I'm back after 9 days in lovely Samara, Costa Rica.

I tried to remember to invite God to everything and was leaning in to hear His voice.

Join me as I share some spiritual and not-so-spiritual memories from my amazing trip.

Of all the episodes from this series, this last one pulls at my heart the most. I spend more time on stigma in this episode than any of the others. It is a sad topic, but it is the truth of what’s going on in our churches.

I also am forthright about the harm in the approach many take in counseling, an approach that has much truth but is mixed with very little mercy, grace, or heavenly wisdom.

I begin this episode by briefly going over the 6 key things that God used to bring me to stability from suicidal depression and bipolar.

I spend quite a bit of time talking about how we all handle stress differently. For some, stress becomes illness and disease. For others, it leads to mental symptoms. We all respond to stress differently based on a variety of factors.

We all have a different reserve of strength and health. This reserve, or lack thereof, affects how vulnerable we are to the consequence of life’s stressors.

When it comes to trauma, I address how some biblical curriculums teach that any negative effects from these traumas reveal a spiritual problem. I don’t believe that is a balanced or realistic perspective and explain my thoughts on this teaching.

I address the division, harm and discord the devil has been successful in achieving among the body of Christ.

I emphasize that no matter the origin of any mental or physical battle we face, God’s Word and renewing the mind is part of the answer.

Toward the end, I give my final thoughts, including identifying the real enemy, the father of lies. And I encourage folks that even if they don’t see eye to eye with their leadership on the topic of mental health, we can still have a wonderful relationship, stay teachable, and receive the blessings God will give through our leadership in other areas.

I end this episode by highlighting our Savior, as He spent His last hours in the garden, heavy with physical, emotional, and spiritual pain, yet fully trusting and without sin. He again, is our example in all things.

I am not a mental health professional, but I am a suicide attempt survivor and speak from first-hand experience of living with a mental illness called Bipolar Type II. If you are having an emergency, please call 988 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. Information on this podcast is not to be taken as medical advice or as a replacement for professional care but is for educational purposes only.

Download your free mental Health Resource Guide Here https://jenniferskaw.ck.page/resourceguide2022

Coaching: Book an appointment with Jennifer https://calendly.com/jenniferskaw/50min?month=2024-05

Email Jennifer jennifer@jenniferskaw.com

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Online Bible Study www.thedivingdeepbiblestudy.com

This is part 2 of my discussion on counseling. Today I reveal my concerns about both secular and Biblical counseling. Neither one can be blindly followed and neither one needs to be automatically excluded.

I point out that none of the counseling types are intentionally trying to steer you away from truth, but I do highlight things you need to be aware of in both secular and Biblical counseling that could be harmful.

I especially highlight the harmful Biblical counseling that says you must accept who your heart wants you to be while it emphasizes the sin rather than the provision of our new identity in Christ.

I warn that if you are not an avid student of Scripture, you will have a lack of knowledge and may fail to see where your counseling, whether secular or spiritual, is steering you out of alignment with God’s Word.

I give advice on what the spiritual outcome of your counseling should be. I advise you on the confidentiality level of the different counseling types. I talk about the availability struggles you may have finding a counselor.

I talk more about the harmful blanket statement that mental health battles mean you are not right with God and use my own self as an example of how my failures this week with anxiety and depression does not mean I completely failed or that I was overall simply not right with God or living in the world as the stigma states.

This episode definitely provides a lot to chew on and think about!

Next week I will bring one more episode on this topic of mental illness before resuming back to my normal content.

I am not a mental health professional, but I am a suicide attempt survivor and speak from first-hand experience of living with a mental illness called Bipolar Type II. If you are having an emergency, please call 988 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. Information on this podcast is not to be taken as medical advice or as a replacement for professional care but is for educational purposes only.

Download your free mental Health Resource Guide Here https://jenniferskaw.ck.page/resourceguide2022

Coaching: Book an appointment with Jennifer https://calendly.com/jenniferskaw/50min?month=2024-05

Email Jennifer jennifer@jenniferskaw.com

.

Online Bible Study www.thedivingdeepbiblestudy.com