CatholicPsych Blog
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The Hidden Sorrow Behind the Immaculate Conception
As we look forward to celebrating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we remember the reality of how this day came to be…
A Mosaic of Hope: Rebuilding Life After Loss
My husband Tom died suddenly in 2019. He was 46, healthy, and we’d just had a wonderful weekend together. In the middle of the night…
ADHD in Marriage — When Two Brains Share a Life
When ADHD enters a relationship, it doesn’t just affect one person. It becomes a third partner — shaping communication, rhythms, and even…
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Who Are We? And What Heals Us?
Is healing a spiritual or physical experience? Let's talk about the unity of our being and how mindfulness can play a part in our healing. Unity of body and spirit There is a false dichotomy, an error in thinking, that runs deep in the veins of our sense of ourselves....
Living the Sacrament of Marriage
Living out the sacrament of marriage in a peaceful, prosperous time can be challenging enough. So what can we do when life feels turbulent to strengthen our marriage? Note: For those of you who aren't married, hang in there with me - some of this info can apply to any...
5 Simple Ways to Feel Less Stressed Throughout The Day
Even if you feel like you can't fit one more thing into your busy life, there simple ways to feel less stressed throughout your day. You don't even need to find more time to do them. Incorporate Mindfulness to feel less stressed So many people tell me how hard...
Empathy: The Second Superpower of the Female Brain
We've talked about intuition, now let's talk about empathy in women. Females Exhibit Stronger Empathic Abilities In the first article in this series on differences in the female brain that give it an edge over the male brain in certain functions, I talked about...
How to Manage Stress as Your New Best Friend
One effective way to manage stress is change your perspective on it! How Pressure Leads to Stress My first job fresh out of graduate school was as a mental health counselor in a prison. My days were spent listening to the inmates talk about their intense levels of...
What is Mental Health Health? (Q&A with Dr. Greg Bottaro)
Mental health and mental illness - The following is an excerpt edited from a live presentation and Q&A with Dr. Greg Bottaro. Q. We hear about mental illness all the time. But how do we arrive at mental health? Can you give a working concept of what that...
God’s Vision of You: Perfectionism vs. Self-Compassion
Stop trying to earn God's unconditional love and remind yourself where your self-worth really comes from. Escape the trap of self-worth tied to achievements Think for a minute about what you are striving for in life. What is it that drives you to work really hard?...
Training Our Minds for Peace With Catholic Mindfulness
Catholic Mindfulness can bring peace to your mind as you learn to pay attention to the present moment. The Restless Mind I think it's safe to assume we all want to experience peace in our lives (and could probably use a little more of it these days). Beyond wanting...
The Catholic Guide to Mindfulness, or, Coffee – Satan’s Drink
I want to offer my perspective on Catholic mindfulness, given there is a lot of misinformation surrounding this topic. Misconception of Coffee and Mindfulness Coffee aficionados often claim that the spread of its popularity among Catholics is due to Pope Clement...
Mental Health Awareness Month: Interview With a Therapist
In this interview with a therapist, get to know Dr. Bryan Violette! This month has been designated as Mental Health Awareness month. During May, I’ve decided to shine a light on various common mental health issues in the upcoming Being Human...
Mindfulness: A Tool for Anxiety
Anxiety is widespread today, let's talk about mental distractions and how mindfulness is a powerful tool for anxiety. Anxiety and Mental Distractions How many times have you set out to get somewhere and you surprise yourself when you get there? “Oh wow, I’m here...
Same Sex Attraction: 7 Truths Needed From the Church
The Church's Stance on Homosexuality Instead of talking about what went wrong with the Synod in Rome, (*This article was written in response to the 2015 Synod on the Family.) I’d like to propose some of the things that our world actually needs from the...
The Surprising Power of Our Imagination
Outside the present moment - the power of imagination As humans, we possess the capability to encounter in the present moment something that is outside of the present moment in a way that physically changes our brains. It’s a little like having a superpower...
How to Spot Common Signs of Emotional Abuse
If I just love him enough, he’ll change...If I just treat her well enough, things will get better...If I just let it go this time, they’ll figure it out and won’t do it again... If you’ve ever known someone in an abusive relationship, these phrases will sound...
The Female Brain: What’s Your Superpower?
Female Brain vs Male Brain With this post, I'm opening up a short series focusing on the female brain and a few of the ways that it differs from the male brain. Fortunately there is a ton of research out there to rely on instead of just offering musings from my own...
Why Does God Allow Suffering?
If God is good, then why does He let bad things happen? Catholic mindfulness presupposes faith that God the Father is a good Father. But if God is good and all-powerful and loves us, why does he let awful things happen to good people? Simply put, why does God allow...
Outlining Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Selfishness or Narcissism? What exactly is narcissism, especially as it presents in narcissistic personality disorder? We throw around the term "narcissist" and "narcissism" a lot these days, usually when we refer to someone who we believe has been incredibly selfish...
Healing Through Catholic Mindfulness, Part Two
Guest blog post by Lindsey Peppers, continued from Part One... How I found Catholic Mindfulness Some of the meditation authors/speakers I listened to dabbled in eastern or New Age spiritualities that I knew were often in contradiction with my Catholic faith. I had...
Healing Through Catholic Mindfulness, Part One
Guest blogger Lindsey Peppers shares her journey to finding hope and healing through Catholic Mindfulness. (This is part 1 of a 2-part series.) Hitting a low point It was an otherwise unremarkable weekday in the fall of 2016 when I sat across from my neurologist,...
One Simple Thing To Do When You Feel Overwhelmed
Life is hard. Doing this human thing can be pretty challenging at times. It can feel overwhelming. Let's talk about what you can do when you feel overwhelmed. We all have a list of things to point to that justify why we feel overwhelmed: the kids, the deadline, the...
What is the CatholicPsych Institute?
"Become who you are." These words from St. John Paul II have echoed in my heart since I first heard them in 1997 at World Youth Day in Paris. My journey has taken me from being a student in the classroom of Peter Kreeft to a Franciscan Friar with Fr. Benedict...
How To Deal with Anxiety at Family Gatherings
Christmas; The celebration of Christ’s birth, and typically, lots of family time. Even though it’s supposed to be a time of greater joy, for a lot of people the increased family time can equal greater stress and anxiety. It is possible, however, to navigate even the...
Prioritizing Daily Life: The Power of Boundaries
Though life is often unpredictable, we have the power to prioritize daily life and habits in a way that values what's important to each of us. From the Friary to Married Life As many of you already know, I used to be a Franciscan friar. The friar’s life is one marked...