Latter Day Struggles Valerie Hamaker

In this opening episode of a four-part series focused on OCD spiritual scrupulosity in the context of the LDS church, Valerie begins by interviewing Taylor Kerby, author the the book "Scrupulous: My Obsessive Compulsion for God".

In this episode Taylor shares his journey with spiritual scrupulosity, explaining how these conditions manifested as compulsive religious behaviors fueled by some of the doctrine and practices connected to his LDS faith tradition.

This episode tackles the first of five key vulnerabilities linking spiritual scrupulosity within the LDS faith: spiritual exceptionalism, low emphasis on personal authority, anxiety around sex and the theology of the body, a transactional relationship with God, and an atonement theology sometimes leading to shame and fear.

Friday's episode digs into the rest of the five topics--ultimately emphasizing the importance of respectful and healing dialogue and urging listeners to prioritizes love, service, and grace over perfection. This entire series is a call for greater awareness and support for those grappling with OCD spiritual scrupulosity. —————————————————————————————————————

SUBSCRIBE TO FRIDAY EPISODES BETWEEN 5/31/24 and 6/27/24: Premium content episodes of Latter Day Struggles can be accessed through a paid subscription Enjoy your first month of Friday episodes at a reduced cost of $3 as a thank you for joining the Latter Day Struggles subscriber community!

click here for instructions.
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WEBINAR: “Developing Healthy Stress Management” Valerie will host a webinar class for individuals and couples seeking guidance on how to stay united during a faith expansion experience. Special question/answer session directly after the webinar. Wednesday June 5th 8:30 CST. Come ask Val your burning questions and be part of the conversation! ⁠Sign up here!
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SUPPORT: Like what you’re hearing at Latter Day Struggles Podcast? Make a one-time donation to her business Venmo account or become a recurring donor on Patreon.⁠
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CONSULTING: Interested in doing individual or couples work with Valerie or a member of her trained team? Time-limited packages with Valerie and extended work with her team of coaches and therapists are available ⁠here!
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SUPPORT GROUPS: All support groups are currently full, however, a new evening group is scheduled to start in September 2024. To pre-register click on this link.⁠

In preparation for Friday's sensitive-content exclusive episode 230, Valerie offers a detailed overview of the entirety of General Relief Society President Camille Johnson's recent address given at the 2024 BYU Women's Conference.

This address was both intriguing and concerning, focusing concurrently on both following the specific directions of outside authority as the safest means of living one’s life while also encouraging women to follow the counsel of the spirit to allow God to prevail in a path that is unique to each woman.

In this episode Val sets the stage for the deeper dive into issues that intersect the topics of healthy human development, sound theology, and a call for institutional accountability regarding the impact that past teachings have had on thousands of LDS women.

Join Valerie and Nathan on Friday’s episode 230 for the in-depth analysis of the address reviewed in today’s episode 229. Information on how to subscribe to their new Buzzsprout platform found below.
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SUBSCRIBE TO FRIDAY EPISODES BETWEEN 5/31/24 and 6/27/24: Premium content episodes of Latter Day Struggles can be accessed through a paid subscription Enjoy your first month of Friday episodes at a reduced cost of $3 as a thank you for joining the Latter Day Struggles subscriber community!

click here for instructions.
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WEBINAR: “Developing Healthy Stress Management” Valerie will host a webinar class for individuals and couples seeking guidance on how to stay united during a faith expansion experience. Special question/answer session directly after the webinar. Wednesday June 5th 8:30 CST. Come ask Val your burning questions and be part of the conversation! ⁠Sign up here!
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SUPPORT: Like what you’re hearing at Latter Day Struggles Podcast? Make a one-time donation to her business Venmo account or become a recurring donor on Patreon.⁠
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STEPPING BACK FROM THE CHURCH IN A PSYCHOLOGICALLY HEALTHY WAY: Valerie and Julie Hanks are offering a live Q&A session for those with concerns about the complexities of stepping back.Their last event sold out very quickly, and they anticipate that this one will also sell fast.To register click here.
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CONSULTING: Interested in doing individual or couples work with Valerie or a member of her trained team? Time-limited packages with Valerie and extended work with her team of coaches and therapists are available ⁠here!
——————————————————————————————————————
SUPPORT GROUPS: All support groups are currently full, however, a new evening group is scheduled to start in September 2024. To pre-register click on this link.⁠

Big News! Listen in and rest assured that more info is coming! Thanks for being here on our mutual faith expansion journey!


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SUBSCRIBE TO FRIDAY EPISODES BETWEEN 5/31/24 and 6/27/24: Premium content episodes of Latter Day Struggles can be accessed through a paid subscription. Enjoy your first month of Friday episodes at a reduced cost of $3 as a thank you for joining the Latter Day Struggles subscriber community!
click here for instructions.

In this thought-provoking episode Valerie is the guest on the fabulous podcast "At Last She Said It" with hosts Cynthia Winward and Susan Hinckley.

In this conversation this dynamic trio dives deep into the challenging concept of "good hard" vs. "bad hard" within the LDS community. They highlight the crucial difference between actions driven by fear and shame versus those fueled by love and personal choice.

Through heartfelt personal experiences and some critical reflections, Susan, Cynthia, and Val emphasize honoring one's inner compass, advocating for spiritually meaningful paths shaped by personal empowerment and most importantly, they challenge each of us to rethink the valorization of suffering, advocating instead for balanced, joyful living aligned with the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
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SUBSCRIBE: All Friday episodes of Latter Day Struggles can be accessed through a paid subscription. Thank you for supporting Valerie’s professional commitment to your LDS Faith expansion journey!

click here for instructions.
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WEBINAR: “Developing Healthy Stress Management” Valerie will host a webinar class for individuals and couples seeking guidance on how to stay united during a faith expansion experience. Special question/answer session directly after the webinar. Wednesday June 5th 8:30 CST. Come ask Val your burning questions and be part of the conversation! ⁠Sign up here!
——————————————————————————————————————
SUPPORT: Like what you’re hearing at Latter Day Struggles Podcast? Make a one-time donation to her business Venmo account or become a recurring donor on Patreon.⁠——————————————————————————————————————
STEPPING BACK FROM THE CHURCH IN A PSYCHOLOGICALLY HEALTHY WAY: Valerie and Julie Hanks are offering a live Q&A session for those with concerns about the complexities of stepping back.Their last event sold out very quickly, and they anticipate that this one will also sell fast.To register click here.——————————————————————————————————————
CONSULTING: Interested in doing individual or couples work with Valerie or a member of her trained team? Time-limited packages with Valerie and extended work with her team of coaches and therapists are available ⁠here!
——————————————————————————————————————
SUPPORT GROUPS: All support groups are currently full, however, a new evening group is scheduled to start in September 2024. To pre-register click on this link.⁠

In this enlightening part three [of a four-part series] Valerie and special guest author Kathryn Sonntag delve deeper into the enriching concepts presented in "The Mother Tree: Discovering the Love and Wisdom of Our Divine Mother."



In this episode they continue using the metaphor of a tree to help us understand how to find personal wholeness through the integration of the masculine and the feminine.



Kathryn relates the trunk of the tree to 1) our mortal existence, 2) to the present and, 3) to the sacred nature of the earth and its deeply feminine cycles of birth, death, and rebirth as chief evidence that the divine indeed is deeply feminine.



Join us next time as we conclude our series on "The Mother Tree," where we will further delve into how the integration of our divine masculine and feminine energies can lead to a richer, more harmonious personal and spiritual life.

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SUBSCRIBE: All Friday episodes of Latter Day Struggles can be accessed through a paid subscription. Thank you for supporting Valerie’s professional commitment to your LDS Faith expansion journey!

click here for instructions.
——————————————————————————————————————
WEBINAR: “Developing Healthy Stress Management” Valerie will host a webinar class for individuals and couples seeking guidance on how to stay united during a faith expansion experience. Special question/answer session directly after the webinar. Wednesday June 5th 8:30 CST. Come ask Val your burning questions and be part of the conversation! ⁠Sign up here!
——————————————————————————————————————
SUPPORT: Like what you’re hearing at Latter Day Struggles Podcast? Make a one-time donation to her business Venmo account or become a recurring donor on Patreon.⁠——————————————————————————————————————
STEPPING BACK FROM THE CHURCH IN A PSYCHOLOGICALLY HEALTHY WAY: Valerie and Julie Hanks are offering a live Q&A session for those with concerns about the complexities of stepping back.Their last event sold out very quickly, and they anticipate that this one will also sell fast.To register click here.——————————————————————————————————————
CONSULTING: Interested in doing individual or couples work with Valerie or a member of her trained team? Time-limited packages with Valerie and extended work with her team of coaches and therapists are available ⁠here!
——————————————————————————————————————
SUPPORT GROUPS: All support groups are currently full, however, a new evening group is scheduled to start in September 2024. To pre-register click on this link.⁠

In this enlightening part one [of a four-part series] Valerie welcomes author and feminist scholar Kathryn Knight Sonntag explore the themes of growth, development, and spiritual connection through Kathryn's book, "The Mother Tree."

Their discussion encompasses the significance of trees in various spiritual traditions, their representation of sacred spaces, and their role in depicting the interconnectedness of life and spirituality.

They emphasize the potential for individual healing and growth through the integration of both feminine and masculine energies, reflecting on the challenges LDS women face in a male-dominated patriarchal culture. This episode is a compelling call to recognize and harmonize the masculine and feminine within ourselves and our LDS faith tradition for a more balanced and healing spiritual experience. Info on how to subscribe to listen to Friday’s episode is directly below. See you there!
SUPPORT: Like what you’re hearing at Latter Day Struggles Podcast? You can support Valerie by making a one-time donation to her business Venmo account or by becoming a recurring donor on Patreon.—————————————————————————————————————SUBSCRIBE: All Friday episodes of Latter Day Struggles can be accessed through ⁠⁠⁠a paid subscription ($9.99/month), available here⁠. Thank you for supporting Valerie’s professional commitment to your LDS Faith expansion journey!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠For a step-by-step guide on how to subscribe and support the podcast, click here.——————————————————————————————————————WEBINAR: “The Growth Oriented Marriage” Valerie will host a webinar class for individuals and couples seeking guidance on how to stay united during a faith expansion experience. Special question/answer session directly after the webinar. Wednesday May 8th 8:30 CST. Come ask Val your burning questions and be part of the conversation! To register click here.——————————————————————————————————————STEPPING BACK FROM THE CHURCH IN A PSYCHOLOGICALLY HEALTHY WAY: Valerie and Julie Hanks recently finished a similar Q&A event working with their communities wanting to stay engaged in the LDS Church in a psychologically healthy way. They received lots of great feedback saying it was extremely helpful to those who attended. Valerie and Julie are hoping that the upcoming event will serve the same purpose for those with concerns about the complexities of stepping back. Their last event sold out very quickly, and they anticipate that this one will also sell fast. To register click here.—————————————————————————————————————SUPPORT GROUPS: As a trauma therapist, Valerie continues to help our LDS faith expansion community become more psychologically and spiritually healthy. All support groups are currently full, however, a new evening group is scheduled to start in September 2024. To learn more click here.——————————————————————————————————————
CONSULTING: Interested in doing individual or couples work with Valerie or a member of her trained team? Time-limited packages with Valerie and extended work with her team of coaches and therapists are available ⁠here.