Today’s podcast answers a question from someone who endured painful experiences at an early age and is struggling to understand how they can find their way back to a healthy place in the church, with God, and as a healthy or orthodox Christian. Traumatic experiences leave us feeling bad, shameful, and defective. We often have to come to realize that it was the experiences that were deeply flawed, not us. Trauma teaches us to expect far more of ourselves than God would ever expect.

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone who had a negative experience in confession and is afraid to go back. The discussion focuses on what healthy confession should look like and how confession is in encounter with God. It is an opportunity to, in an experiential way, experience the mercy and love of God. It is important that we find our way back to confession in order to give ourselves an opportunity for a positive confession experience and to unlearn the procedural memories that formed from the negative experience.

Today’s podcast takes a break from answering questions and offers a glimpse or even a sneak preview of what awaits us on the other side of the healing work. Truly we can reach that state where the healing work is done and we are free to just be completely mindful of the present. Where we can find ourselves in a complete state of peace and mindfulness in which there is no more clutter or noise from the pain of the past, but just a profound awareness and sense of God’s presence. It’s a peace that emerges when, as the Apostle John said in Revelation, “the former things have passed away.”

Today’s podcast answers a question from someone engaged in the process of healing trauma. In the process of their counseling they have tried some exercises from somatic therapy. Trauma is not only stored in memories, but in the body. Many people are phobic or nervous about anything that involves focusing on the body. However, in our orthodox tradition, the body is not bad and is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Expelling trauma from the body is a good thing.

Today’s podcast answers the question of what does the late stages of the healing work look like. How do we recognize it and what exactly are we striving for. It is important to be able to recognize that new space when we arrive. We need the necessary knowledge so that we can recognize the past from present and utilize the tools we learned along the way. It also means learning to accept the sunshine after the storm. In other words, if we don’t recognize it, we might not know to start living it.

Goodbyes are universally difficult. This is especially true when they involve someone who has played a key role in our lives. Some ensuing sadness is normal. However, what if we experience more than that? What if each time we have to say a goodbye or separate from someone, we feel like something traumatic is happening and find ourselves overwhelmed with grief? This often means that something else is happening. Today’s podcast answers a question that involves this struggle. Discussion focuses on what often lies under the surface when this occurs and how to resolve it.

Today’s podcast offers a message to start our healing work and spiritual life off on the right foot in the new year. The pace and spirit in which we move through our spiritual lives and the healing work are critical and often imbalanced. Today’s podcast covers key points to help maintain balance.

Today’s podcast answers the question of what are some concrete steps someone can follow in grieving a disenfranchised loss such as the loss of a normal childhood.

The submitter of the question is feeling stuck in the healing work and don’t know if they have even started grieving. Sometimes when we have started grieving, we might feel disoriented and not quite sure where we are in the process. Today’s podcast discusses finding the beginning and the end of this process and making sure certain steps are worked towards and accomplished.

Today’s podcast answers a question from somebody struggling over whether to go to a family function. The source of the struggle is that the family of origin is profoundly dysfunctional and unhealthy. Today’s podcast focuses on discerning between healthy avoidance and unhealthy avoidance and knowing precisely when it’s okay to not go to something.

When doing the healing work, we can often find ourselves in a different space than many people we have been used to spending time with. We can find ourselves in uncharted waters as we begin to see life through a different lens. Knowing how to handle changes in dynamics and friendships as a result of our growth can be challenging. Today’s podcast speaks to this. It also answers a second question about when saying no in a parish setting becomes difficult.