Therapy + Theology with Carley Marcouillier

Today’s episode was created during a 13.1-mile run with three of my dear friends. As we approached race day, we linked individual spiritual lessons we had learned from the embodied act of running. Joining me today are my friends: Dane Rudy, Ellie Dicesare, and Carolyn Nascimento (Nas). Each shares their individual experience of running and its spiritual lesson: the process of enduring pain, the importance of our motivation, and the gift of community. We explore the power of connection, courage, and support found in running together and seeking to press on toward the upward call of Christ to run well.  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today’s episode is the final solo episode of the season and sums up my personal journey with seeking to live an embodied life. This year we have looked at so many different angles related to what it means to embody our spirituality, name our pain, and connect with God in a whole new way. In concluding this season, I share about my spiritual journey of learning to pace and its connection to my love for running. Connecting back to Hebrews 12 and trauma-informed somatic practice, I define and explore the importance of pacing in the healing process and the burnout that is inevitable when we disconnect from our bodies and push ourselves beyond our present limits. Finally, we look at simple steps to PACE - Presence, Attunement, Capacity, and Expansion as a form of taking one step at a time in our unique healing journeys.  Resources:  Mind Body Stress Reset (Somatic practices)  Emotionally Healthy Spiritually The Body Keeps the Score Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In part two of my interview with Cyd Holsclaw, author, coach, and trauma-informed  As spiritual directors, we explore the connection between embodiment and our attachment to God. Cyd outlines powerful examples of attachment history and its impact on how one connects with God or feels distant from God. We also explore practical steps for beginning to recognize our nervous system states, the importance of cultivating joy, and the hope found in attachment science.  Resources:  Does God Really Like Me? By Cyd and Gregg Holsclaw  https://www.cydholsclaw.com/learning-cohorts https://www.cydholsclaw.com/ https://www.embodiedfaith.life/podcast DMin in Spiritual Formation and Relational Neuroscience  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This week, I am joined by Cyd Holsclaw, author, coach, and trauma-informed spiritual director. Cyd is the co-author of the book, “Does God Really Like Me? Discovering the God Who Wants to Be With Us" and working on her next book,  Deeply Attached to God. In this two-part conversation, Cyd and I explore the power of the nervous system and its importance in the way we connect to others and God. We discuss the basic concepts of why we were created to embody both a desire for connection and safety, and the invitation of spiritual formation into flourishing faith rather than functional faith.  Resources:  Does God Really Like Me? By Cyd  and  Geoff  Holsclaw  https://www.cydholsclaw.com/learning-cohorts https://www.cydholsclaw.com/ https://www.embodiedfaith.life/podcast DMin in Spiritual Formation and Relational Neuroscience  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today, we take a moment to reflect on the season of Lent and the days leading up to Easter Sunday. In this prayer practice, anchored in Mark 14 with Jesus and His disciples at the last supper, you are invited to engage in prayer through stillness, benediction, confession, and intercessory prayer. As we prepare our hearts for the celebration of the resurrection, this episode walks through the 4 elements of the Last Supper where Christ introduced the Last Supper as a symbol of his work on the cross and an invitation to follow him as: Chosen, Blessed, Broken, and Given. Resources:   Music by Noah Wonder Music Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen   Renovated Heart by Dallas Willard  Praying like Monks, living like fools by Tyler Stanton Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This week on the podcast, I recap the previous episodes on shame by exploring the difference between the truth of shame as an experience of our limits and needs with toxic shame which seeks to condemn our needs and limits. By asking 3 reflective questions, we discover the sources, scripts, and symptoms that toxic shame holds. Pulling from Dr. Chip Todd’s work on shame from his book The Voice of the Heart, we return to the embodiment of sec-acceptance and how healthy shame leads us to living within appropriate authority, claiming our God-given identity, and experiencing victory emotionally and spiritually.  Resources:  Voice of the Heart by Dr. Chip Dodd Soul of Shame by Curt Thompson  She Speaks Fire by Mariela Rosario Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In part two of my interview with author Mariela Rosario, we continue our discussion on battling shame in the context of community. Mariela discusses community as being both a blessing and burden, in which we are invited to bring our shame and allow others to remind us of who we are in Christ. We also explore the power of self-talk and reminding ourselves of who God says we are.  Resources:  Mariela’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marielaspeaks/ Mariela’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shespeaksfireco  She Speaks Fire Website: https://shespeaksfire.com/  She Speaks Fire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shespeaksfireco/  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This week on the podcast, we are breaking down the challenges of battling shame with first-time Author, Mariela Rosario. In this two-part interview, Mariela shares her personal narrative of living in shame and finding her voice through the good news of the gospel. Using her book She Speaks Fire, Mariela walks us through garden lessons and discusses the many ways to speak against shame’s tactics to steal and destroy us emotionally and spiritually.  Resources:  Mariela’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marielaspeaks/ Mariela’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shespeaksfireco  She Speaks Fire Website: https://shespeaksfire.com/  She Speaks Fire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shespeaksfireco/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This week on the podcast we explore the heart of spiritual formation practices and the common distortions we hold related to them. Looking at spiritual disciplines as not holy in and of themselves but rather as pathways to encounters with a holy and loving God, allows us to revise our rigid views about disciplines and renew our purpose for practicing. We will discuss the distortions of self-improvement, religious acceptance, measurement of spiritual maturity and the way the impact our authenticity within our relationship with God and others. Finally we will review reminders for developing faith practices that are deeply rooted in meeting with a God who already loves us and desires to connect with us.  Resources: Spiritual Disciplines List  Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster  The Spirit of Discipline by Dallas Willard  Psychology, Theology and Spirituality in Counseling by Mark McMinn Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In part two of my interview with David Ruybalid we continue our discussion by exploring the process and pathways for religious addiction recovery. When we become aware of the symptoms of spiritual addiction or a sense of compulsion out of fear or shame, developed by beliefs and constructs that preach a do-more-try-harder message, we need steps to reclaim the grace and groundedness given through the Gospel. In this episode, we discuss the needs that are embedded within spiritual addiction and outline the movement of grace as the antidote to using spirituality to maintain safety. Finally, David and I explore embodied practices that support a more authentic spiritual formation process.  Resources: www.davidruybalid.comhttps://www.facebook.com/davidruybalidmusic/https://www.instagram.com/david_ruybalid/ The Evolution of Faith Podcasthttps://davidruybalid.wordpress.com/  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.