Episode 29, Season 1 In the final episode of Season One of The Christian Mind Reset, Dr. April Joy brings together the neuroscience, psychology, and biblical practices explored throughout the past 28 days and looks at what it actually means to renew the mind. The brain is capable of change. What people repeatedly think about, focus on, practice, and return to can strengthen patterns in the brain and make certain responses more automatic over time. But Romans 12:2 is not simply a lesson in neuroplasticity, and Christian renewal cannot be reduced to “rewiring the brain.” So what does renewal actually look like? Dr. April Joy explores that question through Scripture and also through the life of Jesus. If Christians are called to have the mind of Christ and to walk as He walked, it matters how Jesus actually lived. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus prayed, fasted, knew and spoke Scripture, withdrew to be alone with the Father, gave thanks, gathered with others, lived in community, served, showed compassion, and remained dependent upon and obedient to the Father. This episode looks at some of those practices alongside what neuroscience and psychology have found about attention, repetition, meditation, self-talk, gratitude, emotional regulation, relationships, and repeated behavior. Dr. April Joy also returns to the biblical language of putting off the old self and putting on the new. Colossians 3 does not simply tell believers what to stop doing. It tells them what to put on instead: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love, peace, and gratitude. This is where Batman comes in. Research sometimes referred to as the “Batman Effect” found that young children who approached a difficult task from the perspective of an exemplar character, such as Batman, showed greater perseverance and were better able to resist distraction. Researchers have studied this in the context of self-distancing, the ability to create some psychological distance from an immediate thought, feeling, or impulse. Dr. April Joy looks at what this research can teach us about pausing long enough to consider a different response and then connects it to the biblical picture of putting off and putting on. For the Christian, this is obviously not about pretending to be Batman, or even pretending to be Jesus. It is about remembering who Scripture says believers are, what they are called to put off, what they are called to put on, and then practicing a response consistent with that truth. The episode also explores why thoughts and feelings are important without automatically treating them as facts, how repeated responses can become more automatic over time, why gratitude is not the same as denying pain, the importance of Christian community, and how prayer, fasting, Scripture, meditation, and speaking truth can become regular rhythms of renewal. Neuroscience can help explain mechanisms involved in attention, learning, memory, emotional regulation, repetition, and behavior. It can study what happens in the brain during practices such as meditation and prayer. But it cannot measure the work of the Holy Spirit, tell people the meaning of their suffering, or explain away spiritual transformation as brain activity. Ultimately, Christian renewal is not about becoming better at optimizing the brain. It is about becoming more like Christ. And that brings the episode back to one of the most important practices of renewal: abiding. Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” The goal is not to manufacture renewal or the fruit of the Spirit by trying harder. Fruit grows from connection to the source. Christians participate through obedience, practice, prayer, Scripture, community, and continually bringing the mind back to truth, but Jesus remains the source. Connect with Dr. April Joy: Substack: The Christian Mind Reset If you liked today’s episode, please subscribe, leave a review, follow, like, or share. You can find me on Instagram at @thechristianpsychnp and on Substack at The Christian Mind Reset for more Scripture, neuroscience, and practical tips for renewing your mind. Listen to The Christian Mind Reset on Apple, Spotify, and Substack. My eBook, The Christian Mind Reset: A 28-Day Psalms Guide to Biblical Meditation, Neuroscience, and Renewing Your Mind, is available in my Stan Store at https://stan.store/thechristianpsychnp and on my Substack. In this episode: * What neuroplasticity can, and cannot, tell us about renewing the mind * How attention, repetition, and practice shape patterns in the brain * Why thoughts and feelings are important but are not automatically facts * Biblical meditation and repeatedly returning attention to God’s Word * Self-talk and speaking truth rather than simply repeating positive affirmations * Gratitude and the brain * Prayer, fasting, solitude, and community * Looking at the practices and rhythms seen throughout the life of Jesus * Identity in Christ and why the past does not have to become identity * Putting off the old self and putting on the new * What the “Batman Effect” teaches us about self-distancing, perspective, and behavior * Colossians 3 and intentionally “putting on” compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love * The armor of God as another biblical picture of intentionally putting on what God has given * Having the mind of Christ * Why Christian transformation is more than brain change * Abiding in Christ and the fruit of the Spirit Key Scriptures Romans 12:2; Colossians 3:1–17; 1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5; 1 John 2:6; Joshua 1:8–9; Psalm 1:1–3; Psalm 46:10; Proverbs 18:21; Hebrews 4:12; Matthew 4:1–11; Matthew 6:5–18; Luke 5:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18; Ephesians 4:22–32; Ephesians 6:10–18; Galatians 5:22–25; John 15:4–5. References Cascio, C. N., O’Donnell, M. B., Tinney, F. J., Lieberman, M. D., Taylor, S. E., Strecher, V. J., & Falk, E. B. (2016). Self-affirmation activates brain systems associated with self-related processing and reward and is reinforced by future orientation. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 11(4), 621–629. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsv136 Hölzel, B. K., Lazar, S. W., Gard, T., Schuman-Olivier, Z., Vago, D. R., & Ott, U. (2011). How does mindfulness meditation work? Proposing mechanisms of action from a conceptual and neural perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(6), 537–559. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691611419671 Kini, P., Wong, J., McInnis, S., Gabana, N., & Brown, J. W. (2016). The effects of gratitude expression on neural activity. NeuroImage, 128, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.12.040 Schjoedt, U., Stødkilde-Jørgensen, H., Geertz, A. W., & Roepstorff, A. (2009). Highly religious participants recruit areas of social cognition in personal prayer. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 4(2), 199–207. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsn050 White, R. E., & Carlson, S. M. (2016). What would Batman do? Self-distancing improves executive function in young children. Developmental Science, 19(3), 419–426. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12314 White, R. E., Prager, E. O., Schaefer, C., Kross, E., Duckworth, A. L., & Carlson, S. M. (2017). The “Batman Effect”: Improving perseverance in young children. Child Development, 88(5), 1563–1571. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12695 Yeung, A. W. K., Wong, N. S. M., Tsui, I. S. Y., & Lee, T. C. P. (2025). Neural correlates of religious behavior related to Christianity: An ALE meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1557796. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1557796 Bible References: NIV Holy Bible, New International Version. (2011). Zondervan. (Original work published 1978). YouVersion Bible App. ESV The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001). YouVersion Bible App. NKJV Holy Bible, New King James Version. (1982). Thomas Nelson. YouVersion Bible App. Thanks for reading The Christian Mind Reset's Substack and Podcast! This post is public, so feel free to share it. Disclaimer: This podcast/letter is for informational purposes only. It contains general information, drawn from my experience, research, and best practices. It is not health care advice and is not intended to replace the counsel of your health care provider. Consult your provider before starting any new treatments or making changes to your health routine. This message does not constitute a provider-patient relationship between us. If you are experiencing significant anxiety, distress, or need support, please seek care from a qualified healthcare professional. 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