What's God Got To Do With It?: When "Fixing Yourself" Becomes the Problem with Dr. Alison Cooke
Feeling Things with Amy & KatShow Notes
In this powerful conversation, Dr. Alison Cook gets honest about something many of us don't realize: we can know all the right things about God, healing, and ourselves—and still have parts of us that don't feel safe, connected, or secure. As a psychologist of religion, licensed therapist, and bestselling author, Alison has spent decades exploring the intersection of psychology, faith, and spiritual formation. But in her new book, The Secure Soul: Finding Inner Strength and Connection When Trust Doesn't Come Easy, she takes us beyond simply understanding our patterns and into the deeper work of tending to the parts of ourselves that learned to protect, perform, control, or disconnect in order to feel safe. In this episode, we explore the intersection of neuroscience and faith, how early experiences can shape our brains, nervous systems, self-image, and even the way we experience God. We talk about the difference between who we truly are and who we learned to become in order to feel safe, why some of the behaviors we desperately want to "fix" may actually be attempts to protect us, and what happens when our theology says "God loves me" but something inside of us still struggles to let that love land. We also bring this conversation into food and body, perfectionism, self-criticism, and the pressure so many women feel to become a better version of themselves. Alison shares what it means to "Recognize & Return," why receiving love and care can sometimes feel harder than giving it, and how healthy self-trust and trust in God can work together instead of competing with each other. This isn't about finding one more thing about yourself to fix. It's about learning how to stop abandoning the parts of yourself that need your presence—and discovering a deeper kind of security rooted in connection with yourself, with others, and ultimately with God. GUEST: Dr. Alison Cook // @dralisoncook Website: www.DrAlisonCook.com Podcast: The Best of You Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bestofyoupodcast FREE QUIZ: Uncover the role you learned to play in your family Get the Book: The Secure Soul: Finding Inner Strength and Connection When Trust Doesn't Come Easy — available now wherever books are sold HOST: Leanne Ellington // StresslessEating.com // @leanneellington // @theteenagerbrain To learn more about Leanne, head over to www.LeanneEllington.com, and to share your thoughts, questions, feedback, or guest suggestions instantly, head on over to www.WhatsGodGotToDoWithIt.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More from Feeling Things with Amy & Kat
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A listener is feeling a little blah, so Amy and Kat are here to help. On paper, life looks great: the house, the kids, the routines. But something feels stuck. Is it an early midlife crisis, or just part of being in your 30s? The girls talk about how even a beautiful life can feel a bit flat sometimes, why that’s completely normal, and how to go out and create a spark instead of waiting for one to find you. Have a question for us? Send it our way and we might answer it on the show!
Kat is out on maternity leave with her sweet new baby, Zoey, so Chase is filling in! Amy shares why she’s grateful for Chase, and Chase opens up about his own feeling of the day, while admitting he wasn’t even sure feelings were real. Turns out they are; they just aren’t facts. Let them ride shotgun, but don’t put them in the driver’s seat… ya know?? This one is a totally free-flowing conversation, and it goes everywhere: what it was like sitting next to Nicole Kidman during a movie, the great no-shoes-in-the-house debate (Chase HATES that Amy made this a rule), and why Chase thinks about death a lot while Amy… really doesn’t. Get some Feeling Things merch by clicking HERE! (FeelingThingsPodcast.com) Sign up for the Feeling Things newsletter HERE! Watch us on Youtube HERE! Find us on TikTok: @radioamy Call and leave a voicemail: 877-207-2077 Email: [email protected] HOSTS: Amy Brown // RadioAmy.com // @RadioAmy Chase Locke // ChaseLocke_ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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