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Select a Category Monthly Roundup Series: Habits Uncategorized

Select a Month November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018

January 2019

January 31, 2019

The Healing Power of Touch

Throughout the gospels, Christ touches the sick as he heals them. From men with leprosy...

January 27, 2019

A few recent finds

Here are four things that have challenged, informed, and fascinated me lately. 1. Finding God...

January 20, 2019

Your Habits Will Save You

Why is forming habits important? My claim is this: habits have to do with your...

January 14, 2019

Habits #3: Find a Friend

If you've been following this series, you know not to set New Year's Resolutions. Instead,...

January 10, 2019

Habits #2: Use Cues and Rewards

Welcome back to my series on neuroscience and personal growth. At this point, we've established...

January 06, 2019

Habits #1: The Secret is to Start Small

So New Year's Resolutions are ineffective. You may have set them anyway. But even if...

December 2018

December 30, 2018

A few recent finds

Here are four things that have challenged, informed, and fascinated me lately. Is Anxiety Sinful?...

December 27, 2018

Don’t Set New Year’s Resolutions

Happy New Year! Many of you are likely thinking about changes you want to make...

December 23, 2018

Darkness of the Solstice, Redeemed by the Nativity

“The people who walked in great darkness have seen a great light.” This promise feels...

December 20, 2018

Neuroscience versus Mysticism

Can neuroscience debunk mystical experiences? Should we dismiss them as a matter of misfiring neurons,...

December 16, 2018

Brain Disease or Religious Experience? Mark Salzman’s Lying Awake

What does it mean to feel God’s presence, and how is this related to brain...

December 13, 2018

Psychopathology or Holy Mysticism? Ron Hansen’s Mariette in Ecstasy

What is the relationship between pathology and holiness? In recent years, scientific studies have sought...

December 08, 2018

Actively Anticipating the Nativity

Advent is a season of preparation in joyful hope for the coming of Christ. We...

December 06, 2018

On neuroscience and individualism in Advent

The Nativity is astonishing. Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, was born of a...

November 2018

November 29, 2018

A few recent finds

Here are four things that have challenged, informed, and fascinated me lately. 1. Tapping Into...

November 25, 2018

Don’t be afraid of your fear

Our culture views fear as a sign of weakness. The fearful person is told to...

November 18, 2018

On spiritual friendship

Lately, I’ve been relying more heavily than usual on my friends – or at least,...

November 15, 2018

Why you should pray the Liturgy of the Hours

What if I told you that there was a prayer perfectly suited to your biology?...

November 11, 2018

Your brain on prayer

There has been a surge of interest, in recent years, in identifying the neural correlates...

November 08, 2018

Therapy, truth, and freedom

I've done in a lot of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). For a while, I received...

November 01, 2018

What matters in the end?

Because of modern medicine, we live longer now than any time in human history. But...

October 2018

October 25, 2018

Depression, death and new life in autumn

The leaves are changing at Notre Dame. Autumn is the most beautiful time of year...

October 21, 2018

On offering “thoughts and prayers”

In the wake of any tragedy or misfortune, Americans tend to offer vague sentiments of...

October 14, 2018

The psychology and spirituality of climate change (part two)

Last week, climate scientists from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a...

October 11, 2018

The psychology and spirituality of climate change (part one)

On Monday, climate scientists from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a...

October 07, 2018

Seeing in grey and white matter

I have something beautiful to show you today. And it’s a helpful metaphor for understanding...

September 2018

September 23, 2018

Who are you, who fill my heart with your absence?

Some days, God feels closer than the air we breathe, and he breaks into our...

September 20, 2018

The seductive power of being in “the Inner Ring”

Given the recent news about the sexual abuses committed in seminaries, I’ve been thinking a...

September 15, 2018

How mirror neurons allow you to suffer with the sorrowful

Why on earth would we celebrate Our Lady of Sorrows? How could the pain she...

September 13, 2018

Remember the beautiful

You could describe me as a beauty junkie. I crave it, and seek it out...