Relationship Prescriptions with Dr. Carol

Dr. Carol Peters-Tanksley
  • 4.9 (33)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

Relationship Prescriptions with Dr. Carol is a weekly podcast dedicated to helping men, women, and couples experience good health, loving relationships and joyful spirituality that Jesus came to bring.

  1. 6d ago

    Why Information Isn't the Key to Transformation: How Your Soul Actually Changes

    You can know your attachment style, understand your personality, read all the books, and still find yourself reacting in the same old ways. Why? Because information is not the same as transformation. In this conversation, Dr. Carol and author and licensed therapist Dr. Alison Cook explore what it takes to move psychological and spiritual insights from your head into the deeper places of your soul. They talk about secure attachment, why no human being can provide the fullness of security our souls need, and why true security begins with an inner attachment to God. The conversation introduces the idea of an "inner family"—the responsible controller, the wounded shadow, and the vulnerable young one—and offers a compassionate way to respond when these different parts of us become activated. Rather than suppressing or shaming those reactions, we can see them as bids for connection. The simple practice of "recognize and return" helps us notice what is happening inside without judgment, and then return to the truth that we are loved by God right in the middle of it. Over time, this kind of practice can retrain our souls toward greater security, integration, and genuine transformation. Connect with Dr. Alison Cook on her website, her podcast The Best of You, Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube Find her book The Secure Soul: Finding Inner Strength and Connection When Trust Doesn't Come Easy More from Dr. Carol Ministries: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment.     Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol provides a one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural- based perspective.   Have a question for Dr. Carol? She lov

    Why Information Isn't the Key to Transformation: How Your Soul Actually Changes

  2. Sep 22

    The Fragrance of Faith: How Our Senses Help Us Encounter God

    What if Scripture was meant to be experienced with more than just our minds? In this episode, Dr. Carol talks with biblical scholar and Biola University professor Dr. Jeannine Hanger about what it means to engage the Bible through our whole selves—our bodies, senses, memories, and experiences. Drawing from her work Engaging Jesus with Our Senses, Dr. Hanger explains how Western Christianity can sometimes reduce discipleship to acquiring information, while Scripture invites us into something much richer. Together, they explore the sensory language woven throughout the Gospel of John—from Jesus as the Bread of Life and Light of the World to His compassionate touch and Mary of Bethany filling a room with the fragrance of costly perfume. Dr. Hanger also offers practical ways to slow down and encounter familiar passages differently. She shares how practices such as Lectio Divina, walking while reflecting on Scripture, creating worship playlists, and intentionally noticing sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and touch can help biblical truths move from something we simply know to something we more deeply experience. Along the way, Dr. Carol and Dr. Hanger discuss the powerful connections between scent and memory, the significance of physical touch in Jesus' ministry, and why sensory metaphors such as tasting God's goodness or carrying the fragrance of Christ still speak so powerfully today. Dr. Hanger also gives a glimpse into her upcoming project, Engaging the Epistles with Our Senses, and considers why physically gathering, worshiping, eating, serving, and living in community with other Believers matter for our spiritual formation. If your time in Scripture has begun to feel primarily intellectual—or simply routine—this conversation may help you encounter God's Word with fresh attention and your whole self. For more about today's topic, check out Dr. Hanger's book, Engaging Jesus With Our Senses. You can follow Dr. Hanger on Instagram, X, or Facebook.   Click here to learn more about Dr. Carol Ministries, including information about: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment.     Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol - A one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural- based perspective.

    The Fragrance of Faith: How Our Senses Help Us Encounter God

  3. Sep 15

    Single, Christian, and Sexual: What Does Sexual Wholeness Look Like?

    What does it mean to be a sexual person when you're not married? In this replay of a webinar presented at the Sexual Integrity Leadership Summit, Dr. Carol challenges some of the assumptions the church has often made about Christian singles and sexuality. Sexuality doesn't disappear when you're single, and marriage isn't the goal of the Christian life; becoming like Jesus is. Jesus Himself was single, yet He was fully human, fully alive, and completely whole. Dr. Carol explores the important distinction between sexuality and sexual activity, and between sex and the deeper human need for intimacy. So how can Christian singles pursue genuine sexual and relational wholeness while honoring God's design for sexual activity within covenant marriage? Dr. Carol offers practical steps including consecrating your sexuality to Jesus, learning emotional self-regulation, developing an intentional plan for moments of temptation, and cultivating deep friendships with people who truly know you. And she challenges churches and Christian leaders to stop treating singles as people waiting for their "real life" to begin, but to instead help them flourish, experience meaningful intimacy, and become more like Jesus right now.   More from Dr. Carol Ministries: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment.     Find Dr. Carol's book Sexpectations: Reframing Your Good and Not-So-Good Stories About God, Love, and Relationships Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol - A one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural-based perspective.

    Single, Christian, and Sexual: What Does Sexual Wholeness Look Like?

  4. Sep 8

    Mother Wounds: How Your Relationship With Mom Shapes Your Relationship With God

    What happens when the person who was supposed to help you feel safe, loved, and known instead becomes a source of hurt? In this episode, Dr. Carol talks with Dr. Sarita Lyons, author, Bible teacher, and psychotherapist, about mother wounds—the emotional and spiritual wounds that can shape our identity, relationships, and even our picture of God. They explore how experiences with our mothers can contribute to people-pleasing, over-functioning, parentification, and difficulty trusting others, while also recognizing that many mothers who wound their children are carrying wounds of their own. Healing doesn't require pretending the wound didn't happen or abandoning biblical honor. Dr. Carol and Dr. Lyons unpack the important difference between honoring a parent and obeying a parent, especially when an adult child needs healthy boundaries with an unsafe or unrepentant mother. Through honesty, grief, community, professional help, the Holy Spirit, and the healing love of Jesus, it is possible to face these wounds and move toward wholeness. The goal isn't to erase your mother from your story; it's to allow Jesus to redeem your story and become the perfectly loving parent to you that your heart ultimately needs. Connect with Dr. Lyons on her website, Facebook, or Instagram. Find Dr. Lyons' book Honor Thy Mother: How to Grieve, Heal, and Make Peace with Your Mother Wounds   Find out more about the Honor Thy Mother conference coming up October 2-3, 2026   More from Dr. Carol Ministries: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment.     Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol - A one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural-based perspective.

    Mother Wounds: How Your Relationship With Mom Shapes Your Relationship With God

  5. Sep 1

    How Do You Know God Is Speaking?

    What if learning to follow Jesus more deeply also means learning to recognize what isn't from Him? In this conversation at Austin Christian University, Dr. Carol shares from her journey from medicine into ministry as she and her host Avery Montgomery explore spiritual growth, personal stories, and intimacy with God. They talk about why our stories matter, how shame drives us into hiding, and why bringing our whole story into the light can become part of our spiritual transformation. Rather than beginning with the brokenness of Genesis 3, our stories begin with the goodness and intention of God in Genesis 1—and our journey toward wholeness includes rediscovering that original design. The conversation also explores the integration of what we know about God with what we experience in our hearts and bodies. Dr. Carol offers a practical framework for discerning the work of God from the work of the enemy: confusion, condemnation, and control are warning signs that "it ain't Him," while the Holy Spirit leads us toward conviction, freedom, and a way forward. The episode closes with three practices for spiritual health; stay clean, stay connected, and stay consecrated. You'll gain. a sense of what it looks like to stand firmly in the freedom Jesus offers while continuing the slow, sometimes difficult work of becoming whole. You can learn more about Dr. Carol Ministries by clicking on the link.  Dr. Carol's In-Person Intensive Weekend will help you experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment. Interested in a one-on-one format? Dr. Carol's practical encouragement and scriptural-based perspective can help through Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol. Have a question for Dr. Carol? She loves to hear from you! You can send her a confidential message here.

    How Do You Know God Is Speaking?

  6. Aug 25

    What If Your Sexual Struggle Is Really About Intimacy Instead?

    What if the sexual struggle you're trying so hard to overcome isn't really about sex? In this conversation, Dr. Carol talks with Dr. Floyd Godfrey about the powerful connection between attachment, intimacy, mental health, and sexuality. We're born with a deep biological need for connection and belonging, but when those needs are wounded or unmet, they can sometimes become fused with sexual desire. Sexual behaviors or attractions may then become attempts to meet legitimate needs for connection, affirmation, comfort, belonging, or mentorship in ways that ultimately leave us even more empty. Dr. Godfrey explains why lasting healing requires us to look "under the hood" rather than focusing only on behavior modification. Recovery may involve identifying old wounds, changing unhealthy patterns and environments, building intentional relationships and support, and most importantly, inviting Jesus into the deeper places of our story. The goal isn't to become nonsexual, but to become increasingly whole—to learn how to meet our God-given needs for intimacy and connection in healthy ways through relationship with God and with other people. Learn more about Dr. Floyd Godfrey and his work here, including information about his book Healing and Recovery More from Dr. Carol Ministries: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment.     Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol provides a one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural- based perspective.   Have a question for Dr. Carol? She loves to hear from you! You can send her a confidential message here.

    What If Your Sexual Struggle Is Really About Intimacy Instead?

  7. Aug 18

    What We've Forgotten About Following Jesus: Lessons in discipleship from the early church to today

    What does it actually mean to follow Jesus—and what can Christians today learn from those who followed Him centuries before us? In this conversation, Dr. Gerald Sittser, professor emeritus at Whitworth University and author of Water from a Deep Well, takes us on a journey through Christian history, from the early martyrs and desert fathers to monasteries, mystics, and missionaries. We explore why early Christians developed rigorous processes for discipleship, what a Rule of Life can teach us today, and how learning to "inhabit time" through rhythms of prayer, work, silence, and stillness can reshape our lives with God. But this conversation isn't simply about looking backward. It's about recovering something we desperately need today: a deeper, more embodied way of becoming like Jesus. Dr. Sittser explains the Christian understanding of union with God, the difference between relationship and absorption, and why serious discipleship ultimately moves us outward into mission. Following Jesus isn't merely about believing the right things; it's about closing the gap between who we are in Christ and how we actually live, trusting that grace is present from beginning to end. Learn more about Dr. Sittser here. And be sure to check out his book Water from a Deep Well: Christian Spirituality from Early Martyrs to Modern Missionaries. Follow him on Facebook: @jerrysittser and Instagram: @jerrysittser. More from Dr. Carol Ministries: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment.     Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol - A one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural- based perspective.   Have a question for Dr. Carol? She loves to hear from you! You can send her a confidential message here.

    What We've Forgotten About Following Jesus: Lessons in discipleship from the early church to today

  8. Aug 11

    When God Feels Far Away: Finding Hope in the Difficult Seasons

    Have you ever experienced a season where God felt distant, your prayers felt unanswered, or your faith seemed harder than it used to be? What if those moments are not signs that something is wrong, but invitations into a deeper kind of transformation? In this episode, Dr. Carol talks with author Tish Harrison Warren about the unexpected spiritual growth that can happen in seasons of uncertainty, weariness, and longing. Tish shares from her own journey of feeling distant from God and discovering that the way God meets us often changes as we mature. She reflects on how these seasons revealed her desire for control rather than surrender—and how learning to trust God's presence brought greater freedom, joy, and deeper relationships, including with her teenage daughter. Together, they explore the ancient Christian understanding of "desert seasons" and why spiritual dryness has long been recognized as a place of profound formation. Drawing from the wisdom of the desert fathers and mothers, Tish explains why these seasons should not automatically be viewed as failures or evidence that we have done something wrong. Instead, they can become sacred spaces where God reshapes our desires, deepens our faith, and teaches us to live with greater openness and trust. Learn more about Tish Harrison Warren and her new book, What Grows in Weary Lands: On Christian Resilience. Follow her on Instagram-@tishharrisonwarren; X/Twitter-@Tish_H_Warren; Facebook-@Tish Harrison Warren Author.   More from Dr. Carol Ministries: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment.     Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol - A one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural-based perspective.   Have a question for Dr. Carol? She loves to hear from you! You can send her a confidential message here.

    When God Feels Far Away: Finding Hope in the Difficult Seasons
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Relationship Prescriptions with Dr. Carol is a weekly podcast dedicated to helping men, women, and couples experience good health, loving relationships and joyful spirituality that Jesus came to bring.

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