The Catholic Couch

Amber N. Pilkington, M.Psy.

The Catholic Couch is where the science of the brain meets the wisdom of the Church, and neither one has to lose. Each episode pulls from real counseling ground, the nervous system, attachment, intrusive thoughts, the way fear runs underneath so much of what we carry, and holds it right alongside Scripture, the sacraments, and the saints as people who actually lived this. If you've ever felt like you had to choose between good psychology and your faith, come sit down; there's so much hope here, and we just start taking the small steps together.

Episodes

  1. Jul 25

    Is It Sin, Temptation, or Scrupulosity? How To Tell The Difference

    Send us Fan Mail Temptation vs. Sin vs. Scrupulosity: How to Tell the Difference The script introduces the Catholic Counseling Classroom, a free 10-video education series on scrupulosity and intrusive thoughts that integrates Catholic teaching with psychology and neuroscience. The lesson explains why people confuse sin, temptation, and scrupulosity, noting that scrupulosity can make fear feel like virtue and shame feel like the Holy Spirit, leading to exhaustion and anxiety. Citing the Catechism, it clarifies that sin requires full knowledge, full consent, and free will, so unwanted intrusive thoughts—even violent or blasphemous ones—are not sins unless freely chosen, and their distress can reflect strong values. Scrupulosity is described as a mental health condition (a subtype of OCD) marked by obsessive confessing, anxiety about perfect prayers, avoidance of Communion, reassurance seeking, and disproportionate fear of hell. The presenter offers a simple discernment guide and invites viewers to download slides, take a quiz, and follow the rest of the series. 00:00 Welcome to Classroom 00:22 Series Overview 00:40 Lesson Question 01:10 Why It Feels Confusing 01:42 Temptation vs Sin 02:30 What Is Scrupulosity 03:28 Brain Science and Blame 03:50 Simple Discernment Guide 04:38 Next Steps and Resources 06:25 Closing Encouragement Support the show * This content is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to treat or diagnose any mental or physical health condition. It is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Your individual circumstance may differ. If you are in crisis please call or text 988 to talk to a person who is waiting to help you!  ⭐️ Find All The Free Resources We Talk About Here: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/free-resources-1 ⭐️ Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYP__vbJTTyovRaBGWeVxFQ ⭐️Check out our online courses: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/online-courses 📚 Online Catholic Scrupulosity Course: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/freedom-for-catholics/ 📚 Online Course Catholic ADHD Parenting: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/adhd-parenting/ 📬 FREE NEWSLETTER (exclusive Catholic Psychology delivered to your inbox, valueable course coupons, free handouts, no spam, no sharing your info): https://catholic-counseling-institute-2.kit.com/7866d5b461 🤔 FREE QUIZ "Could It Be Scrupulosity?" (a quick, private, informal self-check): https://form.getformly.com/f/Pb1pVc 🙋🏻‍♀️ ASK A CATHOLIC THERAP...

  2. Jul 25

    Mary vs. Martha: Finding Peace Through Secure Attachment and Nervous System Awareness

    Send us Fan Mail Mary vs. Martha: Finding Peace Through Secure Attachment and Nervous System Awareness Amber Ton, a Catholic therapist, uses Luke 10:38–42 to address why many women default to busyness like Martha and how faith and psychology can help them find peace without abandoning their personality or calling. She explains that Martha’s problem isn’t serving but being “anxious and troubled,” meaning divided and disconnected, and connects this to sympathetic fight-or-flight, dopamine-driven productivity, and anxious attachment formed when love feels conditional. Martha’s plea is framed as an attachment bid (“Do you see me?”), and Jesus’ response models secure attachment by calling her name, naming her distress, and gently redirecting her. Amber applies this to parenting (“connect before you correct”) and marriage (Gottman “soft startup”), contrasts Mary’s restful presence with performance, discourages comparison, and offers practical steps: examine motivation, practice small acts of presence, pray while serving, and journal spiritual attachment needs using a free handout adapted for relationship with God. 00:00 Welcome to Catholic Couch 00:38 Mary and Martha Setup 01:14 Luke 10 Story Recap 01:53 Anxious and Divided 03:03 Nervous System and Attachment 05:27 Jesus Models Secure Attachment 07:31 Connect Before Correct 08:53 Marriage Soft Startup 10:00 Mary Brain Stillness 11:09 Beyond Team Mary vs Martha 12:14 Practical Ways to Practice Presence 13:27 Closing and Free Handout Support the show * This content is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to treat or diagnose any mental or physical health condition. It is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Your individual circumstance may differ. If you are in crisis please call or text 988 to talk to a person who is waiting to help you!  ⭐️ Find All The Free Resources We Talk About Here: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/free-resources-1 ⭐️ Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYP__vbJTTyovRaBGWeVxFQ ⭐️Check out our online courses: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/online-courses 📚 Online Catholic Scrupulosity Course: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/freedom-for-catholics/ 📚 Online Course Catholic ADHD Parenting: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/adhd-parenting/ 📬 FREE NEWSLETTER (exclusive Catholic Psychology delivered to your inbox, valueable course coupons, free handouts, no spam, no sharing your info): https://catholic-counseling-institute-2.kit.com/7866d5b461 🤔 FREE QUIZ "Could It Be Scrupulosity?" (a quick, private, informal self-check): https://form.getformly.com/f/Pb1pVc 🙋🏻‍♀️ ASK A CATHOLIC THERAP...

  3. Jul 25

    What If Your Dishwasher Fights Aren't About The Dishes?

    Send us Fan Mail The Dishwasher Fight: What Your Marriage Argument Is Really About Amber Pilkington of the Catholic Counseling Institute explains that common “dishwasher fights” in marriage are rarely about chores and instead signal deeper needs for emotional connection and responsiveness. Drawing on Dr. Sue Johnson’s emotionally focused therapy, she frames many conflicts around three underlying questions: “Are you there for me? Can I count on you? Do I matter?” She connects this to Catholic teaching on marriage as a “communion of persons” and emphasizes that emotional presence is part of the vocation. Citing research on mental load, stress responses, and attachment, she offers four tools for reconnection: name the vulnerable need beneath the complaint, practice a calming pause before reacting, build small daily rituals of connection, and use repair attempts after conflict. She invites listeners to download a free “Dishwasher Fight Decoder” worksheet. 00:00 Welcome to Catholic Couch 01:41 Why Dishes Trigger Fights 02:45 Mental Load and Attachment 04:23 Catholic Meaning of Connection 05:10 Four Tools to Reconnect 05:34 Name the Need 06:25 Practice Sacred Pause 07:15 Tiny Connection Rituals 08:05 Repair After Conflict 09:01 Quick Summary and Next Steps 09:40 Free Worksheet and Farewell Support the show * This content is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to treat or diagnose any mental or physical health condition. It is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Your individual circumstance may differ. If you are in crisis please call or text 988 to talk to a person who is waiting to help you!  ⭐️ Find All The Free Resources We Talk About Here: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/free-resources-1 ⭐️ Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYP__vbJTTyovRaBGWeVxFQ ⭐️Check out our online courses: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/online-courses 📚 Online Catholic Scrupulosity Course: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/freedom-for-catholics/ 📚 Online Course Catholic ADHD Parenting: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/adhd-parenting/ 📬 FREE NEWSLETTER (exclusive Catholic Psychology delivered to your inbox, valueable course coupons, free handouts, no spam, no sharing your info): https://catholic-counseling-institute-2.kit.com/7866d5b461 🤔 FREE QUIZ "Could It Be Scrupulosity?" (a quick, private, informal self-check): https://form.getformly.com/f/Pb1pVc 🙋🏻‍♀️ ASK A CATHOLIC THERAP...

  4. Jul 25

    Why Scrupulous Thoughts FEEL So Real

    Send us Fan Mail In the fourth video of a free 10-part Catholic Counseling Classroom series on scrupulosity and intrusive thoughts, Catholic therapist Amber Pilkington explains why scrupulous thoughts can feel real even when you know they aren’t true. She describes the amygdala as a “smoke detector” that can’t distinguish a moral crisis from a mental glitch, and notes it responds to behavior rather than logic, so reacting through confessing, analyzing, Googling, or seeking reassurance trains the brain to treat the thought as danger. Citing 1999 OCD research, she says people who value morality highly are more likely to misinterpret neutral thoughts as dangerous, meaning virtue can be hijacked by anxiety. She highlights emotional reasoning—believing fear means something is wrong—and encourages responding with kindness and curiosity rather than panic, while emphasizing support, education, and community. 00:00 Welcome and Series Intro 00:29 Why It Feels Real 00:59 Amygdala False Alarms 01:47 Reassurance Trains Fear 02:19 Values and OCD Research 03:05 Emotional Reasoning Trap 03:33 Holy Spirit vs Anxiety 04:22 Fireworks Not Truth Bombs 04:34 Respond With Kindness 04:56 Support and Next Steps 05:20 Wrap Up and Goodbye Support the show * This content is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to treat or diagnose any mental or physical health condition. It is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Your individual circumstance may differ. If you are in crisis please call or text 988 to talk to a person who is waiting to help you!  ⭐️ Find All The Free Resources We Talk About Here: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/free-resources-1 ⭐️ Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYP__vbJTTyovRaBGWeVxFQ ⭐️Check out our online courses: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/online-courses 📚 Online Catholic Scrupulosity Course: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/freedom-for-catholics/ 📚 Online Course Catholic ADHD Parenting: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/adhd-parenting/ 📬 FREE NEWSLETTER (exclusive Catholic Psychology delivered to your inbox, valueable course coupons, free handouts, no spam, no sharing your info): https://catholic-counseling-institute-2.kit.com/7866d5b461 🤔 FREE QUIZ "Could It Be Scrupulosity?" (a quick, private, informal self-check): https://form.getformly.com/f/Pb1pVc 🙋🏻‍♀️ ASK A CATHOLIC THERAP...

  5. Jul 24

    Dr. Mario Sacasa & Amber Pilkington Talk Catholic Dating Mistakes

    Send us Fan Mail Dating Well: Discernment, Skills, and Healthy Boundaries with Dr. Mario Sacasa Amber Pilkington hosts Dr. Mario Sacasa on The Catholic Couch to discuss Catholic dating at the intersection of theology and psychology. Dr. Mario shares his background as a marriage and family therapist, his conversion, and how client needs after COVID led him to develop Dating Well to help people build healthy relationship patterns early, since “as the dating couple, so goes the married couple.” They note broad declines in dating and marriage, citing social fragmentation, polarization, and loss of communal ties. Dating is framed as both discernment of vocation and a learnable skill set, especially amid digital communication norms and fear of rejection; they emphasize a growth mindset and exploratory dating within healthy parameters. The conversation critiques purity culture’s rigidity and transactional expectations, advises parents to teach virtue through practice (including a suggested dating age of 16), and addresses spiritual modesty, nonsexual affection in marriage, and avoiding perfectionism and overly rigid “lists,” particularly on dating apps. Dr. Mario describes his self-paced 19-lesson course covering stages of dating, boundaries, flags, conflict, sensitive topics, and honorable breakups. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:26 Dr Mario Background 05:46 Why Dating Feels Harder 07:41 Dating Discernment and Skills 13:47 Rejection Growth Mindset 14:58 Dating as Spiritual Integration 16:35 Learning Through Past Relationships 18:23 Parents and Purity Culture 21:55 Healthy Dating Boundaries at Home 25:25 Purity Culture Switch 25:59 Fire and Desire 28:04 Raising Boys Virtues 29:25 Marriage Beyond Sex 30:56 Nonsexual Touch 31:40 Dating App Perfectionism 34:55 Rank Your Nonnegotiables 38:15 Lists vs Real Chemistry 41:38 Spiritual Modesty Boundaries 46:06 Dating Well Course 48:14 Modern Breakups Etiquette 49:51 Final Thanks and Wrap Support the show * This content is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to treat or diagnose any mental or physical health condition. It is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Your individual circumstance may differ. If you are in crisis please call or text 988 to talk to a person who is waiting to help you!  ⭐️ Find All The Free Resources We Talk About Here: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/free-resources-1 ⭐️ Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYP__vbJTTyovRaBGWeVxFQ ⭐️Check out our online courses: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/online-courses 📚 Online Catholic Scrupulosity Course: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/freedom-for-catholics/ 📚 Online Course Catholic ADHD Parenting: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/adhd-parenting/ 📬 FREE NEWSLETTER (exclusive Catholic Psychology delivered to your inbox, valueable course coupons, free handouts, no spam, no sharing your info): https://catholic-counseling-institute-2.kit.com/7866d5b461 🤔 FREE QUIZ "Could It Be Scrupulosity?" (a quick, private, informal self-check): https://form.getformly.com/f/Pb1pVc 🙋🏻‍♀️ ASK A CATHOLIC THERAP...

  6. Jul 24

    Emotional Affairs: The Primacy Trap

    Send us Fan Mail Emotional Affairs: Why They’re More Dangerous Than One-Night Stands (and How to Spot Them) The video continues a summer series on preventing and healing from infidelity, focusing on emotional affairs, which Dr. Shirley Glass found are more likely to end marriages than one-night stands because they slowly replace a spouse’s role, lack a clear boundary-crossing moment, and often involve denial and secrecy. It defines emotional affairs clinically by three markers—emotional intimacy, romantic/chemical charge, and secrecy—without physical contact, emphasizing “primacy,” where someone outside the marriage becomes the first source of comfort and attention. The speaker contrasts transparent, boundaried friendships with filtered, secretive relationships and offers the “text thread test,” plus seven warning signs (e.g., daydreaming, editing/deleting, comparisons, physical micro-lines). It warns that Catholic contexts (ministry, small groups, Bible studies) can become “spiritual traps,” and gives guidance for ending an emotional affair, disclosure considerations, therapy and confession, and steps for spouses who suspect one. 00:00 Emotional Affairs Intro 01:05 Why They Hurt More 02:06 Denial Duration Blind Spots 03:00 What Counts Clinically 04:19 Friendship Versus Affair 04:57 Free Help Resources 05:56 Seven Warning Signs 07:02 Catholic Spiritual Traps 08:22 If You Crossed Lines 09:49 If It's Your Spouse 11:24 Key Takeaways Next Video Support the show * This content is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to treat or diagnose any mental or physical health condition. It is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Your individual circumstance may differ. If you are in crisis please call or text 988 to talk to a person who is waiting to help you!  ⭐️ Find All The Free Resources We Talk About Here: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/free-resources-1 ⭐️ Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYP__vbJTTyovRaBGWeVxFQ ⭐️Check out our online courses: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/online-courses 📚 Online Catholic Scrupulosity Course: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/freedom-for-catholics/ 📚 Online Course Catholic ADHD Parenting: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/adhd-parenting/ 📬 FREE NEWSLETTER (exclusive Catholic Psychology delivered to your inbox, valueable course coupons, free handouts, no spam, no sharing your info): https://catholic-counseling-institute-2.kit.com/7866d5b461 🤔 FREE QUIZ "Could It Be Scrupulosity?" (a quick, private, informal self-check): https://form.getformly.com/f/Pb1pVc 🙋🏻‍♀️ ASK A CATHOLIC THERAP...

  7. Jul 24

    Groinal Sensations & Scrupulosity

    Send us Fan Mail Groinal Sensations in Scrupulous OCD: Why They Happen and What to Do The script explains groinal sensations in scrupulous OCD as common, involuntary genital sensations that often follow intrusive thoughts and become misread as desire, consent, or a spiritual “sign.” It argues sensations are not decisions, not proof of hidden intent, and not messages from God or the devil, and notes they appear across OCD subtypes. It describes mechanisms including attention creating sensation, arousal non-concordance (body and desires not reliably matching), and anxiety-driven fight-or-flight activation that fuels a checking-sensation-fear loop, worsened by testing and sensitization. Spiritually, it cites Church teaching that mortal sin requires grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent, which involuntary sensations lack, and notes saints and the Church’s long history with scruples. Practical guidance emphasizes OCD-specialized ERP/response prevention, avoiding reassurance-seeking and repetitive confession, sticking with one informed confessor, not avoiding prayer or life, naming sensations, not checking, tolerating anxiety, and seeking qualified OCD treatment resources. 00:00 Hidden Symptom Revealed 02:54 What Groinal Sensations Are 04:01 What It Does Not Mean 06:40 Real Life OCD Scenarios 09:37 Why It Hits In Prayer 10:58 Body Brain Mechanisms 15:35 The Checking Fear Loop 18:03 Scrupulosity And Sin 23:41 Body Theology Reframe 24:40 ERP And Response Prevention 26:28 Confession Without Compulsions 28:29 Avoidance Versus Values 30:06 In The Moment Steps 32:31 Gentle Self Talk 34:20 Finding Proper Help 36:44 Course And Final Summary 38:53 Be Not Afraid Closing Support the show * This content is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to treat or diagnose any mental or physical health condition. It is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Your individual circumstance may differ. If you are in crisis please call or text 988 to talk to a person who is waiting to help you!  ⭐️ Find All The Free Resources We Talk About Here: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/free-resources-1 ⭐️ Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYP__vbJTTyovRaBGWeVxFQ ⭐️Check out our online courses: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/online-courses 📚 Online Catholic Scrupulosity Course: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/freedom-for-catholics/ 📚 Online Course Catholic ADHD Parenting: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/adhd-parenting/ 📬 FREE NEWSLETTER (exclusive Catholic Psychology delivered to your inbox, valueable course coupons, free handouts, no spam, no sharing your info): https://catholic-counseling-institute-2.kit.com/7866d5b461 🤔 FREE QUIZ "Could It Be Scrupulosity?" (a quick, private, informal self-check): https://form.getformly.com/f/Pb1pVc 🙋🏻‍♀️ ASK A CATHOLIC THERAP...

  8. Jul 24

    Understanding & Healing The Father Wound

    Send us Fan Mail Healing the Father Wound: Why Fathers Matter, Why Father’s Day Hurts, and How to Heal The episode, released ahead of Father’s Day, addresses both those who celebrate and those for whom the day triggers grief from a deceased, estranged, abusive, or emotionally unreachable father, naming anniversary grief, disenfranchised grief, and ambiguous loss. It presents a research-grounded and faith-integrated deep dive on why fathers uniquely matter, citing biological and developmental findings (prenatal voice recognition, oxytocin and brain changes, rough-and-tumble play, vocabulary effects, epigenetic trauma) and a Swiss study linking fathers’ church practice to children’s future attendance. It defines the “father wound” as a clinically recognized pattern affecting body, relationships, and prayer, explains different impacts on daughters and sons, and shows how paternal experience shapes God image versus God concept, including distorted God images and Catechism 239. It outlines seven healing steps, including trauma-focused therapies, Catholic pastoral pathways, and careful forgiveness models, and offers a free 100-page e-book. 00:00 Fathers Day Mixed Emotions 01:36 Episode Roadmap 02:53 Three Types of Grief 04:35 Fatherlessness by the Numbers 05:22 Four Core Father Functions 06:41 Brain Science of Fatherhood 09:34 Dads Shape Faith Practice 11:03 Consequences of Absence 12:04 Defining the Father Wound 13:18 Somatic Armor and Prayer 16:06 Daughters vs Sons Impacts 19:26 Present but Absent Fathers 23:02 Coping Modes in Adulthood 25:46 Causes and Divorce Nuance 26:38 When Divorce Happens 27:24 God Concept vs Image 29:00 Brain Systems Under Stress 31:17 How God Images Form 34:48 Father Traits Shape God 36:48 Schemas and Distorted Images 40:04 Catechism on Fatherhood 41:33 Why Fathers Day Hurts 43:26 Healing Steps and Therapy 46:53 Forgiveness Without Bypassing 49:01 Saints and Final Takeaways Support the show * This content is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to treat or diagnose any mental or physical health condition. It is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Your individual circumstance may differ. If you are in crisis please call or text 988 to talk to a person who is waiting to help you!  ⭐️ Find All The Free Resources We Talk About Here: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/free-resources-1 ⭐️ Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYP__vbJTTyovRaBGWeVxFQ ⭐️Check out our online courses: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/online-courses 📚 Online Catholic Scrupulosity Course: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/freedom-for-catholics/ 📚 Online Course Catholic ADHD Parenting: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/adhd-parenting/ 📬 FREE NEWSLETTER (exclusive Catholic Psychology delivered to your inbox, valueable course coupons, free handouts, no spam, no sharing your info): https://catholic-counseling-institute-2.kit.com/7866d5b461 🤔 FREE QUIZ "Could It Be Scrupulosity?" (a quick, private, informal self-check): https://form.getformly.com/f/Pb1pVc 🙋🏻‍♀️ ASK A CATHOLIC THERAP...

  9. Jul 23

    Doomscrolling, Scrupulosity, and Sacred Trust

    Send us Fan Mail Doomscrolling, Conspiracies, and Scrupulosity: Why “I Have to Know” Fuels Anxiety The host describes repeated client concerns about social media feeds filled with conspiracy, hidden-symbol, and “spiritual danger” videos that feel like a duty to watch to protect family and faith, and argues this is anxiety-driven threat monitoring rather than prudence. She explains the attention economy: platforms monetize watch time, track behavior, and recommend emotionally high-arousal content, with fear and fascination logged as “interest,” creating escalating loops and intermittent rewards like slot machines; ads then sell remedies to the unease. She defines scrupulosity as OCD focused on religious/moral fears and outlines its engines—intolerance of uncertainty, inflated responsibility, thought-action fusion, and reassurance seeking—calling the feed “premium fuel.” Using Aquinas (curiositas vs. studiositas), the Catechism on unhealthy curiosity, Paul’s “wise as to what is good,” and Ignatius’s peace test, she offers four steps: name the loop, stop researching, retrain the feed, and follow the Church’s protocol (renunciation, sacraments, prayer), emphasizing trust and tolerating uncertainty. She mentions a course and a free “Summer Scroll Reset” PDF. 00:00 Conspiracy Feed Spiral 02:47 Why You Cant Just Stop 03:28 Your Feed Is A Mirror 04:33 Attention Economy Explained 07:51 Fear Wins The Algorithm 11:01 Slot Machine Certainty 14:49 Why Scrupulosity Hooks In 17:10 Threat Monitoring Trap 20:38 Aquinas And Curiosity 26:15 Four Steps To Break It 30:05 Objections And Clarity 31:12 Review And Sendoff Support the show * This content is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to treat or diagnose any mental or physical health condition. It is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Your individual circumstance may differ. If you are in crisis please call or text 988 to talk to a person who is waiting to help you!  ⭐️ Find All The Free Resources We Talk About Here: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/free-resources-1 ⭐️ Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYP__vbJTTyovRaBGWeVxFQ ⭐️Check out our online courses: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/online-courses 📚 Online Catholic Scrupulosity Course: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/freedom-for-catholics/ 📚 Online Course Catholic ADHD Parenting: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/adhd-parenting/ 📬 FREE NEWSLETTER (exclusive Catholic Psychology delivered to your inbox, valueable course coupons, free handouts, no spam, no sharing your info): https://catholic-counseling-institute-2.kit.com/7866d5b461 🤔 FREE QUIZ "Could It Be Scrupulosity?" (a quick, private, informal self-check): https://form.getformly.com/f/Pb1pVc 🙋🏻‍♀️ ASK A CATHOLIC THERAP...

  10. Jul 20

    Fr. Alar Talks Scrupulosity, Depression & Suicide

    Send us Fan Mail Depression can make prayer feel impossible, confession feel uncertain, and Scripture sound like condemnation. That is not a character flaw. It can be a brain-and-body reality, and it deserves real care. We talk with Father Chris Alar, provincial superior of the Marian Fathers at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy, about what happens when Catholics try to white-knuckle depression, anxiety, or scrupulosity with spiritual practices alone, and why God’s mercy often arrives through both grace and treatment. We get specific about the mental health side: how clinical depression can impair clear reasoning, why so many people never receive treatment, and how a truly Catholic approach can include psychotherapy, medication when appropriate, behavioral activation, and social support. Father Alar also shares a striking pastoral insight: many cases people assume are spiritual attack are ultimately mental health issues, which is why the Church requires medical and psychological evaluation before an exorcism is even considered. Then we go deep on scrupulosity as OCD with religious content, and why “just trust more” lands differently when your nervous system cannot tolerate uncertainty. We connect Divine Mercy spirituality to evidence-based tools, reframing trust as accepting the help that is being offered and staying in relationship rather than hiding in fear. You’ll also hear a simple three-step framework for getting out of the pit: admit what you cannot control, come to trust, then entrust through action. If you know someone carrying silent shame about therapy, meds, intrusive thoughts, or suicidal despair, share this conversation with them. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what topic you want next: what has helped you most when faith and mental health collide? Support the show * This content is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to treat or diagnose any mental or physical health condition. It is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Your individual circumstance may differ. If you are in crisis please call or text 988 to talk to a person who is waiting to help you!  ⭐️ Find All The Free Resources We Talk About Here: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/free-resources-1 ⭐️ Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYP__vbJTTyovRaBGWeVxFQ ⭐️Check out our online courses: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.com/online-courses 📚 Online Catholic Scrupulosity Course: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/freedom-for-catholics/ 📚 Online Course Catholic ADHD Parenting: https://catholiccounselinginstitute.thrivecart.com/adhd-parenting/ 📬 FREE NEWSLETTER (exclusive Catholic Psychology delivered to your inbox, valueable course coupons, free handouts, no spam, no sharing your info): https://catholic-counseling-institute-2.kit.com/7866d5b461 🤔 FREE QUIZ "Could It Be Scrupulosity?" (a quick, private, informal self-check): https://form.getformly.com/f/Pb1pVc 🙋🏻‍♀️ ASK A CATHOLIC THERAP...

About

The Catholic Couch is where the science of the brain meets the wisdom of the Church, and neither one has to lose. Each episode pulls from real counseling ground, the nervous system, attachment, intrusive thoughts, the way fear runs underneath so much of what we carry, and holds it right alongside Scripture, the sacraments, and the saints as people who actually lived this. If you've ever felt like you had to choose between good psychology and your faith, come sit down; there's so much hope here, and we just start taking the small steps together.