Neurotheology, Part 2: The Formation of Hope with Curt Thompson, MD

The Allender Center Podcast

The Allender Center

Psychology, Religion & Spirituality, Mental Health, Christianity, Trauma, Health & Fitness, Theology

4.6 • 628 Ratings

🗓️ 1 September 2023

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We’re back with Curt Thompson, MD, to talk about hope.

Have you ever wondered how to summon hope when everything seems bleak? Is hope a fleeting notion or something we can truly cultivate?

Hope, like faith and love, is not just an abstraction, but a skill we can nurture. It's a profound practice that finds its home in both our minds and bodies.

Curt shares: “The things that I pay attention to on purpose, I remember. And what I remember becomes my anticipated future. Hope is a function of the mind that addresses the future. And this is what I mean when I say hope is a thing that I form by paying attention to the glory that is offered to me in the middle of my pain, in the present moment. And it requires lots and lots of practice, but it then is not like, ‘Oh, maybe I'll have hope. I hope I have hope.’ It's a thing that I maybe I won't like. And so… I'm going to have to practice.”

We thrive on shared experiences of hope within a community. Even a brief 3-minute interaction can spark the daring prospect of relying on another person. Our communal practice etches hope into our brain's pathways, grounding it in the way we engage with one another. Although personal introspection has its place, the true growth of hope blossoms within the context of human connection.

Tune in to this thought-provoking dialogue as we explore the intricacies of cultivating hope and the transformative power of embracing it together.

As you listen, we’d be honored if you shared this episode with someone else, too!

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Transcript

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0:00.0	If you've been listening to our podcast for a while, you may know that one of the effects of trauma is isolation.
0:08.8	When it comes to spiritual trauma or abuse, many of us may want to distance ourselves from faith communities because of the hurt we've experienced.
0:17.0	But we also know it can be hard to find a place to talk about and express your spirituality when you feel isolated.
0:23.5	We still need community.
0:25.5	That's why we are so honored to partner with Evolving Faith, a thriving online community, podcast, and conference.
0:33.2	Evolving Faith exists to cultivate love and hope in the wilderness, pointing all the question
0:38.7	askers, spiritual wonderers, disappointed disciples, and doubt-filled believers to God, as they embody
0:45.2	resurrection for the sake of the world. For the first time since 2019, they'll be gathering in
0:51.6	person for their 2023 conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on October 13th through 14th.
0:58.0	Their speaker lineup includes On Being's Krista Tippett, Pastor and New York Times bestselling author Nadia Bowles Weber, award-winning writer and speaker Dante Stewart, bestselling author, spiritual contrarian Barbara Brown-Taylor, and many more.
1:13.1	If you're looking for a space and community where your whole self is welcome, where you know
1:17.9	you're not alone in the wilderness, this is it. Find details and get tickets at evolving faith.com.
1:33.9	Thank you for listening to the Allender Center podcast. I'm Dr. Dan Allender.
1:35.6	And I'm Rachel Clinton-Chen.
1:37.2	We're fiercely committed to providing hope and healing to a fragmented world.
1:41.6	And restoration for the heart.
1:43.9	Thank you for the heart.
1:45.5	Thank you for joining us.
1:47.2	Let's get this conversation started. Kurt, it's great to have you with us,
2:04.1	particularly given that we're going to be talking about your new book, the deepest place,
2:10.6	suffering and the formation of hope. So again, if you don't know, Kurt, let me just promise a quick survey of Amazon
2:20.8	will take you to some amazing works. Really, we spent our last time looking at the soul of shame
	...

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