The DSM-5 thinks of every disorder as a set of symptoms, but that doesn't answer the question of what PTSD actually is - or what it's trying to do to help us become whole again.  Is there a redemptive drive behind our trauma symptoms?  How do we rewrite the ending of the worst moments we've ever been through?  What does that look like in the therapy room and the Gospel of John?  Bonus: how to convert a potentially traumatizing bank robbery into a meme.

(Content notice: brief mentions of many different kinds of traumatic experiences.  One mention of the word "suicide" as a maladaptive avoidance strategy, with no scenario or details of any kind.)

References:

Judith Herman's "Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror" - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trauma-and-recovery-judith-lewis-herman-md/1100923391

Study which concludes the DSM is "a disingenuous categorical system" - https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2019/07/08/study-finds-psychiatric-diagnosis-to-be-scientifically-meaningless 

DSM-5 Criteria for PTSD, with symptom clusters - https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/essentials/dsm5_ptsd.asp

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How do we make sense of the way one mind can want so many conflicting things at once?  In this episode, we explore the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model as a way to understand our own inner conflicts, how the mind organizes itself for psychological self-defense, the way Jesus restructures the human personality, and why your mind is a flock of belligerent sheep needing a shepherd.

References:

Margaret Feinberg's "Scouting the Divine: My Search for God in Wine, Wool, and Wild Honey" - https://zondervanacademic.com/products/scouting-the-divine

The Zealot sect - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zealots

Russ Harris's "Christ-Centered Therapy: Empowering the Self" - https://www.routledge.com/Christ-Centered-Therapy-Empowering-the-Self/Harris-Koenig/p/book/9780789012272

Romans 7:14-25, on Paul's internal conflict - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%207%3A14-25&version=NIV

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If we're starting out on a journey of building better minds and lives, we have to figure out what actually makes that work.  In this intro to the channel, we explore some foundational questions: Isn't the Bible all we need?  Can Christianity and psychology truly be integrated?  What does that integration look like in practice?  And can I cringe at both Sigmund Freud and James Dobson?

(Content notice: to respect the content guidelines of some platforms, this episode is flagged as "explicit" due to generic mentions of pornography addiction, with no specifics mentioned, from 24:15-28:50.)

References:

The Scopes Monkey Trial - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_trial

Scum of the Earth Church (mini-documentary) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRsWIuRvyWI

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) - see The Happiness Trap, by Russ Harris (https://thehappinesstrap.com/)

Scripture (mentioned around 38:00) about using knowledge from sources other than Scripture - Exodus 18, Daniel 1:17, Acts 17:28, 1 Corinthians 15:33 

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