We live in a time of crisis, with faith in traditional institutions and power structures falling precipitously, leaving us a dearth of meaningful narratives to which to cling. Many are deconstructing their faith as they find their own spiritual practice hollow. In this conversation with the celebrated spiritual thinker and writer John Philip Newell, new paths forward emerge. Through an exploration of Celtic thought and how its wisdom off-sets the dominant thinking of Imperial Christianity over the last two millennia, Newell invites us to re-think and re-set our relationship with the earth, with ourselves, and with the Divine. From this re-set invitation emerge new (yet ancient) ways of being human beings together, which can bring healing not only in our lives, but all around us.

What we are we talking about when we talk about God? The God image that has dominated Western history is of an "old man in the sky." Even if we know this image is metaphorical and laughable, it nevertheless dominates the Western imagination: God is "up there," transcendent, and we are "down here." In this episode, we discuss why how we talk about God is so important, because it influences how we think about all sorts of things. And we explore how cultivating a philosophy of the Divine as immanent—"right here"—can change our values and how we not only experience but also participate in the world around us.

There is perhaps no experience more visceral and soul-consuming than shame. And shame is opportunistic—it can enter our lives and bodies not only through things we've done, but by things done to us. Further, we can often feel absolutely powerless in the face of shame. But we do not have to resign ourselves to hopelessness. A life of flourishing of freedom is available. It requires courage and practices for engaging shame discharge. In this episode, we cover some simple—but not simplistic—practices for discharging shame and living in freedom, authenticity, and resilience.

Our culture is in crisis, revealed in skyrocketing rates of anxiety and depression, even (and especially) amongst the most comfortable and well-off. Dr. Anna Lembke, author of Dopamine Nation, diagnoses our cultural crisis as rooted, in part, in the "druggification" of our society. Specifically, she explains how addiction functions writ large across our culture through an over-abundance of dopamine triggers, utimately leading to dopamine deficit states—a state in which it is not possible to enjoy anything at all. Her answer? Lean into pain and discomfort. Her message is counter-cultural, but it may very well change your life.

In part 2 of a conversation with Dr. Stephen Backhouse, we explore how Christian Nationalism trains people to be anti-Christ. You cannot walk the way of Jesus—the way of non-violence and of caring for your neighbor, let alone your enemy—while abiding by the tenets of nationalism. Understanding these dynamics helps us not only understand our own lives, no matter our orientation to faith, and helps us make sense of the polarized world around us.

In this conversation with Dr. Stephen Backhouse, we explore how the philosophy of 19th century Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard illuminates the dynamics of our own day. Specifically, how the phenomenon of Christian Nationalism—the fusing of Christian spirituality with the lust for power (which ultimately obliterates the former)—seems to recur in some shape or form in every era, and certainly our own. In recognizing this lust for power, which is antithetical to spirituality and certainly to the teaching of Jesus, we can transcend many traps and live not in fear but in courage, hope, and love.

We are often tempted to orient our lives around some sort of arrival point—enough money or fame or religion to give us certainty, to give us power, but flourishing life is about learning to live in the surrender of constant tension and balance. In this episode, we explore how balance underlies all of reality and how pursuing balance will lead us into practices that leave us in a state of awe, mystery, and unhurriedness.

In this new series, "Scripture, Science and Spirituality," we will explore what it takes to flourish as human beings in the midst of a culture that is increasingly disconnected and despairing. Using the wisdom of the Judeo-Christian scripture as our guide, we will focus on the nature of desire, what actually satisfies our desire, and the practices it takes to thrive as human beings. In this first episode, we dive into a vision for living in balance and connection, as we avoid the ego temptations of mere appearance and the allure of false certitudes and ground our lives in courage, hope, and practices for sustained change and transformation.

Season 3 Part II will be dropping soon, with new episodes about spirituality and what it means to be fully human. In the meantime, learn out more about the 12-week Restoried Coaching that is launching in November. This coaching process will cover all the fundamental practices and disciplines of change and transformation and is designed to support you as you create something completely new in your life! More information at https://namingthereal.com/coaching/

In this follow-up to our series on Internal Family Systems, therapist Vanessa Trine takes us deeper into the IFS framework. She unpacks what IFS is as well as how understanding and implementing its core tenets can lead to a much fuller and whole-hearted experience of life—a life of deep meaning, purpose, and connection.