Outer Circle Inner Stillness

One of my favorite people ever is back on the show, and we’re talking about Pilgrimage!

 Shea Thaddeus Patrick Layton is an Orthodox Christian, spiritual pilgrim, and a life coach hailing from Utah. We love the Orthodox Church, talking about the spiritual life, and seeing what we can learn from the world of psychology. We also love monasteries and pilgrimages.

Recently, Thaddeus had the incredible opportunity to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain, to Mt. Athos itself - so I knew I had to catch him and get him to tell some stories.

In our conversation today, we talk about faith and how it’s a journey, we talk about the inner life and how to cultivate inner stillness. And we talk about the pilgrimage, retreat, and we we sometimes need to step away from our routine world entirely! 

I hope this conversation is helpful and edifying for you!

This channel is made possible by generous participation from our listeners, readers, fans, and friends!

Thaddeus can be reached at https://thaddeusthought.com/ and on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@thaddeusthought 

Rhys can be reached at his clinic at www.newpatterncounseling.com, at the podcast through patreon.com/outercircle, and on Substack https://substack.com/@rhyspasimio

Thanks for joining our conversation!

“I should be able to figure it out on my own,” may be one of the most DANGEROUS things any person can say to themselves.

Especially in recovery.

In today’s conversation, I sit down with counselor Dylan Green, an ASAT Counselor from Nashville, TN, with specialties in sex addiction and trauma. Our question is about “powerlessness” and why this matters in recovery. Why do we need to be powerless, or hit Rock Bottom, in order to really grow?

We dig into the first of the Twelve Steps — "We admitted we were powerless" — and why so much of lasting recovery hinges on getting this step right. Instead of treating powerlessness as defeat, Dylan reframes it as the honest starting point that makes real change possible.

From there the conversation moves into the emotional and spiritual terrain underneath Step One: how powerlessness gets tangled up with shame, why shame and guilt aren't the same thing, and how conviction and repentance offer a healthier path than shame-driven self-punishment. We also look hard at male stigma — the pressure to protect our image — and why that instinct keeps so many people stuck. We close on the practical side: how to turn Step One from a one-time admission into an ongoing, livable practice.

This channel is made possible by generous participation from our listeners, readers, fans, and friends!

Dylan can be reached at his counseling profile at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/dylan-greene-brentwood-tn/1532916

Rhys can be reached at his clinic at www.newpatterncounseling.com, at the podcast through patreon.com/outercircle, and on Substack https://substack.com/@rhyspasimio 

Thanks for joining our conversation!

What kind of person are you, and what do you need to grow? How do you find safety, security, and purpose, and what does this say about your core motivations and fears?

There's a tool to guide you through these answers called The Enneagram! It's one of our favorite things to discuss.

The Enneagram is a 9-point personality measure with origins in ancient eastern philosophical traditions, and which has been rediscovered in our times as one of the most robust and detailed methods of understanding the human personality. Drawing on classical archetypes, mindfulness traditions, and paying close attention to both the blind spots and strengths of each Type, the Enneagram offers valuable language to the individual wanting to understand why they do what they do, how to do differently, and how to “come awake” to their true and thriving selves.

Each of the 9 types breaks down further into 3 Subtypes, based on how you respond to distress. Do you seek refuge and resource within yourself? Within a specific other person? Or Within a group? With these factors to consider, now we have twenty-seven personality types to explore!

Rhys is joined by good friend and colleague Caleb Keller to unpack the Sub-Types and explore what this means for how we live and how we grow.

The Outer Circle Inner Stillness channel is a production of New Pattern Counseling, in Gresham, OR. These conversations are made possible by support from our community in the form of likes, ratings, reviews, shares, subscribes, dollars and patrons, and talking about the content with friends. Please join our community at patreon.com/outercircle!

Rhys can be found at patreon.com/outercircle and through his practice at www.newpatterncouseling.com.

Caleb can be found at his practice at https://www.calebkellercounselingpllc.net/ and through his most excellent podcast, Influ-Men-Sirs.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/influ-men-sirs/id1873076116

Stay in touch! We'd love to keep talking!

How does one DO recovery?

Today on Outer Circle Inner Stillness, Rhys welcomes back Elizabeth Pasimio, an acupuncturist and Eastern medicine practitioner based in San Diego County. They discuss their shared experiences in learning to practice recovery and Christianity in real time in their daily lives, while also practicing their respective helping professions.

This episode centers on the Twelve Steps while looking at recovery more broadly. Why would someone choose a faith-based approach? What is the relationship between recovery and spirituality? Why do we need community? Rhys and Elizabeth compare faith-centered and non-faith-centered paths to recovery, and they explore what difference a higher power makes and what that means for the recovery process.

Along the way, they share stories from their own spiritual journeys, reflect on parts of their shared family history, and offer insights from their respective practices. It’s a grounded, practical conversation, and we hope you find it helpful.

In this episode:

• The Twelve Steps and recovery in general
• The relationship between recovery and spirituality
• Faith-centered and non-faith-centered approaches to recovery
• How having (or not having) a higher power shapes the recovery process
• Personal stories of spiritual growth and family history
• Perspectives from counseling and Eastern medicine

Outer Circle Inner Stillness is made possible through partnerships with its community members. To partner with us, visit patreon.com/outercircle, or like, rate, review, and subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Moses-Rhys Pasimio can be reached at [email protected] or through www.newpatterncounseling.com.

Elizabeth Pasimio can be reached at https://southbayfamilyacupuncture.com/

What is recovery all about?

What is the role of spirituality in recovery, and what is the role of our childhood experiences of our parents in our spirituality? 

In today’s episode, I interview Ken Ovitz, fellow counselor and spiritual pilgrim, about recovery, spirituality, how our parents shape our understanding of God, and how we need each other to really thrive. We talk about how recovery is about creating a sacred space that cultivates intimacy and vulnerability and enough authenticity to allow people to be themselves and come together. Along the way, we make references to Christianity, Judaism, and Viktor Frankl. In the end, we linger on the impact of family patterns, how to overcome shame, and how to incorporate spiritual disciplines, from different traditions.

The Outer Circle Inner Stillness is made possible by support from listeners, patrons, likes, and shares. For early access to content, and to learn more about how to support the podcast, visit ⁠www.patreon.com/outercircle⁠. 

Rhys Pasimio can be found through⁠ ⁠⁠www.patreon.com/outercircle⁠ and on instagram at @newpattrencounseling and through New Pattern Counseling at ⁠www.newpatterncounseling.com⁠, and is always happy to dialogue with listeners bringing honest questions!

Ken Ovitz can be found [email protected] and at his profile on Psychology Today - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/ken-ovitz-cherry-hill-nj/808681

Thanks for listening!

#counseling #therapy #mentalhealth #addiction #sexaddiction #sexuality #spirituality #orthodoxy #judaism #faith #religion #meaning #viktorfrankl #community #compassion #suffering

Today I interview Trevor Hill, a sex-addiction therapist, and student of clinical sexology, from Little Rock, Arkansas. We reflect on the lingering legacy of Purity Culture, and how that has contributed to sexual shame, and how shame drives addiction. Then we explore practices of empathy and acceptance and how these can help to overcome shame in early recovery. Along the way, we reflect on our experiences of being addiction counselors while being ourselves in recovery.

The Outer Circle Inner Stillness is made possible by support from listeners, patrons, likes, and shares. For early access to content, and to learn more about how to support the podcast, visit www.patreon.com/outercircle. 

Rhys Pasimio can be found through www.patreon.com/outercircle and on instagram at @newpattrencounseling and through New Pattern Counseling at www.newpatterncounseling.com, and is always happy to dialogue with listeners bringing honest questions!

Trevor Hill can be found through The Finding Place at https://thefindingplacecounseling.com/staff/trevor-hill/ and [email protected]

Thanks for listening!

#counseling #therapy #mentalhealth #addiction #sexaddiction #sexuality #trauma #empathy #shame #toxicshame #purityculture #faith #religion #orthodoxy #easternorthodoxy #trevorhill #findingplace #newpatterncounseling #rhyspasimio #mindfulness

Here we review our favorite ever counseling movie!

"Good Will Hunting," is the story of Will, who is a brilliant and very angry under-achiever and Sean, his unconventional and relentlessly compassionate counselor, and the healing journey the undertake together. The story explores issues of trust, connection, trauma, humility, and the absolute vitality of human relationship.

We watch this movie as lovers of film, commenting on the screenwriting, the acting, the Boston Accents, and much more, concluding that this is indeed a cinematic masterpiece.

We also watch this movie as counselors and pore over Robin William's depiction of the counselor deep into his career wisdom, highlighting what he does that is simply for theatrics, and what he does that is actually very wise that we should emulate.

This episode is a crossover episode, appearing on both the Outer Circle Inner Stillness, as well as on the Word and Journey(hence the opening tagline).

The Outer Circle Inner Stillness channel is made possible through likes, shares, reviews, and financial support from its patrons and friends. One-time donations can be made on Venmo at @newpatterncounseling, and regular membership and support can be done through ⁠patreon.com/outercircle.⁠

Rhys can be found through his practice at ⁠www.newpatterncounseling.com⁠.

Caleb can be found through his practice at ⁠www.calebkellercounselingpllc.net⁠.

All honest questions and vulnerable feelings welcome. We'd love to hear from you!

What can we learn about the inner life from a 2005 epic film about the Crusades?

Check out our discussion and find out!

Rhys and Caleb delve deep into their loves of story, film, history, faith, and the journey towards inner peace to unpack the layers of meaning in this highly under-rated director's cut of a Ridley Scott film.

The story is simple - follow the lowly blacksmith Balian as his long lost knight-of-a-father reclaims him and ushers him into the crusades. Travel to Jerusalem, supposedly the source of all healing and forgiveness, and the much disputed jewel in the eyes of Christian and Muslim empires. Wrestle with the wildly opposing kingdoms hidden amongst each other.

A kingdom of earth, of power, of wealth, and violence.

A kingdom of conscience, and peace, that grows in the heart of any one will slow down to recognize it.

We tackle faith, trauma, racism, mindfulness, and the difficult journey of being a peaceful person. Listen along and let us know what you think!

The Outer Circle Inner Stillness channel is made possible through likes, shares, reviews, and financial support from its patrons and friends. One-time donations can be made on Venmo at @newpatterncounseling, and regular membership and support can be done through patreon.com/outercircle. 

Rhys can be found through his practice at www.newpatterncounseling.com.

Caleb can be found through his practice at www.calebkellercounselingpllc.net.

All honest questions and vulnerable feelings welcome. We'd love to hear from you!

Healing takes many forms, and many of those forms combine well to bring out their best parts! Elizabeth's healing journey has taken her through the 12 Steps, naturopathic healing, eastern medicine, and Christianity. Through her own journey of healing and learning to love herself, she has also learned much about healing others.

In our conversation today, I add in my own experiences of Recovery, the 12 Steps, Orthodox Christianity, and we talk about the daily practices in all areas of our life that we need for good growth.

Listen along for insightful and practical perspectives from a unique and wonderful combination of healing traditions!

The Outer Circle Inner Stillness is made possible by support from listeners, patrons, likes, and shares. To learn more about how to support the podcast, visit www.patreon.com/outercircle. 

Rhys Pasimio can be found through www.patreon.com/outercircle and on instagram at @newpattrencounseling and through New Pattern Counseling at www.newpatterncounseling.com, and is always happy to dialogue with listeners bringing honest questions!

Elizabeth Pasimio can be found at www.southbayfamilyacupuncture.com and on Instagram at @qiflowmama_acupuncture.

(Yes, we're related - we are cousins. :) )

We'd both love to hear from you!

Join us for our dive into Inside Out 2, Pixar’s latest exploration of emotions, identity, and mental health. In this discussion, we analyze the film’s portrayal of anxiety, self-concept, and emotional growth as Riley navigates the challenges of adolescence. With insights from professional counselors, we break down how the movie captures the complexity of the inner world, the transition from childhood to adolescence, and the role of emotions like anxiety, envy, and embarrassment.

We’ll also touch on whether Inside Out 2 is suitable for kids, how it compares to the first film, and what valuable takeaways it offers for parents, therapists, and anyone interested in emotional well-being.

The Outer Circle Inner Stillness is made possible by support from listeners, patrons, likes, and shares. To learn more about how to support the podcast, visit ⁠⁠my patreon⁠⁠. 

Rhys Pasimio can be found on ⁠Instagram⁠, or at his ⁠website⁠.

He is always happy to dialogue with listeners bringing honest questions!