Being Human Dr. Gregory Bottaro

A continuation of our series on how the psychology of JP2 is the answer to our modern world gone sideways. In this episode, Dr. Greg Bottaro and philosopher Dr. John Crosby delve deep into the human experience through the lens of Dietrich von Hildebrand and Pope John Paul II.
Discussed in this episode:
Why a psychology of JP2 is what the world needs to move forward from the mess we’re in What it means to “meet someone where they are” The difference between our conscious and subconscious, and how this affects our human acts The difference between reflective consciousness and reflexive consciousness Reflexive consciousness as “an experience of myself from within” (interiority) Without reflexive consciousness, an individual is a stranger or spectator to himself/herself Self-determination vs the dangers of determinism even within one’s spiritual life Coercion vs freedom and other parenting challenges in passing on the faith to our children The importance of the philosophy and work of Dietrich von Hildebrand Personal anecdotes of von Hildebrand as a professor of philosophy and a confessor of the faith Phenomenology and the subjective experience of the person The lived experience of one’s own subjectivity as an important dimension of the blueprint of the human person Resources mentioned or relevant: 
Learn more about the Hildebrand Project and the books, events, and resources available Support the work of the Hildebrand Project The Art of Living by Dietrich von Hildebrand with Alice von Hildebrand Learn more about Alice von Hildebrand Person and Act by Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) Past Being Human podcast episodes: Episode 180: The Psychology of JP2: A Bold Proposal Episode 174: Healing or Harm? Unveiling the Truth about Bad Therapy Episode 173: Unmasking Disintegration: Examining the APA’s Stance on Gender Identity If you are a Catholic mental health professional, join the waiting list for Fellowship, a practical way to deeply connect the dots between your identity as a therapist and a Catholic Need help? Schedule a free consultation with someone on our team to discuss how we can support you Want to help? Learn more about our Certification program: CatholicPsych Model of Applied Personalism Sign up for Being Human, our weekly newsletter, to stay up to date on the exciting developments at CatholicPsych Visit our website to read the CatholicPsych blog, shop in the CatholicPsych bookshop, or discover other resources we have available Download The Integrated App for access to free audio exercises, courses, prayer resources, and more Become a member of the Integrated Life Community to get access to every course Dr. Greg has created, plus the opportunity to participate in Integrated LIVE’s - weekly, Mentor hosted Q&As covering topics like boundaries, communication, trauma, forgiveness, and more! Follow:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicPsych  Instagram: @catholicpsych  X: @CatholicPsych Contact us! Have a topic or a question you would like Dr. Greg to address on the podcast? Want to give some feedback about this episode? Email us at beinghuman@catholicpsych.com - we would love to hear from you!
 
Rate, review, and subscribe
 
Please help us in our mission to integrate the Faith with Psychology by hitting subscribe and also sharing this podcast with your friends.
 
Please consider rating or leaving a review of our show. It helps us reach other Catholics just like you who want to become more integrated, whole, and happy human beings.
 
For Apple podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate 5 stars, and choose “write a review.” Then type your sincere thoughts about the show!
 
If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on any episodes. Subscribe to the podcast now!
 

Welcome to Episode 181 of the Being Human Podcast: Harrison Butker’s Anger: Making Sense of Current Events
This week, we’re announcing our newest project: a live call-in show during which Dr. Greg Bottaro and Dr. Bryan Violette try to make sense of the latest news headlines. Among other news headlines, this episode includes a discussion of the football commencement speech heard round the world (Harrison Butker’s controversial graduation address at Benedictine College).
Discussed in this episode:
The new live CatholicPsych Show  Harrison Butker’s commencement speech: the good, the not so great, and everything in between  Reactions from the public and media to Butker’s controversial statements Context for Butker’s comment about homemakers, marriage, and motherhood  Butker’s angry and ineffective chastisements against bishops vs helping a person in leadership affect change Butker’s immature and pejorative statement about Natural Family Planning as a form of birth control Butker’s narrow mentality about the Latin Mass The Latin Mass and reverence: Reverence has to do with the heart and with obedience, not in the externals. President Joe Biden’s poor witness causing tremendous confusion about what it means to be Catholic Misconfusions about the pro-life perspective  
Resources mentioned or relevant: 
Get notified when the CatholicPsych Show goes live! Watch “The CatholicPsych Show” live on YouTube or catch the replay: @CatholicPsychInstitute  Email us your questions that we’ll answer on The CatholicPsych Show! Email mailbag@catholicpsych.com and put "mailbag" in the subject heading. Need help? Schedule a free consultation with someone on our team to discuss how we can support you Want to help? Learn more about our Certification program: CatholicPsych Model of Applied Personalism Sign up for Being Human, our weekly newsletter, to stay up to date on the exciting developments at CatholicPsych Visit our website to read the CatholicPsych blog, shop in the CatholicPsych bookshop, or discover other resources we have available Download The Integrated App for access to free audio exercises, courses, prayer resources, and more Become a member of the Integrated Life Community to get access to every course Dr. Greg has created, plus the opportunity to participate in Integrated LIVE’s - weekly, Mentor hosted Q&As covering topics like boundaries, communication, trauma, forgiveness, and more! Follow:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicPsych  Instagram: @catholicpsych  X: @CatholicPsych Contact us! Have a topic or a question you would like Dr. Greg to address on the podcast? Want to give some feedback about this episode? Email us at beinghuman@catholicpsych.com - we would love to hear from you!
 
Rate, review, and subscribe
 
Please help us in our mission to integrate the Faith with Psychology by hitting subscribe and also sharing this podcast with your friends.
 
Please consider rating or leaving a review of our show. It helps us reach other Catholics just like you who want to become more integrated, whole, and happy human beings.
 
For Apple podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate 5 stars, and choose “write a review.” Then type your sincere thoughts about the show!
 
If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on any episodes. Subscribe to the podcast now!

Welcome to Episode 180 of the Being Human Podcast: The Psychology of JP2: A Bold Proposal
In this week’s episode, Dr. Greg explores a bold new proposal for a Catholic standard of mental health rooted in the psychology of St. John Paul II. Dr. Greg entreats all Catholic psychologists and therapists to mine the treasures of JP2’s Personalism in order to offer hope, clarity, and healing in an increasingly confused and suffering world.
Discussed in this episode:
Why St. John Paul II’s psychology is more brilliant, effective and important to study than any other psychologist (including Freud) The significance of human dignity and personhood in mental health care How the teachings of JP2 can combat the modern mental health crises Pitfalls of a solely scientific approach to mental health The big difference between subjective criteria for mental health and a clear standard for mental health (and why there is no standard for mental health) Being a Catholic psychologist does not mean simply being Catholic in the secular study of psychology Anyone saying they are doing Catholic therapy should be an expert in both the science of psychology and the philosophy of psychology How a model that integrates the spiritual and material dimensions of the human person offers deeper insights and more effective care compared to secular models Find out how you can contribute to and benefit from a Catholic standard of mental health Resources mentioned or relevant: 
Please share your feedback (drgreg@catholicpsych.com) and share this podcast episode with Catholic mental health professionals If you are a Catholic mental health professional, join the waiting list for Fellowship, a practical way to deeply connect the dots between your identity as a therapist and a Catholic Person and Act by Karol Wojtyla Person and Community by Karol Wojtyla Writings, speeches, and encyclicals of Pope St. John Paul II Setting the Stage: Early Plays of St. John Paul II   Past Being Human podcast episodes: Episode 174: Healing or Harm? Unveiling the Truth about Bad Therapy Episode 173: Unmasking Disintegration: Examining the APA’s Stance on Gender Identity Episode 145: What Does It Mean to Be Healthy? Episode 124: A Letter to Catholic Mental Health Professionals Episode 123: Fake Science and Real Compassion Episode 121: How the APA is Schizophrenic Episode 81: The Lies of the American Psychological Association Episode 72: The DSM Disease (Part One) Read more on the CatholicPsych blog: What Does Catholic Psychology Mean? More on Catholic Psychology Learn more about our Certification program: CatholicPsych Model of Applied Personalism Need help? Schedule a free consultation with someone on our team to discuss how we can support you; Sign up for Being Human, our weekly newsletter, to stay up to date on the exciting developments at CatholicPsych; Visit our website to read the CatholicPsych blog, shop in the CatholicPsych bookshop, or discover other resources we have available;  Download The Integrated App for access to free audio exercises, courses, prayer resources, and more;  Become a member of the Integrated Life Community to get access to every course Dr. Greg has created, plus the opportunity to participate in Integrated LIVE’s - weekly, Mentor hosted Q&As covering topics like boundaries, communication, trauma, forgiveness, and more! Follow us on Instagram: @catholicpsych  
Contact us! Have a topic or a question you would like Dr. Greg to address on the podcast? Want to give some feedback about this episode? Email us at beinghuman@catholicpsych.com - we would love to hear from you!
 
Rate, review, and subscribe
 
Please help us in our mission to integrate the Faith with Psychology by hitting subscribe and also sharing this podcast with your friends.
 
Please consider rating or leaving a review

In this episode, Dr. Gerry Crete explores parts theory through the fascinating lens of Marvel superheroes, The Lord of the Rings, Scripture, and the saints. A master at leading people into their interior life, Dr. Gerry leads an experiential activity to connect the dots between parts work and inner peace.
Discussed in this episode: 
What parts theory is (parts work, IFS, Internal Family Systems, Ego State Therapy) How parts theory helps deepen our spiritual life Within each human person, there is a multiplicity Marvel’s “Avengers” movie as a portrayal of integration We relate to the characters in the “Avengers” movie because in them we see something of ourselves Parts work through the lens of The Lord of the Rings and the characters of Middle-earth A guided experiential activity to make parts work practical and personal What blending is and how unblending with parts gives access to our deep spiritual center Insights of parts work from the writings of the saints and from Scripture The sad reality that most people loathe themselves and how that limits love for others The goal in therapeutic work is to experience inner harmony (when our parts are unburdened and integrated) Resources mentioned or relevant: 
Litanies of the Heart: Relieving Post-Traumatic Stress and Calming Anxiety Through Healing our Parts by Dr. Gerry Crete Learn more about our Certification program: CatholicPsych Model of Applied Personalism CatholicPsych’s annual Summit of Integration Need help? Schedule a free consultation with someone on our team to discuss how we can support you; Sign up for Being Human, our weekly newsletter, to stay up to date on the exciting developments at CatholicPsych; Visit our website to read the CatholicPsych blog, shop in the CatholicPsych bookshop, or discover other resources we have available;  Download The Integrated App for access to free audio exercises, courses, prayer resources, and more;  Become a member of the Integrated Life Community to get access to every course Dr. Greg has created, plus the opportunity to participate in Integrated LIVE’s - weekly, Mentor hosted Q&As covering topics like boundaries, communication, trauma, forgiveness, and more! Follow us on Instagram: @catholicpsych Contact us! Have a topic or a question you would like Dr. Greg to address on the podcast? Want to give some feedback about this episode? Email us at beinghuman@catholicpsych.com - we would love to hear from you!
 
Rate, review, and subscribe
 
Please help us in our mission to integrate the Faith with Psychology by hitting subscribe and also sharing this podcast with your friends.
 
Please consider rating or leaving a review of our show. It helps us reach other Catholics just like you who want to become more integrated, whole, and happy human beings.
 
For Apple podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate 5 stars, and choose “write a review.” Then type your sincere thoughts about the show!
If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on any episodes. Subscribe to the podcast now!

Welcome to Episode 178 of the Being Human Podcast: The Last 70 Years in Psychology: Personal Reflections with Dr. Paul Vitz
In this episode, Dr. Paul Vitz reflects on the last 70 years of psychology, from psychoanalysis to the emergence of humanistic psychology, interpersonal psychology, family therapy, emotion-focused therapy, cognitive and behavioral therapy, forgiveness therapy, positive therapy, and narrative psychotherapy. Dr. Vitz shares valuable insights for the future of psychology and mental health professionals today. 
Discussed in this episode:
The fascinating development of psychology across seven decades Why Dr. Paul Vitz became known in the 1960’s for criticizing humanistic psychology The important contributions and pitfalls of new kinds of psychology as they emerged through the decades The impact of positive psychology after 100 years of negative psychology (psychology of our pathologies)  The three theological premises for the Catholic Christian Meta-Model of the Person The three vocations of each and every human person  Psychology through the decades as an intelligent search for the truth about the person, and our gratitude to those who have brought psychology to its current state The challenges facing mental health professionals today Encouragement to the “troops on the ground” to do to secular psychology what St. Thomas Aquinas did to secular philosophy Hope and optimism for the future of psychology Resources mentioned or relevant: 
Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship by Dr. Paul Vitz A Catholic Christian Meta-Model of the Person: Integration with Psychology and Mental Health Practice Learn more about our Certification program: CatholicPsych Model of Applied Personalism  Sign up for the annual Summit of Integration Need help? Schedule a free consultation with someone on our team to discuss how we can support you; Sign up for Being Human, our weekly newsletter, to stay up to date on the exciting developments at CatholicPsych; Visit our website to read the CatholicPsych blog, shop in the CatholicPsych bookshop, or discover other resources we have available;  Download The Integrated App for access to free audio exercises, courses, prayer resources, and more;  Become a member of the Integrated Life Community to get access to every course Dr. Greg has created, plus the opportunity to participate in Integrated LIVE’s - weekly, Mentor hosted Q&As covering topics like boundaries, communication, trauma, forgiveness, and more! Follow us on Instagram: @catholicpsych Contact us! Have a topic or a question you would like Dr. Greg to address on the podcast? Want to give some feedback about this episode? Email us at beinghuman@catholicpsych.com - we would love to hear from you!
Rate, review, and subscribe
Please help us in our mission to integrate the Faith with Psychology by hitting subscribe and also sharing this podcast with your friends.
Please consider rating or leaving a review of our show. It helps us reach other Catholics just like you who want to become more integrated, whole, and happy human beings.
For Apple podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate 5 stars, and choose “write a review.” Then type your sincere thoughts about the show!
If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on any episodes. Subscribe to the podcast now!

Welcome to Episode 177 of the Being Human Podcast: The Mystery of the Human Person with Dr. Peter Kreeft
In today’s episode, Dr. Greg had the opportunity to talk to Dr. Peter Kreeft, a convert to Roman Catholicism, and the author of over eighty books on Christian philosophy, theology and apologetics. Together they explore various topics such as psychology, philosophy, modern therapy, and the integration of spirituality. They talk about how modern societal challenges impact our understanding of human identity. Their discussion also addresses the importance of prioritizing truth and reason over feelings, the distinction between the mask people wear and the true person behind the mask, the balance between intellectual and spiritual pursuits, and the need for suffering in one's spiritual journey.
 
Discussed in this episode:
Understanding the concept of personalism and its potential to enhance our understanding of the human self and our relationship with God
Exploring the mystical and indefinable aspects of the human person and reflections on the self as an image of God and the inherent mysteries in defining the self
A discussion on modern societal challenges such as the rise of the experience machine, the increasing power of artificial intelligence, and the struggle to maintain human connection in an age of digital distractions
How the rise of pop psychology and modern therapy techniques have shifted societal values, perceptions of authority and family relationships
Reflections on the importance of acknowledging humanity in various psychological diagnoses
An emphasis on the importance of suffering and how it deepens our understanding of compassion and connection with others
Insights from John Paul II and others on the pursuit of truth and fulfillment, and how this impacts our understanding of the human self
 
Resources mentioned or relevant: 
Know more about Dr. Peter Kreeft and his works
Bad Therapy: Why The Kids Aren’t Growing Up by Abigail Shrier
Episode 173 - Unmasking Disintegration: Examining the APA’s Stance on Gender Identity
Episode 174 - Healing or Harm? Unveiling the Truth About Bad Therapy


Need help? Schedule a free consultation call with someone on our team to discuss how we can support you;
Learn more about our CPMAP Certification!
Sign up for Being Human, our weekly newsletter, for encouragement on your journey of becoming the best human you can be;
Visit our website to read the CatholicPsych blog, shop in the CatholicPsych bookshop, or discover other resources we have available; 
Download The Integrated App for access to free audio exercises, the Catholic Mindfulness Virtual Retreat, courses, prayer resources, and more; 
Become a member of the Integrated Life Community to get access to every course Dr. Greg has created, plus the opportunity to participate in Integrated LIVE’s - weekly, Mentor hosted Q&As covering topics like boundaries, communication, trauma, forgiveness, and more!
Follow us on Instagram: @catholicpsych. 
Contact us! Have a topic or a question you would like Dr. Greg to address on the podcast? Want to give some feedback about this episode? Email us at beinghuman@catholicpsych.com - we would love to hear from you!
 
Rate, review, and subscribe
Please help us in our mission to integrate the Faith with Psychology by hitting subscribe and also sharing this podcast with your friends.
Please consider rating or leaving a review of our show. It helps us reach other Catholics just like you who want to become more integrated, whole, and happy human beings.
For Apple podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate 5 stars, and choose “write a review.” Then type your sincere thoughts about the show!
If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on any episodes. Subscribe to the podcast now!