Attaching to God: Neuroscience-informed Spiritual Formation
Attaching to God connects relational neuroscience and attachment theory to our life of faith so you can grow into spiritual and relational maturity. Co-host Geoff Holsclaw (PhD, pastor, and professor) and Cyd Holsclaw (PCC, spiritual director, and integrative coach) talk with practitioners, therapists, theologians, and researchers on learning to live with ourselves, others, and God. Get everything in your inbox or on the app: https://www.grassrootschristianity.org/s/embodied-faith
Episodes
95 episodes since 2021
091 How A Psychologist Came to Believe in Miracles…and More (Book Conversation)
Geoff and Cyd talk about the impact of reading Why I Believe: A Psychologist's Thoughts on Suffering, Miracles, Science, and Faith, by Dr. Henry Cloud, specifically...the place of
September 10, 2024
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29:10
090 Risky Play, Fun, and the Life of Faith
Why do kids climb trees, run really fast, and spin until they fall over? What is the benefit of risky play? And what does that have to do with attaching to God and our spiritual life?In this episode, we look at the research regarding pl...
July 25, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 90
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22:10
089: Our Attachment Wounds and God's Promise (with Summer Joy Gross)
Emmanuel—God with us. We have heard this promise of God’s presence. But might our attachment wounds skew, distort, or hinder us from embracing this reality? Do we live as slaves to our attachment strategies rather than as beloved children of Go...
May 14, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 89
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34:44
088: Don't Do Nothing about Mental Health in the Church
There is an innate need in all of us to know that there is something more beautiful than the dark places of the world we live in. After two losses within their community just prior to the 2020 pandemic, St. Andrew Methodist Church in Plano, TX ...
May 07, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 88
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31:56
087: Geoff's Second Half of Life "Crisis" and why the new name
The inaugural episode of season six, and all about "Geoff's Second Half of Life 'Crisis' and why we renamed the podcast" (and note, 'crisis' is in scar quotes).Welcome to Season 6, of what is now called the Attaching to God<...
April 03, 2024
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Season 6
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Episode 87
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34:02
086: Non-Toxic Masculinity (with Zachary Wagner)
The problem of toxic masculinity is much bigger than contemporary expressions of Christianity. Mistreatment of women and men dehumanizing others is a feature of human culture fraught with sin. But the church is called to be salt and light...
January 30, 2024
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Season 5
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Episode 85
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30:53
085: Forming Spiritually Resilient Children (with Dr. Holly Allen)
Many children today are growing up amid adversity, whether brought on by family difficulties or larger societal crises. All children need to be able to deal with stress, cope with challenges, and persevere through disappointments. While we cann...
January 23, 2024
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Season 5
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Episode 85
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36:01
084: Mental Illness or Spiritual Issue? And how they connect (with Dr. Matthew Stanford)
Research tells us that when people suffer from a mental health crisis, the first person they turn to for help is not a physician, a psychiatrist, or a social worker, but a pastor, a priest, or a minister. Unfortunately, many church leaders are ...
January 16, 2024
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Season 5
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Episode 84
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38:13
083: Does God Hate? Or, Making Sense of God's Emotions (with David Lamb)
Does God hate? Is God emotional? Emotions feel irrational, impulsive, and problematic for God, especially when we think about hate, jealousy, or sorrow. But the truth is the Bible is full of all sorts of stories that express God expressing emot...
December 12, 2023
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Season 5
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Episode 83
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36:30
082: On Getting Out of Bed; Or, on Living with Mental Anguish (with Alan Noble)
For many people, sorrow, despair, anxiety, and mental illness are everyday experiences. And while we have tremendous advancements in therapy and psychiatry, the burden of living often comes down to some mundane choices, like "Should I still bot...
December 07, 2023
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Season 5
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Episode 82
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32:58
081: From Therapy, to Trauma, to Attaching to Immanuel (God With Us) with Stephanie Rossing
How do we help people get their brains back online? Can the Spirit lead us through a process of healing without triggering re-traumatization? And how can we attach more deeply with God?Guest ...
November 28, 2023
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Season 5
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Episode 81
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39:18
Is Joy Even More Central Than Love? (Thanksgiving Double Feature)
(This and the previous episode are part of a special Thanksgiving Double Feature Rewind of past episodes that are good to revisit in the ups and downs of a holiday)What is so important about joy? The great commandment is to lov...
November 22, 2023
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Season 5
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25:54
The Psalms as a Guide to Joy, Sadness, and Anger (Thanksgiving Double Feature)
(This and the next episode are part of a special Thanksgiving Double Feature Rewind of past episodes that are good to revisit in the ups and downs of a holiday)What if the Psalms aren't just old religious poetry, but guideposts...
November 22, 2023
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25:54
080: Finding Freedom in Constraint—Reimagining Spiritual Disciplines with Jared Patrick Boyd
We often think that freedom comes through casting off what controls us, and that we need to find our true selves apart from community. But what if it is the constraints of the spiritual life that set us free? What if it is focused practic...
November 21, 2023
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Season 5
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Episode 80
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36:07
079: Being the Church in an Age of Secular Mysticisms (Dr. Andrew Root)
When atheists want spirituality, how should the church respond? In a secular age offering a buffet of spiritualities, all focused on the self and personal transformation, how is the Christian view similar or different than these alternative pat...
November 15, 2023
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Season 5
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Episode 79
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41:24
078: Formative Spirituality, Agency in the Bible, and Being Human (Dr. Richard Middleton)
What is spiritual formation? Is that even a very good term for life with and in Jesus? What are we being formed into anyway? Or, maybe we should ask “when” are we being formed?In this episode, we talked with Dr. Richard Middleton about f...
November 08, 2023
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Season 5
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Episode 78
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34:54
077: Why Humility and Hope is Essential for Therapists & Pastors (Dr. Chuck DeGroat)
What character formation is required for soul care professionals, people like therapists, pastors, or spiritual directors? And what does this mean for everyone who follows Jesus? It is humility and hope, says Dr. Chuck DeGroat. It i...
November 01, 2023
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32:40
076: Bearing God in the Storms of Death and Life (with Marlena Graves)
Have you ever been tossed around by the storms of life and wondered where God is in all? Or have you wished Jesus would quiet the storms a little quicker and more often? Today we are talking about bearing God in the storms of life.
October 24, 2023
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Season 5
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Episode 76
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30:52
075: Being Still Amid the Distractions and Downtime (with Brian Heasley)
Scripture tells us, “Be still and know that I am God”. But for so many of us, this is so hard. Today’s episode explores downtime, devotions, and distractions as we seek to be with God in our private and public lives. Our gue...
October 17, 2023
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Season 5
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Episode 75
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37:22
074: Hope Is The First Dose: A Treatment Plan For Recovering From Trauma (with Dr. Lee Warren, MD)
Is the abundant life as promised in Scripture possible for trauma survivors? Can those who suffer deep tragedy really find wholeness, or happiness, again? Today we are talking with a medical doctor who has walked with many people through trauma...
October 10, 2023
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Season 5
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Episode 74
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46:49
073: Be Kind To Your Attachment Strategy and Nervous System
When reactions shoot out of us that we regret, then what do we do? Do you blame or berate yourself? Do you shame and shout at yourself? Too often we are unkind to ourselves in situations like this. But instead of this, we need to c...
October 05, 2023
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Season 5
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Episode 73
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24:04
072: How Your Attachment Style Shapes Reality (with Dr. Todd Hall)
How can two different people experience the same event differently? Do we see, hear, and even feel the world differently? Are we filtering social and emotional information in different ways? The answer is yes. And this has to do with what...
October 03, 2023
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Season 5
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Episode 72
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42:56
071: Resourcing the Church for Mental Health (with Laura Howe)
The church is not immune to the growing mental health crisis, certainly not pastors and leaders. And we don’t always know where to get mental health resources for creating resilient individuals and churches. Howe guest today is passionate about...
September 26, 2023
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Season 5
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Episode 71
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30:38
070: Exploring a Theology of the Body and Confronting Shame with Beth Felker Jones (Summer Rewind)
(During our Summer Break we are airing important past episodes)We're tackling a topic that treads the tightrope between theology and personal acceptance - body theology and body shame. Why have we turned "your body is a temple"...
August 17, 2023
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Season 4
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Episode 70
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33:08
069: Leading with & through Emotion: Limbic Resonance, Leadership, and Spirituality with MaryKate Morse (Summer Rewind)
(During our Summer Break we are airing important past episodes)What if the secret to impactful leadership and genuine community connection lies deep within our biological construct? Are emotions and moods contagious, betw...
August 16, 2023
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Season 4
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Episode 69
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37:55