Shows
Interior Integration for Catholics170 St. Bonaventure Anticipates Catholic Parts WorkQ: What can St. Bonaventure teach us about our inner life? A: More than you might imagine. Writing in the 13th century, St. Bonaventure emphasized the importance of the heart, of our emotions and our desires. He prized love and relationality – starting with the relationships among the three Persons of the Trinity, that God is both a unity and a multiplicity. He also emphasized the faculty of memory in addition to the intellect and the will as part of his tripartite model of soul, which opens the door to the modern concept of the unconscious, with parts existing outside of...2025-07-211h 49Interior Integration for Catholics169 St. Maximus the Confessor and Catholic Parts WorkQ: Did St. Maximus anticipate Internal Family Systems thinking by 13 centuries? A: In a word, Yes. Maximus, writing in the seventh century, described in detail the unity and distinctions within the human person, and how each of us is a mediator that connects the spiritual and natural realms, and microcosm that contains within us the entire cosmos. Mind-blowing ideas. He also believes that each of us is a macrocosm, being able to influence the whole world in ways that matter. Maximus was a sophisticated systems thinker. He believed we already have certain virtues within us that can and should be rel...2025-07-071h 22Interior Integration for Catholics168 Restless Hearts: St. Augustine and Catholic Parts WorkYou can think of St. Augustine’s heart as an “open book” titled “Confessions.” In this episode, we go deep into his restless heart, sharing with you how well his clear, detailed, and nuanced descriptions of his inner experience reflect Internal Family Systems and parts work so well. As St. Augustine describes his “divided heart” and “conflicting wills” and the stages of his conversion, Dr. Gerry Crete, Dr. Chrisian Amalu, and Dr. Peter Malinoski show how this translates into IFS terms. And Dr. Christian provides an Augustinian experiential exercise. Join us to see how St. Augustine wisdom connects with and informs Cathol...2025-06-161h 29Interior Integration for Catholics167 Early Church Fathers and Catholic Parts WorkWhat can the Early Church Fathers teach us about our inner worlds, the complexity of our psyches? Actually, very much, if we are willing to listen. Join Dr. Gerry Crete, Dr. Christian Amalu and me for a highlight tour of what these Early Church Fathers offer us in understanding and loving ourselves, God, and others: St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Irenaeus, St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. John of Damascus. We particularly focused in on St. Evagrius discussing the “Christ-self” and the “legion of other selves” within each person. We explore how the Early Church Fathers brin...2025-06-021h 23Interior Integration for Catholics166 Can IFS and Parts Work Be Catholic? Listening to ScriptureInternal Family Systems is extremely popular not only as a therapy model, but as a way of making sense of our inner experience. IFS does not have specifically Catholic origins. But can there be a way of understanding parts work and systems thinking and harmonizing them with an authentically Catholic understanding of the human person? Dr. Christian Amalu, Dr. Peter Martin, Dr. Gerry Crete, and Dr. Peter Malinoski explore that question in these next episodes, starting with Sacred Scripture. What evidence can be found in the Bible to support the major tenets of IFS? How might IFS be understood throu...2025-05-191h 31Interior Integration for Catholics163 You Are One and Many: Unity, Multiplicity, and Internal SystemsFearfully and wonderfully made – that is what you are. And made not just as a single, homogeneous personality – but as a system. But what is a system? How can we understand ourselves not just as a monolithic personality, not just as a unity, and not just as a multiplicity, but in terms of our inner relationships with ourselves? Join Dr. Gerry Crete, Bridget Adams, and Dr. Peter as we explore how each of us has a “kingdom within” – and how understanding that kingdom, understanding our multiplicity of our system allows us to better love God, our neighbor, and ourselves, the three love...2025-04-071h 21Interior Integration for Catholics159 Who Are My Parts and Why Do They Battle Within Me?Dr. Gerry Crete helps us unravel the confusion within us, why we have such deep internal conflicts and tensions that pull us in different directions and tear at our hearts. St. Paul tells us in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” What’s up with that? Parts. Parts are up with that, that’s what -- or who. And in this episode, Dr. Gerry and Bridget Adams shed so much light on our internal experience in our fallen human condition. Join us to learn ab...2025-02-031h 33Interior Integration for Catholics158 Who is Your Inmost Self?Who are you, deep inside, at the core of your being? Who lives in the inmost chamber of your personhood? Join us on an adventure to discover your core identity. Catholic experts Dr. Gerry Crete and Dr. Peter Martin find the convergences and synergies in Scripture, the early Church Fathers, the Eastern and Western Catholic monastic traditions, Doctors of the Church, the medieval Catholic theologians, the writings of contemplative saints, and the magisterial teachings of the Church -- supplemented by attachment theory, Internal Family Systems and other parts and systems approaches in the modern era – all in the service of an...2025-01-201h 34Interior Integration for Catholics147 Exodus 90: The Integration of Personal Formation with Dr. Jared StaudtJoin Dr. Jared Staudt, the Director of Content at Exodus 90 and guest host Dr. Gerry Crete to discuss the integration of personal formation in Exodus. Join in to learn how asceticism is part of human formation, and how both are oriented toward love. Dr. Staudt and Dr. Gerry discuss the difficulties that secularism and individualism cause in our culture and within ourselves, especially for men. What do vulnerability and authenticity look like for men? And finally, how can I be different, how can I change and grow? The Exodus website is at https://exodus90.com/ 2024-09-0229 minInterior Integration for Catholics146 Restored: Personal Formation for Teen and Young Adult Children of Divorce with Joey PontarelliJoey Pontarelli joins guest host Dr. Gerry Crete to share the impact of his parents’ divorce on him as a child, the ways that divorce rocked his world, and his journey of recovery. And that journey of recovery includes his founding of Restored, a ministry for teens and young adults whose parents' marriages failed, giving them a place to share their stories, help for them to find healthy responses to an unhealthy family situation, to seek “integration, rather than amputation” of their internal experiences and to correct the lies beneath their fear, anger, and shame. 2024-08-2627 minInterior Integration for Catholics144 Jason Evert, Chastity.com, and the Integration of FormationJason Evert of the Chastity Project joins Dr. Gerry and me to discuss the integration of personal formation and chastity. We begin this episode with a brief experiential exercise to check out your spontaneous reactions, briefly discuss What the Catechism of the Catholic Church says about chastity and interior integration, and then Jason shares with us his decades of experience in working with youth. He shares with us how the concept of chastity needs to be rehabilitated and framed in the positive light of love. He shares stories of how young people have responded to the call to chastity...2024-08-1244 minInterior Integration for Catholics132 Live Q&A with Dr. Gerry on his Book, "Litanies of the Heart"My guest, Dr. Gerry, answers questions from our live audience about his new book, Litanies of the Heart: Relieving Post-Traumatic Stress and Calming Anxiety Through Healing Our Parts. We begin by receiving some wonderful feedback for Dr. Gerry about his book. Then we dive into some questions our audience has for Dr. Gerry: 1) Can 58 years of rearranging my life to recycle the feelings of shame from being molested be resolved? 2) Can it be true that not all parts can know Jesus or not all parts can have a relationship with Him? 3) Are we naturally in self as children, before...2024-02-191h 22Interior Integration for Catholics130 Grounding IFS in Catholicism-- Litanies of the Heart by Dr. Gerry CreteMy guest, Dr. Gerry Crete shares with us the inside story of his brand-new book, Litanies of the Heart: Relieving Post-Traumatic Stress and Calming Anxiety through Healing Our Parts. This book grounds IFS and parts in a Catholic understanding of the human person, showing how parts work is both Biblical and harmonizable with our Catholic faith. Because the intellectual experience doesn’t fully encapsulate the human experience, Dr. Gerry uses stories and vignettes in a way that connects with everyone, not just therapists. He invites all the outcast parts into relationships, making them feel safe enough to connect on a...2024-01-151h 24
Being HumanHealing Through Parts Work and Litanies of the Heart, w/ Dr. Gerry CreteWelcome to Episode 160 of the Being Human Podcast: Healing Through Parts Work and Litanies of the Heart, w/ Dr. Gerry Crete In this week’s episode, Dr. Greg welcomes Dr. Gerry Crete to the show for a deep dive discussion into Dr. Gerry’s new book, Litanies of the Heart! Listen in as they unpack how “parts work” can help in overcoming anxiety and trauma as well as aid in finding greater life fulfillment and a more intimate relationship with God. Discussed in the episode: Parts work as a transformative therapeutic approach t...2024-01-0948 minInterior Integration for Catholics129 Relating Well with "Borderline" Family Members with Dr. Gerry CreteIn this episode, my guest, licensed marriage and family therapist Dr. Gerry Crete and I discuss how best to engage with borderline dynamics within your family. People with “borderline personalities” have surprisingly intense internal experiences that are rarely handled well by the people around them. Dr. Gerry suggests avoiding both expressing too much frustration and invalidation. Instead, he recommends trying to view situations from their perspective and looking for the kernel of truth in their reactions. Acceptance of borderline emotions and perspectives can create the opening a person needs to engage more collaboratively. Learn how to avoid one little danger...2024-01-011h 28Interior Integration for Catholics123 Relating well with narcissistic family members with Dr. Gerry CreteIn this episode, I invited licensed marriage and family therapist Dr. Gerry Crete and a live audience to discuss the best ways to relate with family members with narcissistic traits while still preserving one's own limits and dignity. Dr. Gerry addressed the following: 1) Why is it important to prepare yourself for relating with someone with dominant narcissistic parts? 2) How can we recognize our own limitations and the fact that we cannot change another person by our own efforts? 3) How can we understand the positive intentions of others' narcissistic parts? 4) What should you do if you are flooded and agitated b...2023-10-161h 29Interior Integration for Catholics117 Discover the Parts Who Make Up Your "Personality"Dr. Gerry Crete, Marion Moreland and Dr. Peter Malinoski discuss the relationship among parts and how your manager parts make up what is perceived to be your personality. Dr. Peter offers a 25-minute experiential exercise to help you connect with your manager parts, the ones who make up your "personality." Then we debrief, describe our experiences of the exercise and answer questions from our live audience. 2023-07-171h 18Interior Integration for Catholics91 Special Episode: The Litanies of the Heart with Dr. Gerry CreteWe discuss the brand new release of Souls and Hearts' Litanies of the Heart. These prayers were composed to be very attuned to the needs of closed hearts, fearful hearts, and wounded hearts, bringing in the best of psychological science around how we trust, how we connect and how we form bonds with others in our humanness -- all to help us better develop a deep, personal relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Join us as we discuss the origin of the Litanies, their development, and recommendations for praying them in a way that suits your particular needs. 2022-03-2539 min
Kolbecast45 Grace Perfects NatureAMDG. Today’s episode title comes from St. Thomas Aquinas by way of clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski, who joins us today along with registered clinical counselor Jody Garneau to discuss mental health and homeschooling. Dr. Peter and Jody speak from years of experience as both mental health practitioners and homeschool parents themselves—he, the father of seven children and she, the mother of four. Among today’s topics are human formation as foundation for spiritual formation, the importance of parents’ mental health when homeschooling, and how to broach the topic of mental health where there might be resistance or fear. Perfectionism...2021-05-2653 minInterior Integration for Catholics56 What is Essential for Catholics to Recover from Porn?Intro: Welcome to the podcast Interior Integration for Catholics Interior Integration for Catholics brings to you in each episode the best psychological information essential for your human formation, knowledge that is fundamental in shoring up the natural foundation for your Catholic spiritual life. In this podcast, we confront the tough questions we Catholics have in our day-to-day lives, we confront head on our struggles in the natural realm, the psychological difficulties that keep us from fully loving our Lord and our Lady in a deep, personal, intimate way. And we deal with these difficult, demanding issues for one primary reason: to...2021-02-2244 min
Hear the Word: Sunday Readings and Guided Meditation13th Sunday in Ordinary Time -- Mass ReadingsDr. Peter Malinoski and Dr. Gerry Crete read the Sunday Mass Readings for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A. Check out our sister podcast Be With the Word for psychological insights into these readings on where secular psychology gets it wrong. 2020-06-2205 minInterior Integration for Catholics2 Our Stress Responses: Discovering, Understanding and Improving ThemCoronavirus Crisis: Carpe DiemOur Stress Responses: Discovering, Understanding and Improving Them Episode 2March 25, 2020Introduction:Welcome to the podcast Coronavirus Crisis: Carpe Diem where together we embrace the possibilities and opportunities for spiritual and psychological growth, all grounded in a Catholic worldview.Today we’re going to talk about how our stress responses give us very valuable information about ourselves, our psychological functioning and also our spiritual development. So stress responses are the things we habitually do when we are stressed. They are ways of coping...2020-03-2513 minHear the Word: Sunday Readings and Guided MeditationSecond Sunday of Lent Mass ReadingsDr. Gerry Crete and Dr. Peter Malinoski read the Mass readings for the Second Sunday of Lent, Cycle A. 2020-03-0204 min
Help a Loved One in DistressEpisode 10: Summary and Conclusion2020-01-2205 minHelp a Loved One in DistressEpisode 9: What Not to Do2020-01-1505 minHelp a Loved One in DistressEpisode 8: Exploring Options2020-01-0813 minHelp a Loved One in DistressEpisode 7: Affirmation2020-01-0109 minHelp a Loved One in DistressEpisode 6: Empathetic Attunement2019-12-2509 minHelp a Loved One in DistressEpisode 5: Active Listening2019-12-1809 minHelp a Loved One in DistressEpisode 3: Loving the Other Person It’s tempting to try to analyze the problem, change bad feelings or just fix things for a loved one in distress. In this module, Dr. Peter Malinoski and Dr. Gerry Crete encourage you to slow down, stay calm, and simply focus on being with your distressed loved one instead of shifting to “doing” mode. By holding the present moment and protecting the space to allow others to feel and share what they are experiencing in a non-judgmental, humble and honest way, you’ll be providing a loving space for your family member or friend. 2019-12-1008 minHelp a Loved One in DistressEpisode 2: Self CareAlthough many people want a checklist of things to do so they can jump right in to help, Dr. Peter Malinoski and Dr. Gerry Crete explain why you have to start with yourself. Although this module is not about becoming perfect first, it is about increasing the awareness of what you need to do to prepare yourself to be an instrument of God. It encourages you to embrace some basic self-care principles as well as to be introspective about why you react to distressing situations in the way that you do. Bringing some of these things to light in...2019-12-1010 minHelp a Loved One in DistressEpisode 4: Assessing the SituationIt's usually easy to spot signs of distress in a family member or friend. You may notice things like low energy, excessive crying, or even an increase in physical symptoms like muscle cramps. After you realize someone you love needs help, Dr. Gerry and Dr. Peter suggest you check yourself first. Are there things from you past that may lead you to react in a certain way? Before entering into a discussion, try to remember that God loves both of you in that moment and is present to help. 2019-12-1008 minHelp a Loved One in DistressIntroductionDr. Peter Malinoski and Dr. Gerry Crete, co-founders of Souls and Hearts, talk about what the overall course is designed to do as well as what it’s not designed to do. You’ll also get a birds’ eye view of what will be coming up in future modules of the course, which includes self-care, general principles, situation assessment, listening and reflecting, effective affirmation, how to make a plan, what to say, and things to avoid. Finally, you’ll get to actually practice through role-playing exercises to help you prepare and build confidence.2019-12-1008 min