements, hand gestures, Summarized in his 1971/1980 book Silent MessagesBased on one word communicationsChallenged by Philip Yaffe debate about it.Faculty of imagination   -- What Aristotle called Phantasia activities in thoughts, dreams and memories.  imagination is a faculty in humans and most other animals which produces, stores, and recalls the images used in a variety of cognitive activities, including those which motivate and guide action (De Anima iii 3, 429a4–7, De Memoria 1, 450a22–25).Focus here on understanding, entering into the other person's perspective Taking in what the person means (in contrast to what the person says in Level 1) Not evaluating the merits of that perspective, not getting caught up in judging that perspective Not looking to right wrongs, not looking for justice, not asking dee...

Intro: Welcome to the podcast Coronavirus Crisis: Carpe Diem!, where by God’s grace, you and I rise up and embrace the possibilities and opportunities for spiritual and psychological growth in this time of crisis, all grounded in a Catholic worldview.   We are going beyond mere resilience, to rising up to the challenges of this pandemic and becoming even healthier in the natural and the spiritual realms than we were before.  I’m clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski and I am here with you, to be your host and guide.  This podcast is part of Souls and Hearts, our online outreach at soulsandhearts.com, which is all about shoring up our natural foundation for the Catholic spiritual life, all about overcoming psychological obstacles to being loved and to loving.  This is episode 41, released on November 9, 2020Thank you for being here with me.  and it is the fifth episode in our series on shame.  and it is titled: Rewind: Trauma and Shame in King David's ChildhoodWe cover really difficult topics in this podcast -- we go to the really challenging places that other podcasts are unwilling or unable to go.  Because we have to.  Because people are caught in those places and they are hurting, because people are trapped and people are in danger, they are in peril.  And we need to reach out to them.  And you know what?  We are those people too.  We have parts of us trapped in bad places, places we don't understand, places we are afraid of, places that we don't want to go by ourselves, all aloneBut together, each of us can understand much more of our unconscious.    This is the second of a subseries highly experiential episodes -- these episodes are opportunities for experiential learning -- to learn a lot about yourself -- about who you really are, about your history.  St. Paul Romans 7:15   I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Romans 7:18b-19  I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want [that] is what I do. St. Paul doesn't understand himself -- St. Paul, a pillar of virtue, author of half the books in the New Testament, St. Paul, who endured outrageous sufferings, amazing self sacrifice -- he's admitting to being dominated by his unconscious.  Isn't a question of willpower -- Paul had extraordinary willpower, hard to imagine many saints that can best him in terms of willpower.  It’s a question of insight.  Of understanding.  Won't be completeBut we can have much more insight and understanding than we do now.  Continuing story of Princess Tamar, Crown Prince Amnon, Prince Absalom, and King David But diving much deeper into in the inner experience of these characters and others Why did they do the things that they didWhy did they say the things that they didWhat were they thinking, feeling, sensing, believing, desiring, seekingAnd what where they missing, what where they forgetting, not noticing?What made them tick?Through clinical eyes.  Much more to the story than the brief account in 2 Samuel 13 We will be using other sources -- e.g. archeology to help us understand the time and culture But also psychological insights about shame, trauma, the motives for the rape, Why -- not just to understand this story and the people this story But to help you understand your story and the people in your story Really about you understanding you I will be discussing the different internal parts or modes of operating for these men and women to help you gain insight into them. To make sense of their actions to see them in 3 dimensions instead of just in the short account given in the Scripture Scripture is the word of God -- we need to unpack it, we need to decode the human language of revelation as the Pontifical Bible Commission put it in The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church -- 1993 Pontifical Bible Commission, endorsed by St. Pope John Paul II  Psychology and theology continue their mutual dialogue. The modern extension of psychological research to the study of the dynamic structures of the subconscious has given rise to fresh attempts at interpreting ancient texts, including the Bible. Psychological and psychoanalytical studies do bring a certain enrichment to biblical exegesis in that, because of them, the texts of the Bible can be better understood in terms of experience of life and norms of behavior. As is well known, religion is always in a relationship of conflict or debate with the unconscious. It  [the unconscious] plays a significant role in the proper orientation of human drives. Psychology and psychoanalysis… lead to a multidimensional understanding of Scripture and help decode the human language of revelation. What I am offering is admittedly speculative --  I am speculating about motives, internal conflicts, internal experience of the real people in the story I won't get it all right But the point is to show you a way to think about internal experience -- your own and others in a much deeper, more insightful way.  It's about learning how to seek inside yourself to understand your own internal experience -- emotions, sensations, beliefs, attitudes, impulses, desires, intentions, conflicts, all the internal stuff.  It's about that process, learning to seek.  Seek and ye shall find.  It's a way to understand the unconscious -- your unconscious, all the conflict inside, all the mysterious elements Utterly faithful to the fullness of truth as revealed by the Catholic Church.  We are bringing the best of psychology to the fullness of divine revelation -- all in the service of being able to understand ourselves better so we can understand others better You can really understanding anybody else very well if you don't understand yourself.  You'll misinterpret what you see in the other person.  If you don't tolerate awareness of anger in yourself, and you sense anger in your relationship with another person, you'll assume it's the other person who is angry -- defense of projection Not just some psychological self-discovery project -- to help you understand the story of others, and the people in their storiesSo you can love them -- and love Christ in them.  We are going to get some of this wrong -- we won't be 100% accurate, but that's it's not the point right now.  Tamar doesn't need us, at this point in her life, to empathize with her.  She's dead and experiencing her eternity.  So is King David, Prince Amnon, Prince Absalom, the...