DEPRESSION, BIPOLAR & ANXIETY - LIVING AS A LATTER-DAY SAINT, LDS

Episode #189 - A Conversation

30 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textI had a wonderful conversation with a Bishop the other day.  We discussed his youth and how he could help them with the trial that is m...

Episode #188 - Emotional Entitlement - The One True Source

23 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhen we are hurt by another's actions and or words we often find ourselves in the realm of emotional entitlement.  During the Savi...

Episode #187 - Deconstructing Walls

16 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textDeconstructing emotional walls and working with our core issues.

Episode #186 - Coming to Christ, Deconstructing Emotional Walls & Barriers

09 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textEmotional Walls & Barriers are the most difficult type of "Coming to Christ" we will do in this life.  When deeply negati...

Episode #185 Mission & Purpose

02 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWe all have a deep desire and need to find our purpose and mission in life.  Sometimes mental illness can appear to be a hindrance rath...

Episode #184 Feelings, Emotions & True Identity

25 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textIdentity is a powerful desire to understand who we are.  It seems to dominate every part of our life.  Our deep desire for identity is...

Episode #183 - Your Day Will Come

18 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textSometimes we tend to lose hope that our miracle will ever come.  But I promise you that miracles occur everyday and Your Day Will Come.

Episode #182 - Into the Mind of Addiction

11 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textAddiction in the sense of mental illness is a symptom not a problem.  So often we judge individuals because of their addiction and plac...

Episode #181 - Anger and the Stages of Grief

04 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhen we suffer for periods of time, we can wonder why we are being treated unfairly and with those thoughts can come the anger.  Anger ...

Episode #180 - Lot's Wife & Daily Bread

28 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textLot's wife's story is a strange one when you consider it.  But it has a unique message that helps us with mental and emotiona...

Episode #179 - False Negatives & False Positives

21 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textMental and Emotional Illness can create quite a problem when our emotions do not match the experience.  We can call these points in tim...

Episode #178 - Sometimes It Just Doesn't Make Sense

14 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textSometimes the mental health journey just doesn't make any sense.  We do our best but the symptoms only get worse.  Sometimes we c...

Episode #177 - A Missionary And A Moment In Time

07 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textMental and emotional illness arising during missionary service is far more common than you might think.  All the necessary external ele...

Episode #176 - You Will Not Fit In - And That Is a Good Thing

30 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWe spend so much time in our lives attempting to fit into social and cultural groups and our illness spends an equal amount of time keep...

Episode # 175 - The Suffering of Our Youth and Young Adults

23 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textMental and emotional illness has reached pandemic proportions.  Too many of our youth and youth adults are suffering deeply with emotio...

Episode #174 - Broken Vessels & Eternal Life

16 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhen we suffer from mental and emotional illness, questions of exaltation and celestial life can be difficult to reconcile.  However, w...

Episode #173 - Thomas's Doubt

09 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textDoubt is a difficult emotion to tame.  However, when we view doubt as an emotion and even more importantly a symptom of our illness, we...

Episode #172 - Encountering the Unknown Path

02 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textMany times in life we encounter unknown paths directed by the Lord and inspiration that outwardly appear as failure but in reality are v...

Episode #171 - Walking and Feeling the Covenant Path

26 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textThere exist some unique truths about the Spirit of the Lord that we don't often understand.  One of those being that having mental...

Episode #170 - The Road Less Traveled

19 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textAs we suffer from our illness we often come to those life altering decisions and become paralyzed by the decision making process and the...

Episode #169 - The Essence of Belief

12 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhat makes up our beliefs?  What happens when we are in an episode to our beliefs?  What is belief?

Episode #168 - The Philosophies of Men and the Mingling of Scripture

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWe should should be so very careful about our emotions and extending those emotions to our identity.  Many of our emotional realities a...

Episode #167 - Platitudes & Primary Answers

26 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textSo often in life we want the easy answers and when someone we love struggles we want to give them those platitudes and primary answers. ...

Episode #166 - Emotional Connectedness

19 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textEmotional Connectedness is one of the more important aspects to a relationship and it is also one of the most difficult problems we face...

Episode #164 - Mother in Heaven

05 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textSo often the sisters of the church feel marginalized in a church that appears male dominated.  These feelings can often contribute to m...

Episode #163 - Marginalized

05 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textAs part of our illness we will feel marginalized and isolated.  So often we can feel that the outside world does not want us to exist. ...

Episode #162 - Lessons from the Cross

29 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhile there are many great lessons in the Savior's life, those during the time when he was nailed to the cross until his death are ...

Episode #161 - Moving Mountains of Doubt

22 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textDoubt is one of the key features of mental illness and it causes serious issues in our lives.  However when we discover the reason for ...

Episode #160 - Keep It Stupid Simple

15 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textOne of the best ways to manage mental illness is to keep life stupid simple.  This is especially true when considering our relationship...

Episode #159 - Resolutions & Revolutions

08 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textIndividuals who suffer with mental illness cannot approach resolutions and goals in the same manner as their peers who do not.  

Episode #158 - Enduring Reflections

01 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textAs we reflect on the year past and those trials we endured and the mountains we climbed, can we see the hand of the Savior in our happin...

Episode #157 - Loss & Grieving

25 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textGrieving is a natural part of our existence and is part of a healing process we work through physically and emotionally.  Grieving is a...

Episode #156 - Holiday Help

18 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textThe holidays and right after can be an especially difficult time for someone suffering with mental illness.  However, understanding thi...

Episode #155 - Breaking Down and Building Up

11 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textI am not entirely sure why we tend to get lax in our mental illness maintenance, but we do.  Somehow we must arrest the breaking down a...

Episode #154 - My Ten Commandments of Mental Illness

13 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textNavigating the troubled oceans of mental illness.  We all need to have the lighthouse always in the distance.

Episode #153 - The Work of Happiness

06 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhat is Happiness? How do you pursue it?  What if happiness at its core is dynamic rather than passive?

Episode #152 - The Anti-Placebo Effect

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textBelief is a powerful tool we can use in our treatment arsenals.  But belief is a two way street.  The placebo effect can occur both in...

Episode #151 - Repeating History

09 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textOur memory is an interesting part of our lives and incredibly important to the present but it can also be a hindrance to our present hap...

Episode #150 - Walking In Circles

25 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textIt is a psychological fact that given a forest where you cannot see a distant marker, you will walk in circles.  Interestingly enough i...

Episode #149 - Suicide Aware

05 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textSometimes we need to be more than just suicide aware.

Episode #148 - The Mirror

28 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textSometimes we need a story to remind us who we really are.

Episode #147 - What is True?

21 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textSometimes in our maddening search for relief, we must work through the process of truth.  While we tend to believe that we evaluate tru...

Episode #146 - The Widow's Mite

07 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textThe widow in the story of the widow's mite has a much broader story to tell.  Her sacrifice provided a fitting story in which to p...

Episode #145 - Impressions

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textJust a few impressions and thoughts.

Episode #144 - Subtle Influences

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textHave you ever got a song stuck in your head?  We are consistently bombarded by subtle influences in our lives and its important from ti...

Episode #143 - A Unique Perspective

17 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhile mental illness might bring challenges and trouble, it also brings with it a unique perspective and some surprise benefits.  What ...

Episode #142 - Emotional Breaking Points

10 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWe all experience coming to the end of our rope and feeling like we have nothing left to give.  What we don't often see in those m...

Episode #141 - Sin & Mental Illness

03 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textSin is often a problematic struggle when we talk about mental illness.  So many individuals suffer in some ways needlessly.  The Lord ...

Episode #140 - Mind Games

26 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textOur mind is a wonderful thing.  It is built to seek joy and happiness but also pleasure.  In the sense of joy, it is incredibly import...

Episode #139 - Helping Youth with Emotional Difficulties Part V - Relationships

20 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textRelationships tend to be one of the most difficult issues faced by anyone who suffers and this is especially true for the youth.  Under...

Episode #138 - Faith Crisis

12 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textFor many members of the church who suffer mental illness, a faith crisis is a common experience.  So common that it would be unusual fo...

Episode #137 - Helping Youth with Emotional Difficulties Part IV

05 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textYouth with mental illness and who have experienced trauma need help understanding what is happening in their lives mentally and emotiona...

Episode #136 - Gospel Life - Theory and Reality

29 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textSometimes the theory and the reality of the gospel collide and we find ourselves struggling to understand the why.

Episode #135 - Helping Youth with Emotional Difficulties Part III

22 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textLast week we discussed the three spiritual pillars of celestial life.  This week's episode discusses the importance of mortal body...

Episode #134 - Helping Youth with Emotional Difficulties Part II

15 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textYouth are especially vulnerable to emotional difficulties and providing help and support can and often is critical to spiritual and emot...

Episode #133 - Helping Youth With Emotional Difficulties

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textYouth are especially vulnerable to emotional difficulties and providing help and support can and often is critical to spiritual and emot...

Episode #132 - Grace & Perfectionism

01 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textOne of the most comforting doctrines of the atonement of Jesus Christ is the doctrine of grace.  It is also one of the most misundersto...

Episode #131 - Feeling Love and Loving Others

24 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textAs much as we don't like to admit it, it can be almost impossible to feel love when mental illness come into our lives.  Love is o...

Episode #130 - Loving Oneself & Perfectionism

17 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textOne of the greatest obstacles to our learning is a long memory.  This is where our past failures cause present and future failure.  Le...

Episode #129 - Details

10 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textIn order to see miracles, we need to see the Savior in the Details of our lives.

Episode #128 - We Need to Stop Saying - "Just Get Over It"

02 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textFar too many times in our lives we have heard someone say that, "You Need to Just Get Over It".  And those words have left us...

Episode #127 - Expectations, Yours and Others

27 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textExpectations are important as they define how we interact with one another and how we personally work within our own brains.  

Episode #126 - How Do You Hear Him?

19 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textOne of the most difficult spiritual skills we must acquire is to be able to hear and respond to the Spirit of the Lord, while we work th...

Episode #125 - The Demons That Surround Us

13 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textAs we consider the effects of mental illness upon our mortal bodies, we need to consider the methods and tactics Lucifer will use to dis...

Episode #124 - Second Class Citizens

06 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textMany times due to the effects of our illness we can feel as second class citizens within our communities, our ward family and even our o...

Episode #123 - Finding Oneself

27 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textFinding oneself is a popular mantra among the psychological world.  However, it is important to understand what that truly means and th...

Episode #122 - The Healing Path of Sanctification

20 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textOne of the most difficult things about sanctification and the trials that come with it, is that we cannot see the eternal or even mortal...

Episode #121 - Mental Illness & Service Missions (Bonus Addition)

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textMissionary service within the Church of Jesus Christ is incredibly important to the overall objective of gathering Israel.  It times me...

Episode #119 - Walking Backwards & Gaining Ground

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWith mental illness sometimes walking backward is just part of the process of gaining ground.   Sometimes we truly need to work backwa...

Episode #118 - Navigating an Early Return - Missionary Service & Mental Illness

29 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textReturning home before your expected date can be one of the most life altering experiences anyone can face but to do so through an unexpe...

Episode #117 - Anxiety Life Control/Management or Lack Thereof

23 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textAnxiety is the most prevalent mental illness within the world community.  About 20 percent of the population deals with it on the level...

Episode #116 - The Crosses We Are Called to Bear

16 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textThe deep penetrating "whys" of mortality are difficult to bear.  But they provide the conduit to the eternal.  We need the &...

Episode #115 - Mountains of Doubt

08 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textSome of the most difficult moments of mental illness come upon us spiritually, when mountain of doubt invade our minds.

Episode #114 Making the Most of a New Year

02 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textLet's admit that making and keeping resolutions when you suffer with mental illness almost feels fruitless.  However, it may be th...

Episode #113 - Emma Hale Smith

26 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textThoughts and perspective of the life of Emma Hale Smith, wife of the prophet Joseph Smith

Episode #112 - IF There is a God, Then Why!? (Abuse)

23 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textAbuse is the plague and cancer of this earth and it has affected so many in deeply, personal and difficult ways.  And Why followed by I...

Episode #111 - The Building People

18 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textOne of the plagues of society that causes far too much mental illness and everything that follows with it are the building people.  Peo...

Episode #110 The Holiday Happiness & Hope

11 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textThis time of year has been difficult for many and that is no more true than for those who suffer with mental illness.  Between the rest...

Episode #109 Miracles

04 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textMiracles are a part of the mercy clause of the atonement.  Specifically they are one of the tools the Lord uses to shape and convert us...

Episode #108 Enduring It Well

26 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textEnduring is one of the most misunderstood words in the scriptural cannon.  To endure well means so much more than what is on the surfac...

Episode #107 Sin

20 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhile serious sin is problematic from many perspectives, when social pressures surrounding it are selfish and misguided rather than lovi...

Episode #106 - Broken

13 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhat does it mean to be broken?  What does it mean to be normal? How do you know?

Episode #105 - The Gift of Mental Illness

05 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textMany won't see mental illness as anything but some type of punishment but when considered from a certain perspective, mental illnes...

Episode #104 - The Psychology of Forgiveness

30 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textForgiveness is truly the road to redemption but often our mental illness can cause the road to be far more steep and rugged.

Episode #103 Social Media - The Need for Identity

27 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWe as individuals have a deep innate desire for identity.  Our identity shapes everything in our lives including the actions and choice...

Episode #102 The Empathy Gap

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWe as human beings have great difficulty predicting what we will do under emotional stress.  Our inability to predict our actions under...

Episode #101 Self-worth - Self Esteem

09 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textUnderstanding one's value can be difficult process for anyone. Our world is a confusing place.  Self-worth requires that we unders...

Episode #100 Hope!

01 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textHope is an interesting emotion.  It lives in the present but is connected in almost every case to the future.  Hope is critical to the...

Episode #99 The Three Most Important Words

26 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhat are the thee most important words when it comes to managing mental illness?  They are I can't today.  What happens to us whe...

Episode #98 The Voices of Fear and Doubt

19 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhile the voices of fear and doubt are important to survival, they can be a difficult obstacle to those who suffer with mental illness a...

Episode #97 Sex and Intimate Relationships

11 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textMental illness has always produced difficulties with sexuality from a significantly lowered libido to hypersexuality. Working through th...

Episode #96 Sara & The Fiery Furnace of Affliction

05 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textSometimes in life we meet someone whose story is almost unbelievable.  Sara has experienced more life than most but it is not her drama...

Episode #95 Tara and Finding Happiness

28 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textTara's story is one of perspective and finding happiness despite or perhaps even through a mental illness.   Mental illness is no...

Episode #94 Missionary Service & Mental Illness

22 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textMissionary Service and mental illness, why the Lord allows missionaries to return earlier than expected and what we can do to help.

Episode #93 The Miracle of Abigail

15 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textAbby is a wonderful vivacious person whose experiences in life have been exceptional in many ways.  Abby is a walking miracle but the m...

Episode #92 Returning to Sacred Spaces

08 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textSometimes we focus too heavily on our failures with mental illness.  Today's story is about success of someone I knew a long time ...

Episode #91 Loneliness & An Invitation

31 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textLoneliness is a common difficulty of mental illness.  We experience it even when we have good friends and in rooms of people we know. ...

Episode #90 Angels

23 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textAngels have been part of the Lord's church since the days of Adam.  They play an important role in our lives and especially when w...

Episode #89 What Will Your Story Be?

16 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWe all write stories about ourselves in our minds, although those stories tend to be skewed and inaccurate.  Writing your story or your...

Episode #88 Emotions & Feelings

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWe possess two sources for our emotions and feelings the mortal physical body and the spiritual body.  Each motivates us in different w...