Symposia Archives - ��Ƶ of Theology & Psychology

5th Annual Symposia Videos: Part Two

��Ƶ — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 17:48:51 +0000

A few months ago, the school gathered in a form of a “homecoming” to hear our alumni present on flourishing at our fifth annual Symposia. This year the theme centered around what it means to truly flourish. Today, we’re sharing the second half of their presentations, each inviting us to pause and reflect on the insightful, evolving work of our alumni and how they embody text.soul.culture outside our walls.

To Hide and to Heal
Kate Hoskin (MACP ‘17)

“The return to the First Love is not a movement back to God, but a movement towards God and ourselves with the pieces of our lives.”

In her presentation, Kate reframes the prodigal narrative as a sabbatical that allows for a more complete return, using images from South Korean artist Cheoul-Shin Kang to depict the retreat and return.

Internalized Racism and the Racial Empathy Gap
Richard Kim (MDiv ‘10)

Richard engaged the impact of internalized racism and how it misguides even the most sincere attempts to related across human differences as equals throughout his presentation.

Connection to the Wild Feminine
Laura Wade Shirley (MAC ‘02)

In her presentation, Laura looks at the connection, or lack thereof, to the feminine body. She discusses how women’s bodies, in particular the pelvic bowl, hold so much, yet they often have an ambivalent attachment to their very being.

Attunement to Your Self
Sarah Steinke (MACP ‘19)

“Living into the flourishing you were meant for requires recognizing those places, and welcoming them home, to the place in you that is already whole.”

Sarah guided a conversation that listened to the wholeness of one’s self and to the parts seeking connection in order to bring them into an attuned, reparative relationship.

Open Therapy—Send and Receive Ethical Client Referrals
James Waggoner (MACP ‘16) and Conner Cress (MACP ‘18)

James and Connor created an online platform called Open Therapy that helps manage the client-therapist referral process. In their presentation, they discuss how this platform grew out of the concept “flourish” and how it streamlines a critical process for those seeking help.

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5th Annual Symposia Videos: Part One

��Ƶ — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 23:58:27 +0000

A few months ago, the school gathered in a form of a “homecoming” to hear our alumni present on flourishing at our fifth annual Symposia. This year the theme centered around what it means to truly flourish. Today, we’re sharing the first half of their presentations, each inviting us to pause and reflect on the insightful, evolving work of our alumni and how they embody text.soul.culture outside our walls.

A Case for Embodiment: Reframing Anti-Oppression Work
Grace Rock (MACP ‘14) & Elise Hale-Case (MACP ‘15, MATC ‘16)

Grace and Elise, using Resmaa Menakem’s book “My Grandmother’s Hands” and other, similar sources, explored how we can refocus anti-oppression work towards deeper embodiment, resilience, and healing, beginning with a trauma-informed lens.

A New Life After Death
Andrew (MACP ‘10) and Christy Bauman

Andrew and Christy bring their vulnerability and heartache as they explore flourishing after loss in their presentation.

Can Female Anger and Subversion be an Element of Spiritual Flourishing?
Charissa Bradstreet (MDiv ‘04)

Using examples from her own life and journey, Charissa sheds light on how our culture continues to view women’s anger and subversion and turns to scripture and tradition to see if any of those themes can be found.

Flourishing After Suffering
Kate Davis (MDiv ‘15)

Kate, also the Director of the Resilient Leaders Project, seeks to help others understand how pain, failure, burnout, and grief are all part of the path to flourishing.

Heroic Allies: Roleplaying Games As Gateways To Playful Flourishing
Phil Doud (MDiv ‘13)

Phil discusses how roleplaying games can be a powerful tool for someone’s growth, creativity, and community. Heroically is also the name of Phil’s life coaching practice, designed to help people in helping professions by providing opportunities for play and creativity.

Stay tuned for part two featuring the second half of our alumni presenters, exploring topics such as internalized racism, the weakness of God, and attuning to your self.

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Symposia 2019: Flourish

��Ƶ — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 18:40:06 +0000

On October 5, 2019, ��Ƶ of Theology & Psychology hosted our fifth annual Symposia, featuring presentations by twelve alumni and Dr. Chelle Stearns as keynote speaker.

The spirit of dialogue and collaboration behind Symposia is rooted in this basic premise: We all have much to offer, and we all have much to learn. Our alumni engaged topics ranging from flourishing and female subversion to flourishing after suffering, reframing anti-oppression work, and internalized racism. We’re grateful for what our alumni are offering the world through their intelligence, creativity, and compassion.

In her keynote lecture, Drawn to the Water: Longing, Grief, and Flourishing, Dr. Chelle Stearns closed with these remarks:

“Human flourishing requires solace and expansiveness—it requires time and space to nourish one’s inner oceanic life. Flourishing also necessitates provocation and complaint. We need truth and honest engagement when it’s hard, perhaps especially when its most difficult or impossible. An expanded imagination is vital for any form of flourishing. Flourishing demands time and process, it needs people and many hands – like a labyrinth we have to take time to walk to the center of memory in our own lives, in the lives of others, and in our own culture. Then we need time to return to the outer edges of the labyrinth once more to reclaim what has been lost.”

Videos of the presentations will be shared in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, be sure to check out these notable presentations from our 2018 Symposia:

Step Into the River: Love that Crosses Barriers, by David Rice (MDiv ’10)

Grief, Compassion, and Connection, by Jeffrey Batstone (MACP ’10)

A Life-Giving Vision of Fat Bodies in the Church, by Kristen Gilfillan (MACP ’13)

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Nurturing Body and Soul Through Rituals, Movement, and Story

��Ƶ — Mon, 13 May 2019 18:20:34 +0000

All this month we’re exploring the art of nurturing identity and formation in a way that clarifies calling and sustains deep, meaningful work in the world. We’re intentionally using a bodily, sensory word like nurture because we believe that this is not merely an intellectual pursuit but one that calls for our full selves—body, mind, and spirit.

Of course it is all too easy to tune out our bodies, to ignore how they communicate our need for nurture. What are the practices that help us listen to our bodies? What are the rhythms and rituals that connect us to those deep, vulnerable parts of our bodies and souls that are crying out for care? Our students and alumni have been wrestling with these questions in beautiful, creative ways for many years, and we often turn to their voices when we need to remember how to be present in our bodies. Today we’re sharing a few of those voices—thoughtful presentations inviting us to engage the rituals, rhythms, and age-old practices that draw us back to our deeply human need for nurture. And if you’d like to join us in the gift of learning from the integrative and insightful work of our students, save the date for the annual Integrative Project Symposium on May 31.

At our second annual Symposia in 2016, Heather Stringer (, ‘10) presented “Breaking Frozen Seas: How Rituals of the Body Transform Clients and Communities,” exploring how intentional, sensual rituals open us to learning from our bodies as we pursue healing from trauma. “I think our body longs to teach us, it longs to mother us, it longs to remind us,” says Heather. “And without ritual, we foreclose creativity and shared open language about what is happening, and we dissociate.”

“I think our body longs to teach us, it longs to mother us, it longs to remind us.”

Also at Symposia 2016, Jenny McGrath (MACP, ‘15) talked about “Healing Trauma Through Movement,” sharing how dance had been an avenue of healing and growth in her own life, and how movement and dance can be used therapeutically to bring counseling and rehabilitation for trauma survivors. Jenny shares about her work in northern Uganda, researching the therapeutic power of movement in the wake of war and exploring how dance can help communicate emotional realities that are beyond language. “We are affected not just neurologically, but neuro-physiologically when we go through trauma. We are not just floating heads,” says Jenny. “So there needs to be some form of engagement with our bodies if we are truly to develop a sustainable model for people to recover from their trauma.”

At Symposia 2017 Jenny Wade (MACP, ’13), a therapist and founder of in Seattle, shared about “Finding Beauty in Embodied Resistance.” In this profound talk, Jenny starts with the disgust that so many people feel toward their bodies, and the million ways we are taught to believe that our bodies are not worth trusting. “I believe that bodies are good,” says Jenny. “They are good, and they are wise, and they are beautiful. […] But trauma, both collective and personal, separates us from the felt experience of our body. When we experience trauma, our body feels foreign. Our body doesn’t feel like it’s ours.”

(For more on this, we also deeply appreciated J. Knox Burnett’s (MACP, ’13) presentation, )

When we are more fully connected to our bodies, we are more able to attune to spiritual practices and soul care. This is much of the work that Lacy Clark Ellman (MA in Theology & Culture, ’12) fosters in her work as a spiritual director. In 2017, Lacy presented “Beyond Borders: Cultivating Awareness, Resilience, and Transformation through the Practice of Pilgrimage.” In 2017 she shared about the ancient art of pilgrimage and the archetypal human stories that have so much to reveal about the journey of separation, initiation, and return. “This adventure of the hero and journey of the pilgrim is built within each one of us,” says Lacy. “And claiming it as our own, we are aligning with our divine imprint as seekers of the sacred.”

(Kate Davis [Master of Divinity, ’15] also powerfully reflected on the transformative insights of ancient human stories in her Integrative Project presentation, )

Across cultures and generations, these categories of initiation, wilderness, and pilgrimage have been central to questions of what it means to be fully human—and yet for many of us, they feel so foreign today. That’s why we appreciated this Symposia 2016 presentation from Doug Wheeler (MA in Counseling, 1987), “Navigating the Masculine Journey with ‘Sherpas’ Nouwen, Jung, and Peck.” Doug reflects on the archetypes that help clarify the terrain and trajectory of human pilgrimage. “There is no entry fee, but it will cost you plenty to make this journey. Pack a lunch, lose your map, travel lightly.”

On May 31 we’ll gather to hear from students in our Master of Divinity and MA in Theology & Culture programs as they present on the projects that serve as a capstone of their time in graduate school. The Integrative Project Symposium is always an inspiring, grounding, and thought-provoking time. All are welcome!

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Listen to Your Lust: New Research on Sexual Fantasies

Jay Stringer — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 14:00:36 +0000

This month we’ve wrestled with how we talk about addiction and how we relate to our bodies—especially this time of year, when the weight of expectations and the frustration of living as people-in-process can feel so prevalent. And if we are honestly engaging addiction and our bodies, the conversation will inevitably turn to sexual behavior. How do we honor the complexity of sexuality, especially in regards to behavior that is problematic or unfulfilling, without turning to old patterns of shame or empty indulgence?

In this video from his Symposia 2018 presentation, “What Our Sexual Fantasies (Might) Say About Us: Research from 3,800 People,” Jay Stringer (MA in Counseling Psychology, ‘09) argues that opposing extremes of this conversation—like the predominant Christian narrative of accountability and “just say no” to lust, or a more sex-positive approach that ignores the possibility of harm and fails to find meaning in unwanted sexual behavior—only serve to deepen the sense of shame for people who desire to change certain patterns.

“If we are willing to listen, our sexual life will have so much to teach us.”

Jay, a licensed mental health therapist and ordained minister, proposes a new paradigm instead: listening to your lust. That’s at the core of Jay’s book, , which invites women and men to find meaning in the behaviors they pursue and to explore the stories that have shaped those behaviors. Jay argues that, whether we make lust the “bad object” or insist that sexual stigma is the primary enemy, we will fail to see meaningful change until we approach our behaviors with curiosity and enter our unaddressed stories.

Unwanted details the research that Jay conducted with 3,800 men and women, which draws connections between formative stories and enduring, present-day behaviors. Through the lens of two case studies, Jay shares some of the insights from that research—like the possible connection between strict fathers and fantasies of dominance, and the ways that childhood humiliation might play out in secretive behaviors as adults. “What I can tell you from the data is that unwanted sexual behavior—the use of pornography, infidelity, and buying sex—is not random at all,” says Jay. “It is a direct reflection of the parts of our story that remain unaddressed.”

Jay challenges us to stop pretending that unwanted behaviors don’t exist, and to stop believing that we can just silence them and make them go away. Instead, Jay invites us to listen to and study our behaviors, allowing them to serve as a “roadmap to healing.” If we allow them, our “symptoms” may even prove to be prophetic—daring to say that which we could not otherwise say.

In that act of listening to our fantasies and telling our stories, Jay argues that we might be closer than ever to living into what the Apostle Paul describes as . “And renewing our mind is not about turning off our mind. It’s about turning to the affections and desires that God most deeply wants for us.”

We are endlessly challenged, inspired, and energized by the courageous and thoughtful work of our alumni, like Jay Stringer. You can view all the Symposia 2018 presentation videos .

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Grief, Compassion, and Connection

Jeffrey Batstone — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 15:00:41 +0000

The season of Advent draws us into the mystery of what it means to be fully present in the midst of the heartache, turmoil, beauty, and hope of our world. But so many of us shy away from fully welcoming that mystery into our lives. In an effort to escape pain and prevent further loss, we close ourselves to grief and, in turn, wall ourselves off to the in-breaking of unexpected moments of beauty.

In this video from our 2018 Symposia: An Intersection of Conversation & Innovation, therapist Jeffrey Batstone (MA in Counseling Psychology, ‘10) presents “Opening to Grief Through Self-Compassion”—a rallying cry to reexamine our relationship with grief through a posture of self-compassion. Jeffrey argues that self-compassion is a key factor in the difference between the stagnance of depression and the dynamic movement of grief. If our fundamental posture is toward an avoidance of grief, then it will be harder to be compassionate toward ourselves in the midst of it; we may instead embody those cultural messages that say we need to “get over it” and “move on.”

“When we avoid grief, we close down vital experiences necessary for a rooted life.”

“In self-kindness, we have a willingness to move towards pain in connection, mindfulness, and common humanity. Compassion literally means to suffer. When we allow ourselves to suffer the pain of loss in relationship, we move away from depression. This is what my research is showing,” says Jeffrey. “Allowing grief to move through us, allowing ourselves to experience the pain of loss, that requires we posture ourselves in relationship mindfully, offering ourselves kindness rather than judgement, opening ourselves to relationship rather than isolation, and mindfully acknowledging the pain we are in without exaggeration or minimization. These are the factors that allow grief to flow through us.”

This work has grown out of Jeffrey’s doctoral research and dissertation, years of therapeutic experience, and his own personal experience. The essential, healing movement of grief comes up again and again in the categories we explore at ��Ƶ, and we are so grateful to keep learning from alumni like Jeffrey, who are sharing creative, relational, embodied approaches to grief that our world so desperately needs.

“Grief will come to us, welcome or not. When we posture ourselves against it, we close off to life-giving arteries. When we allow grief to have its way with us, it will open us to the core of who we are, and our cries will be those of love for who and what we’ve lost.”

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Breaking Frozen Seas: How Rituals of the Body Transform Clients and Communities

Heather Stringer — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 18:29:39 +0000

Heather Stringer ( ‘10) is a mental health therapist with a BFA in painting. In this presentation from Symposia 2016, Heather illustrates the need for developing creative rituals around that which we see as sacred and set apart.

“Our bodies remember the times when we engaged them to then later teach us when we find ourselves in binds or losing our sense of identity.”

“I believe creativity is the means towards healing and transformation.”

“Without ritual, we foreclose creativity and shared open language about what is happening, and we dissociate.”

This presentation was filmed at the second annual Symposia: An Intersection of Conversation & Innovation, a forum in which alumni of ��Ƶ presented the ongoing work they are pursuing at the intersection of text, soul, and culture. Integrative education does not end at graduation, and Symposia highlights the ways that ��Ƶ alumni are continuing to wrestle with big questions and big dreams in theology, psychology, and culture. You can see more on our Vimeo. We’d love for you to join us for on October 7.

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Bearing Witness: Loss and the Church, a Couple’s Experience of Miscarriage

Erin & Stephen Mitchell — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 18:35:28 +0000

Erin ( ‘09) and Stephen Mitchell, along with their two boys, live in Denver, CO, where they work as therapists in private practice. In this presentation from Symposia 2016, Erin and Stephen joined our community via live stream to reflect on their personal story of miscarriage.

Erin: “I am carrying death within me, and I cannot bear the thought of not carrying him at all.”

Stephen: “There is little language, few stories, for us to look to in order to try to understand what miscarriage meant for us.”

Acknowledging our collective tendency to rush past the mystery of pain, Erin and Stephen encourage us to bear witness to loss by remaining. In this remaining, redemption comes; those who have experienced loss finally feel felt. This is the story of redemption — one that is big enough to hold all that has been lost.

Loss is overlooked because it is so painful. We possess limited language for loss because to acknowledge it is terrifying. We as a culture are loss adverse. Sadly, we experienced this same response within the church.

This presentation was filmed at the second annual Symposia: An Intersection of Conversation & Innovation, a forum in which alumni of ��Ƶ presented the ongoing work they are pursuing at the intersection of text, soul, and culture. Integrative education does not end at graduation, and Symposia highlights the ways that ��Ƶ alumni are continuing to wrestle with big questions and big dreams in theology, psychology, and culture. You can see more videos from Symposia 2016 on our . We’d love for you to join us for on October 7.

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Symposia Archives - ������Ƶ of Theology & Psychology

5th Annual Symposia Videos: Part Two

To Hide and to Heal Kate Hoskin (MACP ‘17)

Internalized Racism and the Racial Empathy Gap Richard Kim (MDiv ‘10)

Connection to the Wild Feminine Laura Wade Shirley (MAC ‘02)

Attunement to Your Self Sarah Steinke (MACP ‘19)

Open Therapy—Send and Receive Ethical Client Referrals James Waggoner (MACP ‘16) and Conner Cress (MACP ‘18)