The Psych Monologues: Recent Episodes
Dr. Ray Mitsch
The Psych Monologues is a podcast devoted to exploring the intersection of faith, psychology and spiritual formation.
In this episode, Dr. Mitsch recounts the history of The Psych Monologues, and tells the development of SGI, and the vision for the future that is unfolding. Listen to this episode to hear some momentous news for the future of SGI and the Psych Monologues. It will be well worth 33 minutes of your time!
Dr. Mitsch explores the next stage of the spiritual journey which is referred to as the "Discipled/Mentored Life." Listen in as he discusses the key characteristics, how to make progress in this stage of development, and the importance of choosing your mentor wisely since he/she will help you set the foundation of the rest of your journey.
Dr. Mitsch explores the internal landscape of depression, and how it impacts our spiritual journey. Listen in and find insight and encouragement for those who are struggling with depression (and those are who are not).
Continuing our series on the spiritual journey, Dr. Mitsch explores the characteristics and the issues that interfere with our growth during this part of our journey. Recognizing God as part of our lives or reintroducing ourselves to God is an important first step of the journey. What issues do we bring with us that interfere with the continuing journey with God? Listen in and find out!
Dr. Mitsch continues the series on Broken People of the Bible focusing on the story of the a woman experiencing a 12 year hemorrhage that had marginalized her in her culture, and left her hopeless and looking for healing. She turns to Jesus, and finds a remarkable display of compassion and grace. Her story is our story struggling with shame, and our approach to God in the midst of it. How does Jesus respond that displays God's response to our shame and our need for healing? Listen and find out!
What would Jesus do with your grief whether it was from loss for other reasons or loss from death? The grief we experience comes from many different experiences not the least of which is grief from death. Is there something we can learn from someone just like us who is grieving and interacted with Jesus just as we would? Check it out... the next in the Broken People of the Bible series - Jesus and grief.
We are tempted to look for external solutions for internal problems, and we meet with problems and wonder why. Dr. Mitsch explores this temptation of ours, and how much it sabotages our best efforts to manage the anxiety in our lives.
Dr. Mitsch continues his series on "Barriers to God" and looks at another "a" word - Anxiety. Do you have questions about anxiety and the role that it plays in your life or others, and what impact it has on your relationship with God? Tune in and be encouraged.
Dr. Mitsch introduces his listeners to the importance of silence and solitude, and "pulls back the veil" on the silent retreats that he leads. Do you ever wonder what happens on a silent retreat, and what are the important issues that come up as a result? Hear it all here!
In this episode, Dr. Mitsch explores a new but ancient pandemic with which we are all afflicted but act as if it doesn't exist. What is it? Listen in to find out!
What words come to mind when someone mentions God or Jesus? Angry? Vengeful? Manipulative? Loving? Compassionate? Our words and phrases connected to God reveal a lot about us. Listen in to find out why.
Dr. Mitsch continues his series on the broken people of the Bible with the story of the demon possessed man. He explores the implications of Jesus' interaction with the man, and how remarkably it relates to our own "demons" that we fight. Often we will choose our known "demons" over an unknown angel provided by God Himself.
"Man of the Tombs" by Bob Bennett
Do you know how you are growing spiritually? That question is one we rarely think about when things are going well, but it's often a bigger concern when we are stuck. Dr. Mitsch starts a new series examining what the spiritual journey actually looks like, and what the challenges are when we first start out.
How often do we say that we know something, but it has nothing to do with the choices we make or how we live our lives? Have you ever wondered why we do that? What's the point of knowledge if it doesn't touch our lives in some way? Of course, some knowledge does but more importantly there is knowledge we have that we say is important but it never enters into the decisions we make. Listen in to hear about "the why" and "what do I do now?" for both challenge and (hopefully) inspiration.
Dr. Mitsch initiates a new series called "Broken People of the Bible" this week with episode 128. He takes time to breathe life into a story that many people know or with which they are familiar. Is there something here for us to learn about our own spiritual condition and what insight might the paralytic's story offer for us as we follow Jesus?
It is a very common experience to be angry at God for a variety of reasons. That anger is enough to separate us from Him, but is it enough to separate Him from us? Dr. Mitsch looks at one of the key barriers in our relationship with God - our anger with Him. Where does it come from, what is the cost, and what are the steps to address it.
What kind of people populate your life? What kind of person are you? Dr. Mitsch looks at a topic that is rarely discussed. When we engage friends and family over personal issues, are you likely to start your comment with a "At least..." and provide a perspective about the issue your friend is facing that compares what he/she has experienced to something far worse? What kind of people do you need in your life? Who will walk with your faithfully and consistently? This episode explores what we can do to be people who are comfortable with both a mountaintop or a valley.
Dr. Mitsch explores how pervasive the language of power has changed us, our relationships, and even how we think about ourselves and God. Listen to a thought-provoking podcast that will challenge you to consider changing your language from power to love.
In this episode, Dr. Mitsch looks at the final crescendo to forgiveness and repentance and that is reconciliation. He explores what reconciliation is and what it isn't including the key elements which are displayed in the story of the prodigal son.
Continuing from the forgiveness episode(#122), Dr. Mitsch talks about what it means to forgive an institution like the church. He also explores what repentance actually looks like, and the differences between superficial and genuine repentance.
In this episode, Dr. Mitsch confronts and unravels the distortions and myths that we have around the aspect of forgiveness in our relationships. Both the social convention of forgiveness and genuine forgiveness are explored and explained.
Dr. David Stoop's book was mentioned in this episode and can be found here.
In episode 121, Dr. Mitsch explores the key for healthy relationships - boundaries. If you hope to have healthier relationships in 2023, then this is a great episode to start with! The three characteristics of boundaries, and the patterns that create problems in relationships are discussed and a way to concretely address boundaries throughout the year is also mentioned.
Watch the next episode on the video podcast, click here.
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To begin a new year with The Psych Monologues, Dr. Mitsch takes on the issues in relationship between the generations that include whether or not we will connect with another person, or just simply focus on how they think. Also, check out the new video podcast that can be found here.
Dr. Mitsch tackles both an important but also painful subject that people often experience around the holidays - grief. While many sing gleefully about "home for the holidays" there are those in our world (and maybe us) who don't feel the same way about the holidays because they just remind us who is NOT there. While the topic sounds like a "downer" for the holidays, it's important to give a voice to those who are experiencing grief with the absence of important people in their lives.
Dr. Mitsch tackles a very familiar topic not only from his career in helping people, but also his teaching career. He tackles the issue of how comfortable shame is for us. Shame is an underestimated but overly familiar feature of most of our relationships with ourselves and with others. Without a clear understanding of it, we can do little to live fully in the grace that God offers us.
Dr. Mitsch takes time out to talk about three different aspects of our functioning. What we know, what we do, and who we are. Our emphasis in each of these areas has everything to do with how we relate to Jesus, to others, and even to ourselves. Join in to the exploration of understanding how our beings directly influences how we know, and what we do.
Dr. Mitsch dives into a topic that we love to talk about, but struggle to live with any degree of authenticity. How are you at accepting grace in your life?
Do you live life in an integrated or disintegrated way? What does that even mean? Why is it all that important. Listen further as Dr. Mitsch takes this podcast to highlight the cost of living disintegrated lives, and the potential benefits of seeking integration in our lives and relationships.
Strange title, right? Dr. Mitsch takes some time to reflect on his relationship with a new golden in his home, and the parallels he sees in his relationship with the dog and his relationship with God. We are surrounded by lessons to be learned even from our animals that include learning about grace, love, and presence.
Dr. Mitsch has an exciting announcement to share about the ministries of Stained Glass International, and "pulls back the veil" on the silent retreats that he leads for Next generation Christians.
Mystery. The funny thing about the word is that is evokes the very thing it purports to describe. The word itself prompts one to experience mystery is what it actually means for the Christian life journey. Dr. Mitsch takes some time to talk about the importance of mystery not because it exists in our world, but because of what it is calling us to experience. Listen in and find out the connection between mystery and trust!
Dr. Mitsch takes a moment out of schedule of topics to reflect on how grief has a way of revealing our expectations on loss, and how we typically respond to it. After the loss of his trusty companion, Koda, he reflects about his loss and the important aspect of grief that all listeners can relate to. It is sobering, enlightening, and encouraging all at the same time. Our call to connection is... "be here now."
Do you value integrity in your life? If so, why? Dr. Mitsch takes some time this episode to look more closely at this quality of people and consider why it is so important. What does it mean? What will we lose if we seek it? What do we gain? These are just some of the questions that are addressed in this week's episode of The Psych Monologues.
Why is acceptance so hard for us to do? What are the obstacles that get in our way? Why is it so important for our ability to change? This are a few of the questions Dr. Mitsch attempts to answer in our quest to engage our spiritual journey fully.
Dr. Mitsch takes some time to look more deeply into the motivations, the movements within the deconstruction of one's faith, and what happens on the other side of that process.
Dr. Mitsch proposes a provocative question: do you engage your world with either/or thinking or both/and thinking? What's the difference between those, and why is it important in our thinking about ourselves, God, or others?
Dr. Mitsch introduces a new word for your vocabulary, and a challenge to consider how to participate in the transformation of your own heart that leads to a life(beliefs and practices) that matches and is guided by a whole heart.
Dr. Mitsch returns to the microphone after a summer hiatus to discuss the reality of the fact that we all live in the shadowlands, and how it feels when we bid someone we love good-bye. There are a variety of things to learn and reflect on about the shadowlands we live in and what kind of people we will be as we experience life with both losses and joys.
Why are we so committed to punishment as the primary means of change in our spiritual development? Dr. Mitsch explores how this has developed in us, and the key strategies we seem to be committed to in changing our behavior. He also explores how to embrace the grace that is our antidote to shame and punishment.
When you are interacting with another person, are you more prone to look for the "right" answer, or the "real" answer? Dr. Mitsch explores how the true path of spiritual journey can be found in living in real time with others, ourselves, and God and that is the "right" path.
Dr. Mitsch asks the question, "Do you generate joy, or experience it?" So often, we feel compelled to focus on "positive thoughts" in our denial of the reality in which we live. Is there a way to live with reality as it is while opening ourselves to experiencing joy as it is revealed to us?
Dr. Mitsch asks the penetrating question: What God do you worship? The God you talk about, or the one you actually relate to? We often split our relationship with God by talking about Him one way, and then relate to Him another way.
Join Dr. Mitsch as he looks back over two years of The Psych Monologues podcast. From the earliest episodes which were motivated to keep in contact with his graduating students affected by the global pandemic, to today and a podcast committed to the intersection of faith, psychology and spiritual formation. Listen again to the most downloaded episodes over the 100 episode history!
Somewhere along the way, we’ve gotten the impression that there is something fundamentally wrong about being human. How does being human figure into our spiritual journey, and how do we embrace our humanity as we travel this journey?
Why are we so committed to punishment as the primary means of change in our spiritual development? Dr. Mitsch explores how this has developed in us, and the key strategies we seem to be committed to in changing our behavior. He also explores how to embrace the grace that is our antidote to shame and punishment.
What does it mean to experience God's presence? What does being present with others have to do with God's presence? These are but a few of the questions addressed in this week's podcast. Also, get a look into the Spring 2022 Silent Retreat.
So, what do you think of when you hear the word obedience? I bet you haven't thought of what has happened in modern Christian-thinking and even in our larger culture in regards to obedience. Dr. Mitsch examines what has been left out of our understanding of obedience in our relationship with God.
What do boundaries have to do with relationships with yourself, God, or others? Does it have any relevance to my spiritual development? These are a couple of questions Dr. Mitsch tackles as he explores the importance of good boundaries as we seek to develop healthy relationships with others and with God.
Dr. Mitsch takes time to explore the thing we hate the most - our insecurities. What can our insecurities tell us, and how can they lead us into a deeper relationship with others and with Jesus?
What do you think of when you hear the word lament? For most people, they may have never heard it before. Dr. Mitsch focuses his thoughts and observations on the importance of lament in our lives to gain greater ownership of ourselves, and greater connection with others.
Dr. Mitsch takes time to consider the effects of our fear of emptiness and what impact that has on our relationships and our view of ourselves and God. Emptiness could be an opportunity to deepen our relationship with Jesus and others.
Dr. Mitsch explores the role that time plays in our lives, and the importance of time in our relationship with God. Is is possible that our timeless God invites us into time to meet with Him, and give us the freedom to live as human beings fully and freely? Find out in this episode!
Dr. Mitsch takes time to explore the pervasiveness of regret in our lives, and how it impacts our spiritual journey. He also introduces "the principle of kissing your monster on the nose" and how it lays the foundation to learn from our past rather than being tyrannized by it.
Dr. Mitsch continues his conversation with Kimberly Britt, the Executive Director of Quiet Cave about the church's response to mental health.
Dr. Mitsch invites Kimberly Peterson, director of my Quiet Cave, to talk about mental health and the church. This is part 1 of a 2 part series.
Dr. Mitsch explores the critical issues related to our attempts to encourage one another.
In this Christmas edition of The Psych Monologues, Dr. Mitsch explores the impact of grace in the form of Jesus' birth, and what difference it can make in our world and relationships today.
Dr. Mitsch explores the roots of our patterns of self-sabotage in our relationships and life. How we frame our deserving good has a lot to do with it. It impacts all the areas of our lives including our relationship with God.
When is enough enough? Dr. Mitsch explores the cooperation with the culture of comparison we live in by using the word, "enough." How do we move beyond thinking in "enough" terms, and embracing a personal culture of acceptance and grace?
Dr. Mitsch takes time out to talk about what happens when life intrudes on our spiritual journey. Facing a tough few days of saying good-bye to someone very significant in his life allows him to talk about how we face our grief and loss without losing our faith.
Dr. Mitsch dives into a profound dilemma that many of us feel. We desperately want to be known, but we do a masterful job at erecting a variety of barriers to people actually knowing us. This leaves us alone, but safe instead of known but living with the risk of betrayal, hurt, or loss of control.
Dr. Mitsch shares his reflections on the Fall 2021 silent retreat allowing you to "see behind the veil" of the power and presence of Jesus that happens in the silent retreats.
Dr. Mitsch explores the parallels between The Matrix as portrayed by the 1999 movie with Keanu Reeves, and the "Matrix of Shame" in which we live. He explores briefly our need to break free of this matrix to find grace, truth and freedom, and how we can invite others to join us.
Dr. Mitsch explores how we handle our pursuit of happiness and it's impact on our spiritual formation.
Dr. Mitsch explores the dimensions of offering grace while keeping healthy boundaries in our relationships.
A continuation of a conversation between a theologian(Dr. Matt Jones) and a psychologist(Dr. Mitsch) about the difference between self-love and selfish-ness.
Dr. Mitsch is joined by Dr. Matt Jones, a theologian and friend, to discuss the issue of self-love versus selfishness. Enjoy listening into a conversation between two friends as they look more closely at this issue in the Christian life.
Dr. Mitsch interviews author and therapist, KJ Ramsey, whose book, "This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace when Suffering Lingers" was the basis of a wide-ranging conversation about suffering, pain, lament, and grace.
Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me??? Really?? Dr. Mitsch explores the power of language not only in our relationships with each other, but also with ourselves.
What is the most dangerous space you live in? Dr. Mitsch describes three different spaces, and the one that will have the greatest impact on our lives and hearts.
We spend a good amount of our time relationally and just physically trying to reduce the tension and ambiguity in our lives. Can these qualities of life and living ever be good for us? Listen to find out!
There are a variety of ways in which we engage the journey with God, but what happens when we self-sabotage because it's so good, and we don't believe we deserve such goodness?
Dr. Mitsch tackles the distortions that surround the topic of grace in our journey of faith.
Dr. Mitsch examines another life lesson that centers around the assertion that love flourishes in freedom. Are your relationships based on controlling others’ conclusions about you, or committed to their freedom?
Dr. Mitsch explores the key observation: "You can't lead someone to a place you've never been" in the context of understanding how to become a soul friend to those around you.
Have you ever been in a group of people who start sharing life in such a powerful way that they have a sense of participating in a sacred moment? Hear Dr. Mitsch's description of just such a moment that occurred during the initial days of the pandemic.
An episode from the early days of The Psych Monologues. Grief and how we deal with it, reveals some interesting aspects of us and how we live life.
Dr. Mitsch takes some time to explore what we do with our hearts, and how we can live fully as we were created to do.
Dr. Mitsch takes on what one author calls the most desperate need of society today -- the need for deep people. What does personal darkness and depth have in common? How does one become a deep person?
Why are living at the extremes so safe? Dr. Mitsch explores this question, and how it impacts our relationships with God and others.
Dr. Mitsch completes his interview with students who are part of the Tessellation group at Colorado Christian University. Their focus was on their view and experiences with race and the church.
Dr. Mitsch sits down with members of the Tessellation group at Colorado Christian University to have a conversation with the next generation of leaders in the discussion about race and the church.
Dr. Mitsch explores racial reconciliation in the context of reconciliation of relationships, and the key terms that have to be redefined to allow us to make the necessary movement toward dialogue that crosses the racial divide.
The last of a three part series that is devoted to a conversation between friends about race and the church.
A continuing conversation between Pastor Michael Spottsville and Dr. Ray Mitsch about race and the church today.
Dr. Mitsch is joined by Mr. Michael Spottsville, pastor of a multi-ethnic church in Aurora, Colorado to discuss race relations in the church, and what racial reconciliation could look like today.
Why are tears so threatening to us? In this episode, Dr. Mitsch explores the power and importance of tears in our human experience.
In this episode, Dr. Mitsch explores the tradition of Lent and why it could still be relevant in the life of a Christ-follower.
In this episode, Dr. Mitsch explores how emotions are the engine that drives so many of the thoughts and behaviors of each country. It's how we respond to them that lands us in one country or the other.
This episode continues the series on accepting grace by examining how we handle the internal ruthless criticism we heap upon ourselves and how that interferes with healthy self-acceptance.
The old country is characterized by porous boundaries between people, and a commitment to be responsible "for" others. On the other hand, the new country is known for the ability to be known and being responsible "to" others. Which country will you choose?
Continuing our series on "Accepting Grace" leads us into considering about the differences between covenants and contracts, and how we handle our mistakes. Also, a brief rant about spiritual formation is included!
Another distinction between the old country and the new is what we do with our emotions. Find out in this episode what distinguishes the old country from the new in terms of how we handle our emotions.
Another distinction between the old country and new country is what we do with truth, and how we handle vulnerability.
Cairns mark the path by which we make the journey from the old country to the new. They tell a story and they mark the fact that we are on the right path. In this episode new features of the difference between the old country and new country are examined.
The second podcast in a series exploring the keys to accepting grace in terms of which country do we live in - the old country of law and shame, or the new country of grace and freedom?
Why is it so hard for us to accept grace? What are the keys to pursuing integration in our lives? These are two of the key questions that will be answered in this multi-podcast series called: Accepting Grace
Often we deny our own needs in order to make sure that we aren't being needy. Unfortunately, this is a fundamental denial of our humanity, and contributes to relational shallowness and manipulation. Find out in this episode how to tell the difference, and embark on the journey into embracing your own humanity.
We often function under the false assumption that guilt and shame are one and the same when, in fact, they are not! This episode focuses on the difference, and how we can use one to motivate change, and the other to stunt or even halt change. Guilt brings conviction, shame brings condemnation.
The personal landscape of a global pandemic. The well-known phrase of "death by a thousand cuts" would more appropriately be changed for 2020 to "grief by a thousand losses."
In the midst of uncertainty, the allure of certainty is constantly bombarding us. How many of us have said, “when can I get back to “normal?” Yet, that normal before a global pandemic hit was equally filled with uncertainty but, at least, it was “our” uncertainty.
Where did we get the idea that forgetting is somehow related to forgiving? This episode focuses on the mythology surrounding forgiveness and the distortions that people often have about forgiveness.
The voice of shame demands production and accomplishment, and if it doesn't get it the response usually is: "So, what's the point?"
What are the rules of engagement in your relationships with other people, and with yourself? This episode describes the rules of engagement based on shame, and that for engagement based on grace. Which do you tend to use your relationships?
Features a conversation with the founder and voice of The Daily Audio Bible - Brian Hardin
What does it mean to live as God's beloved? What does it look like in the face of loss? This episode will explore the internal, external, and relational perspectives important to cultivate to "live into" being God's beloved.