October 10, 2023 • 46 mins
Today is World Mental Health Day, and that’s why it's the perfect time to talk about the faith-brain connection, and how it has EVERYTHING to do with your own mental and emotional health.
In this next episode of The God Pod, Leanne takes you on a journey to explore the profound interplay between faith, self-image, and neuroscience. Leanne breaks down (in simple science terms) how just influencing ONE specific part of the brain (the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC), or the "social brain" as she calls it) can change the game for you -- simply by knowing about it -- as just this ONE part of the brain influences everything from self-perception and emotional pain to coping mechanisms and physical pain.
Inviting God into the conversation right away, she shares how this region of the brain drives our need for acceptance and connection while also playing a big role in your coping mechanisms or habits which you feel are "out of control".
And it's not just theory either, as she shares evidence-based scientific studies that show how faith has been proven to drastically impact everything from self-esteem and addiction recovery...to the alleviation of physical pain, and how THIS can hold the keys to your own mental and emotional health.
Ultimately, she's simply inviting you to 'try on' this idea that faith can be a catalyst for healing, strength, and transformation in the realm of mental and emotional well-being.
HOST: @LeanneEllington
To learn more about Leanne, head over to www.LeanneEllington.com, and to share your to share your thoughts, questions, feedback, or guest suggestions instantly, head on over to www.WhatsGodGotToDoWithIt.com.
What's God Got to Do With It is an iHeartRadio podcast on the Amy Brown Podcast network. It's written and hosted by Leanne Ellington, Executive Produced by Elizabeth Fazio, Post Production and Editing by Houston Tilley, and Original music written by Cheryl Stark & produced by Adam Stark
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
If you want to go on a journey.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
If you're skeptical, don't worry. Now here to preach.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Want to keep it clean and talk to me and
recase where faith means all nature. Get in touch with
your creator with a bacon, love and June she even
speaks Hebrew.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
What's that, gonz.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
What's that? As well? Said that talking transformation?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
What's done?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Gonzo?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
We are back on what's God got to do with it?
And thank you so much for all the feedback where
you've received so far, and thank you to everyone who
has followed or liked or subscribed to the podcast. And
if you like what you've heard, we have so much
great content on the way for you. So for example,
next week we are going to be talking about what
God's got to do with it when it comes to
(01:05):
food and body image struggles. So if you struggle with
the whole food and body conversation, or maybe you feel
like it's the one thing you can't seem to control
or get a hold of, we are going to talk
about how you can invite God into the conversation and
really see food and body struggles through a new lens.
And we have some other amazing interviews coming in the
(01:26):
next few weeks as well, So make sure that you
like and subscribe and come back every single Tuesday when
new episodes drop of the God Pod. So today just
so happens to be the day of the year that
the World Foundation of Mental Health celebrates World Mental Health Day.
And that's why today is so perfect to talk about
(01:47):
this whole faith brain connection, because I believe that that
has everything to do with your mental emotional health. And
the theme that the Foundation of Mental Health chose for
twenty twenty three is mental health is a universal human right,
and I couldn't agree more. And if you've been listening
to this podcast, you know that my own mental emotional
(02:09):
health was kind of like my kryptonite for much of
my life, and teaching and coaching around mental emotional health
for women and teens is literally my day job. But
the reason I actually started podcasting was because I just
wanted the world to have easy access to the tools
that they need to take ownership of their mental and
emotional health, because it really is a universal human right,
(02:33):
and because the suffering that happens in our heads and
hearts and brains and bodies is also universal. I mean,
no one is immune to challenges and adversity, and our
brains just kind of doing what they do, right, because
stress is universal and we as humans relying on coping
mechanisms of different varieties to deal with those mental emotional
(02:53):
stress stressors. That's also universal. But also this simple but
not always easy desire to just be happy and to
be at peace and feel free. I believe that those
are also universal desires and universal human rights. So as
you soak in today's episode, I just want to plant
(03:15):
the seed that your mental and I would put emotional
and spiritual health in that same category, but that a
your mental health matters, and B you have a right
to feel healthy in your mind, brain, body, and spirit.
But here's what I also say about it. Okay, since
you do have a brain, I'm inviting you to have
a conversation about taking ownership and responsibility rather than letting
(03:39):
your brain run and do its thing, taking you down
your own rabbit holes. Right, It's about influencing what you
can influence to create your own peace of mind and
happiness and freedom. So yes, taking care of your mental
emotional health is a brain conversation. But this time around,
I'm also inviting you into the possibility of what if
(04:01):
it was also a God conversation, Like, what if this
time you could invite God into the conversation and ask
God to meet you there and help you and support
you unconditionally and be your most supportive friend and trusted advisor.
But I will also say, and I'm sharing this from
my own experiences of making this so much harder on
(04:21):
myself than it needed to be. It will go a
lot smoother and easier if you shift from this idea
of really taking care of yourself and your mental emotional
health is kind of some sort of burden and shift
it to an assignment or a challenge that you are
choosing to take on. Okay, Because when everything else in
your life or your circumstances feels out of control, your
(04:45):
mental emotional health is one thing that you can influence,
you can focus on, and you can choose what you
feed it, right, But it's also something that you can
surrender over to God at the same time and just
see what happens when you do that. Okay. And again
I'm not just saying like blindly take my word for it.
I'm saying, try it on and see how it feels
(05:07):
for you. Okay. So with that being said, let's just
dive on in. Okay, So this whole faith brain connection
and what I mean when I say where self image
meets neuroscience I shared with you in the very first
episode a scientist goes looking for God. That meeting myself
in my skeptical, cynical mind, but also, you know, stepping
(05:27):
into a God conversation around things I was previously trying
to do through my own might and will was so
so powerful for me because A it completed my story
and b it met me in what I already knew
about the magic and wonder of the brain and the
nervous system. And that's why for the last fifteen years
of my life I have been obsessed with the female
(05:50):
self image, like what is it that makes us see
and perceive ourselves the way that we do? And why
do our brains play tricks on us? And why do
we do what we do? And for me this started
with questions like, you know, why did I just lose
one hundred pounds and totally make over my body, but
my self image is still calling myself fat? Or why
(06:11):
do I still feel like a crazy sugar addict? Or
why do I still feel unworthy, unlovable? Undesirable fill in
the blank, and why didn't my mind and my brain
and my self image play catch up with how my
body physically transformed. And that is why I became obsessed
with researching and understanding the intricacies of the female brain
(06:32):
and self image, because, as you know, I suffered and
struggled with food and my body image and my self
image for decades and the world just kept throwing more
diets at my deeper problems. And you know, this stuff
really is not taught in the mainstream and it's not
made readily available, and that's why I really am so
purposeful about getting this way of thinking out there. But
(06:55):
also I've noticed it's really rare that I find anyone
talking about what God has to do with our own
mental emotional health and how that can be if you
are willing to go there, you know, a really pivotal
piece of the puzzle. So we're going to talk about
where faith meets science in terms of where your self
(07:15):
image lives and how to influence it through neuroscience and
by inviting God into it. But please just know that
we are just scratching the surface of this massive topic,
and there will be multiple episodes that unravel this thread
and peel this onion so that you can, you know,
actually feel true worthiness down in your bones, like not
(07:36):
just this ambiguous you know, oh, just love yourself the
way you are kind of fake positivity that a lot
of the world is giving us. I'm talking about taking
a systematic and scientific approach to self love and self
trust and actually transforming the way that you see yourself
while you invite God into this conversation. Or maybe that's
(07:56):
where it starts, right, So that is actually where I
want to start today. Essentially, you know, it's this is
an introduction to where your self image and your self
perception actually live and how to start influencing it, and
how to invite God into that conversation from day one,
and you probably guessed it, I want to start with
your self image, Okay. So when I say self image,
(08:19):
essentially it's the goggles that you are seeing yourself through
day in day out. Okay, It's your personal view or
mental picture that you have of yourself. And so imagine
all of the thoughts that you think about yourself on
a day to day basis. So maybe you're calling yourself
things like intelligent or kind, or beautiful or talented, or
(08:40):
maybe you're calling yourself a loser or ugly or a
disappointment or selfish, unworthy, unlovable, you name it right. Basically,
however you are regarding yourself or perceiving yourself, like how
you view your strengths or your weaknesses, you are defining
yourself and painting a picture of yourself and then living
(09:00):
into that story and picture, and then your beliefs and
your habits and your behaviors follow that story. Okay. And
that's why I always say what you see is who
you be, which is really just to say that how
you're showing up in your life, whether that's physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, relationally, whatever, Okay,
(09:21):
how you're showing up in your life is a direct
reflection of what you see as being true about yourself
relative to each of these areas. Okay, So if you
see yourself as beautiful and lovable and irreplaceable, then you
be someone who shows up in the world as beautiful
and lovable and irreplaceable. What you see is who you be.
(09:43):
But on the other hand, if you see yourself as
imperfect and flawed and ugly, unlovable, unworthy fill in the blank,
then you'll be the person who meets the circumstances of
your life as that person. Okay, again, what you see
is who you be. And that's why doing the out
there work and I'm putting out there in quotes, right,
(10:05):
you know, the diets and the gym stuff and the
goal based or motivational stuff, it usually falls short for
us or it doesn't really address the deeper stuff going on,
because we will only ever be the person that we see.
What you see is who you be. And that's why
I always say true transformation begins with the self image
(10:26):
and really stepping into a new identity. And I learned
this the hard way, you know, after losing one hundred
pounds and making over my body, you know, because I
didn't address this self image and body image and the
wiring in my brain that was causing me to think
and act and feel and behave like I was fat,
unworthy of failure, destined to stay this way forever, whatever
(10:47):
painful words I was using. Okay, yes, I lost a
lot of weight, but I never transformed my identity. And
I brought all of my old habits, thinking, and behaviors
with me. Because I brought my old self image with me. Now,
keep in mind that when I started on my own
self image path, I didn't have God in my life yet,
or at least I just didn't know that I did.
(11:09):
But by some divine miracle, I eventually had the insight
and awareness to just realize, like, Okay, I'm never going
to be able to outdiet or outwork or outsmart the
wiring that's been laying down in my brain for a
long time and really my self image, and I was
not going to be able to do it all on
my own either, Like I needed help and I needed
a lifeline, and yes, in many ways, I needed to
(11:32):
be saved from myself, Okay. And that's why I get
so excited to bring God into this conversation and talk
about what's God got to do with it when it
comes to your self image, because I believe there is
absolutely a faith brain connection. So when it comes to
the collective stories that we're telling ourselves on repeat about ourselves,
(11:53):
where yeah, maybe we are using hurtful words like unworthy
or unlovable or you know, just identif fine with words
like shame or self rejection, but it's also those sneaky
stories that we tell ourselves that maybe we're we're different
or weird, or maybe we just don't belong, or maybe
we're telling ourselves that we're all alone in this world
(12:13):
or isolated, right, Like you get the picture on that
side of it, right, those isolation words. And if you're
anything like me, I also thought that I was crazy,
Like I thought that, like I was morally and undoubtedly
broken and fill in the blank down that rabbit hole, right,
And that really is its own rabbit hole when you're
calling yourself crazy or broken, because when we feel those things,
(12:35):
we also feel isolated or disconnected, and that's its own
rabbit hole as well, or at least it can be
if our self image is untamed or unmanaged or just
you know, growing metaphorical weeds without us weeding the metaphorical garden.
And that's why write off the bat. I'm going to
dive into a very specific part of the brain. And
(12:57):
it's the part of the brain that I have been,
you know, semi obsessed with for many years because it's
essentially where your self image and self perception live. And
I'm starting here because this is the stuff that if
I knew about this when I was younger, it would
have saved me so much suffering because understanding why I
(13:17):
do what I do and really understanding how this part
of the brain works. Honestly, it kind of helped me
own my crazy, as I lovingly say, now, but what
I really mean by that is I can now see
that I wasn't crazy at all. Okay, My brain was
just doing what it does and what it got fired
and wired to do and repeated until I changed the pattern.
(13:40):
So we are going to get a big geeky, but
I promise it will all make sense and become really
important to your own faith brain connection. Okay. So this
specific part of the brain I really want you to
get familiar with is called the anterior singulate cortex, but
you're going to hear me calling it acc for sure.
Acc Okay. And the reason I believe it is so
(14:03):
darn important is because of all of the radically important
stuff that goes on in this part of the brain. So,
first of all, like I said, it's where our brain
is largely responsible for self perception and self reflection aka
your self image. Okay, but this is also where a
large majority of your emotional pain receptors and your social
(14:26):
pain receptors, as you'll learn about in a bit, which,
as you'll learn, is also a big time influencer when
it comes to conversations about addiction or just relying on
any coping mechanisms or anything you feel out of control of. Right, So,
whether that's food or alcohol, or shopping or Netflix, you
name it, Yes, that is all an ACC thing as well. Okay,
(14:46):
but if that's not important enough, all of that stuff
that I just mentioned, the ACC is also where a
large majority of your physical and physiological pain receptors live
as well. So for example, if I hurt my shoulder,
the injury lives in the shoulder, but the pain I'm
experiencing lives in the brain, a large majority of it,
(15:09):
specifically in that ACC. So just that alone, those three things,
can you see why this part of the brain is
so important to know about and just try to take
care of and keep healthy? Right? But also can you
see how it would be a really powerful experience to
invite God into conversations about this part of your brain
(15:31):
as well. So that's exactly what we're gonna do, And
I'm just gonna break down each part really quickly for
like the logic and reason side of it for you,
and then we're going to directly invite God into these conversations.
And as you'll learn, there's literally evidence based science out
there that backs this up. So let's go through these
one by one. So let's go through these one by one.
(16:03):
So first, is the self perception and self reflection part
of your brain and your self image. Okay, So a
quick thing about the ACC, or the social brain as
I call it. I teach my clients to remember the
three letters ACC by remembering acceptance, connection and care. ACC acceptance,
connection and care. And that's because your ACC's job is
(16:25):
to look for acceptance, connection and care from others, but
it also is looking to feel it from yourself. It
doesn't really care if it's from others or from yourself.
It just needs to feel accepted, connected, and cared for.
And so. In other words, in order for your social
brain to feel safe and not go into its own
form of fight or flight, it needs to feel emotionally
(16:48):
and socially safe. Okay, More specifically, it needs connection. It
needs belonging, inclusion and really actual human connection. So either
feeling accepted and connected and cared for from yourself or
to feel that from others. Okay, and guys, this isn't
just a desire. It is a require. It's not just
(17:08):
a want, it is a need from your social brain.
And ladies that are listening. And interesting thing about the
ACC is it's bigger and more active in females than
it is in males. Okay, And so I want to
quote one of my favorite neuroscientists, doctor Lewin Bresendein, because
she says it best when she says this. Okay, she said,
(17:28):
more than ninety nine percent of male and female genetic
coding is exactly the same out of thirty thousand genes
in the human genome. The less than one percent variation
between the sexes aka male and female is small, but
that one percent difference influences every single cell in our bodies,
from the nerves that register pleasure and pain to the
(17:51):
neurons that transmit perception, thoughts, feelings, and emotions. So that's
what one of my favorite brain scientists, Lemann Bresandin said.
And here's the thing. One of the biggest differences. She says,
that one percent difference, the biggest difference is the ACC. Okay,
it is bigger and more active in females than it
is in male. So, ladies that social emotional pain center
(18:15):
of your brain essentially needs more love. You need more acceptance,
connection and care. And really understanding that side of it,
it really helped me realize like, Okay, I'm not crazy,
I'm not over emotional, I'm not needy. I'm just a woman.
And now I know that my female brain needs a
(18:35):
bit more acceptance, connection and care, and it needs more love.
But here's what I also say about this social brain
and self image conversation. It is not practical or even
possible for anyone to just not care what other people
think about us. Like if you've ever heard somebody be like, oh,
I don't care what they think about us, Honestly, it's
not true, because our brains are wired to care about
(18:57):
what other people think about us. Like that's what the
acc does, and especially that female brain, right, We're wired
to actively notice other people's opinions and judges and judgments,
I should say, more than the male brain notices them.
So yeah, it's not possible to not care what other
people's opinions are of you. But here's what is possible.
It is possible to figure out what it would take
(19:19):
for you to value your own opinion of yourself more
so or even just a little bit more so than
someone else's opinion of you. And I truly believe that
the best way to do that is to align with
God's view of who you are, not society, not your
neighbors down the road, or that woman you follow on
Instagram that you're comparing yourself to. Right, I believe it's
(19:42):
possible to build an identity and recreate your self image
through the eyes of unconditional love and unconditional acceptance, connection
and care. And I believe that God is the perfect
set of eyes to start seeing yourself through. In other words,
what would it be like if you didn't need, you know,
endorsement or approval from somebody else to tell you who
(20:05):
you are, or tell you how much you're worth, or
tell you how beautiful or desirable you are, or if
you have the air quotes right to feel that way
for yourself. And let's be honest, like we're human. It's
very nice to get that confirmation and affirmation from others,
like we're only human. But what would it be like
if you didn't need it and rely on it from
others and you were able to provide it for yourself
(20:27):
because you were getting your identity from God and through
the eyes of unconditional love and unconditional acceptance. Right, Like,
just imagine what would you be walking like, and talking like,
and thinking like and feeling like if you were walking
around seeing yourself and your life through those eyes, through
God's eyes. An identity built and based in that, right
(20:48):
and imagine how your self image would be impacted if
you were walking around seeing your life through those eyes
and through God's eyes. And we're going to come back
to that, I promise, But I also want to touch
on remember how I said that the ACC was also
a big player in things like addiction and coping mechanisms
or you know, just kind of feeling dependent or codependent
(21:08):
or just out of control of something. And I believe
the ACC is also primarily where addiction and coping mechanisms
actually live. And here's what I mean by that. Now, First,
I want to just give a little disclaimer because this
is a massive topic. Okay, all of this really is
a massive topic, and none of this episode, but especially
when we're talking about a big thing like addiction. I
(21:29):
am not here claiming that this podcast episode is going
to solve addiction or even close to being a substitute
for getting actual help. And support. Right, I'm simply here
to help you understand a bit more about maybe you
know why you do what you do, and of course
invite God into this conversation, right. And I know this
is a massive topic. It's loaded with emotions and history
(21:51):
and oftentimes trauma. So please don't hear what I'm not saying, Okay.
My hope is just to help you understand so that
you can approach your struggles with compassion and care rather
than judgment or shame. So back to the ACC. So
I'm going to kind of describe this cause and effect
cascade that happens in the brain. And I'm actually going
(22:11):
to use sugar for example. But you know, let's be honest,
sometimes it's wine. Sometimes it's Netflix, mindless TV, online shopping,
scrolling Instagram, anything that really numbs you out, distracts you,
you know, causes you to procrastinate, like drugs, you right,
and again, like we all have our own drug of choice.
There's no there's no shame in that, right, but just no,
Like this really is a small snapshot of how your
(22:32):
ACC works. And of course I'm giving you the very
oversimplified version, but I wanted to kind of lay out
this cascade for you. Okay. So when you're reaching for
your drug of choice, your social brain, like your ACC,
is actually looking for oxytocin. Okay. And oxytocin is the
love and comfort and emotional or psychological safety hormone, and
(22:54):
the ACC has one of the highest densities of opioid
receptors in your brain. And I want you to remember
that because it's going to be important. So here's the thing.
Your ACC or social brain as I call it, will
get it. It will get oxytocin. Okay. Like I said,
it's not just something that your ACC desires. It requires oxytocin.
(23:16):
But it becomes a matter of what you feed your
brain because here's what's also happening, and a lot of
times it's happening without you knowing it. So, like I said,
your brain requires connection oxytocin, that safety love connection hormone
that we talked about instead in those moments, because our
brain doesn't know or maybe it's misfiring. We feed ourselves,
(23:38):
you know, food or mindless TV or mindless web scrolling
or compulsive shopping, or maybe it's actual drugs or alcohol, right,
But really it's any activity that numbs or distracts or
comforts in that moment. So in turn, instead of giving
our brains what it really needs in that moment, which
is oxytocin, we are giving it endless amounts of this high,
(23:59):
like a synthe high of the drug itself, which is
actually not an oxytocin payoff. It's actually creating a dopamine
serotonin payoff. But in those moments, what our brain is
truly craving is connection and oxytocin, and in turn, our
social brain it stays hungry, like it's still hungry for
that oxytocin because it's still not getting it because we're
(24:22):
giving it endless amounts of dopamine instead. So essentially we
are feeding loneliness and sadness and shame and stress and
boredom with like fake connection like TV and food and
other drugs, And in turn we remain overfed, but we're undernourished,
and we stay undernourished because our brain still craze that oxytocin.
(24:44):
But again, the pattern keeps going, and this is the
vicious cycle that keeps happening over and over and over again,
and it's fired and wired in your brain. And that's
why willpower or trying to outmotivate or white knuckle your
way through it probably isn't worth looking or it doesn't
work very long, because that problem is never going to
be solved with logic reason because it is emotional. It's
(25:08):
in your brain. In fact, your brain is just doing
what it's been programmed to do. Require oxytocin and expect
to get that hit of dopamine in return. Okay, But
also this is the perfect place to invite God into
the conversation, because in reality, this is your brain screaming
at you to feed it what it really needs. And
(25:29):
here's a hint. It's oftentimes a spiritual need and an
emotional need. But in the moment, your brain thinks it
wants sugar or Netflix or drugs or alcohol or sex
or whatever. But in reality, it doesn't want that thing.
It wants oxytocin and heart soul spirit connection. But it's
just been programmed and fired and wired to get that
(25:50):
other thing. It's been programmed to live in a state
of being overfed yet undernourished. So I really want you
to start seeing this through the eyes of like, what
spiritual need and emotional need am I filling with my
own drug of choice. Okay, just think about that, like,
what when I'm finding and feeding my drug of choice,
(26:12):
what's the emotional and spiritual need that I am really
filling right there? And we're gonna come back to that
when we talk about the faith brain connection because it's
so important. But first let's look at that third piece
of this puzzle, because it actually totally overlaps and is
very related to what we just talked about, the addiction
coping mechanism kind of things, because you can't look at
(26:32):
the pleasure seeking side of your brain without looking at
the counterpart that manages or soothes pain.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Right.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
So there's pleasure seeking and then there's like pain relieving.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Right.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
So the ACC also has one of the highest densities
of pain receptors as well in your brain. Okay, So,
like I said before, if I hurt my shoulder, the
injury itself is in the shoulder, but a lot of
the pain I'm experiencing is being processed by the ACC
in your brain. And this is where I'll also say,
(27:02):
and I'm not going to go too deep into this
today because it's also a really big topic, but there's
also a lot of evidenced based research that's been done
on the social emotional pain that humans experience, where they're
finding that emotional pain is actually manifesting as physiological pain. Okay,
so emotional pain is being experienced, but it's manifesting as
(27:24):
physical pain. And so, for example, you know, take something
like fibromialgia, and this is fascinating to me, and I
won't go too deep into it, but this is a
great example. So if you take something like fibromyalgia, which
is typically regarded as a physical pain disorder, a lot
of times it's called a FAN, it's called phantom pain
disorder because a lot of times doctors it's unexplained, so
to speak. But there's been studies that show when a
(27:47):
fibromyalgia sufferer is placed under an fMRI machine, the brain
scan shows that the ACC is essentially like firing and overdrive.
And that same study that I'm that I'm referring to,
it showed that the number one treatment for fibromyalga pain
in that study was not physical therapy, and it wasn't
pain meds or pain management. It was getting these people
(28:10):
connected with other fibromyalgia sufferers. It was getting them in
community and connecting their acc social brain to other humans
going through the same thing, okay, aka getting their social
brain that oxytocin social connection. And what this study concluded
was that fibromyalgia could very well be a social disorder,
(28:33):
not a physical one. In other words, the ACC was
essentially in pain and there was what could be considered
like kind of a sensory mismatch, meaning the emotional pain
centers were firing in the ACC, but it was manifesting
physiologically because remember those emotional pain centers and the physiological
pain receptors are all predominantly in the ACC. And when
(28:57):
they attended to the social emotional pain in ACA, the
physiological pain decreased significantly, way more than with meds or
PT and so feeding and taking care of the social
brain is what helped the most with their physical pain. Okay.
And this is so fascinating, right, Like just this brain
(29:18):
stuff to me was revelatory because again it made me realize, like, Okay,
I'm not crazy or weak willed or weird or different.
I just need to learn to take care of my
brain just like I take care of my body. But
if you think that's cool, then let's look at all
three of the important aspects of the ACC that we
just talked about, and let's look at it through the
(29:40):
faith lens. Okay, and let's directly invite God into this
conversation one by one. Let's look at all three of
the important aspects of the acc that we just talked about,
(30:00):
and let's look at it through the faith lens. Okay,
and let's directly invite God into this conversation one by one.
So first, let's look at self image and self perception
and where faith meets science, like, let's see what God's
got to say about it. So first I just want
to mention there was a national study conducted by the
(30:20):
Association of Religion Data Archives, and it concluded that worship, attendance,
and prayer and the specific act of someone committing their
life to Christ, like this is what the study said.
It said the specific act of somebody committing their life
to Christ was all related to higher self esteem when
the individuals reported a close relationship with and I'm quoting
(30:44):
here a divine being who cared about them, A divine
being who cared about them, Okay, And the sociologist that
conducted this experiment said that when humans have what they
called the ultimate friend on their side, it made a
big difference when it comes to self respect and self worth. Guys,
this is literally a study to see the impact of
(31:06):
faith on self image and self worth. And what they
concluded was that and I quote, a sense of divine
support is a robust predictor of self esteem. It is
a robust predictor, robust, robust potato potato, but it literally
is predicting self esteem. Okay, And here's the thing I
really want you to take away from this study. Because
(31:26):
language we've talked about is so important. Notice the kind
of relationship with God in Christ that this study specifically
talks about. In their language, they referred to having a
relationship with Christ where he was like the air quote's
ultimate friend and a divine being who cared about them.
This is about relationship, Okay. It's not religion. It's not
(31:48):
a punishment or shame driven God. It's a relationship with
a loving, redeeming God and a heavenly Father who sees
you and loves you just as you are. And you
don't have to earn it or work for it. And
as Kevin Queen distinguished a few episodes ago, there's a
big difference between religion and faith.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Right.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
The big distinction being that religion is rules and faith
is relationship. And this study just shows that faith as
a relationship with God and Christ as the ultimate friend
and someone who cares about you is scientifically proven to
improve your self esteem and self worth. Now, let's look
at what God's got to say about it by going
(32:27):
into his word Like this from First Samuel sixteen seven.
It says, but the Lord said to Samuel, don't judge
by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him.
The Lord doesn't see things the way that you see them.
People judge by outward appearance. But the Lord looks at
the heart. The Lord looks at the heart. I love that,
(32:49):
Like How often are our self image is based solely
on what we look like or quantifiable things like money
and bank balance and scale weight and gene size and
all those things. The Lord look at the heart. Can
you imagine if you walked around reminding yourself of that?
Or this one from First Peter, chapter three, verses three
through four reminds us of something similar. It says, don't
(33:11):
be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry,
or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the
beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a
gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God
and to me. This is about working on your inner beauty,
because what you see is who you be, and the
(33:33):
beauty within you that has nothing to do with the
worldly ways that we comprise our self worth is so
so precious to God. And of course this one from
Tewod Corinthians five seventeen. This means that anyone who belongs
to Christ has become a new person. The old life
is gone, a new life has begun. And this just
(33:54):
reminds me that you can take on a new story
and a new identity any time you choose. And I've
shared throughout this entire podcast, I tried on the story
that God sent his son Jesus to die for all
my sins so that I didn't have to live in
my own burden and shame any longer, and I could
be a new creation in Christ, and that when I
chose to follow him, the old is God and the
(34:16):
new has come, and that I can take the pen
and I can rewrite my story with God. And when
I tried on that story, and I literally just asked
God to show me who I really am and show
me how he sees me. Everything transformed because what you
see is who you be. And when I started seeing
myself through his eyes, Wow, it completely transformed my life.
(34:41):
And yeah, it started with me going down the brain
and science rabbit hole. But when I started asking, you know,
what's God got to do with all this self imaged
stuff and what's God reflecting back to me in the
mirror of my own self perception, what happened is beyond description.
And yeah, I use words like miracles because that's what
it felt like, thirty years of toxic shame and having
(35:02):
self rejection and self abandonment as my emotional home. And
really that's why I'm inviting you to try this on.
Try on that you're not crazy or weak willed. You
just have a brain, and ask God to fill you
with new beliefs and new elements of your identity and
step into your own rebirth because what you see is
(35:23):
who you be. And keep in mind, I am just
giving you examples of scripture that resonated with me. But
like we talked about in last week's episode, resonance is everything.
So it's important that you find scripture that resonates with you.
So for the next part, remember how I also said
that the ACC was a big player in coping mechanisms
(35:43):
or you know, feeling dependent or out of control or
even outright addiction. So again this is a big topic
and obviously not someone and done conversation. But I also
want to say this again just to reiterate. You know,
you are not crazy, and you are not weak willed,
and you are simply doing what your brain got fired
and wired to do. But this is also a brain
that God created and God gifted you with, and if
(36:06):
you feel lost or in the dark, then this is
the perfect place to meet God and invite him in there.
So let's see where faith meets science when it comes
to addiction or feeling out of control or you know,
relying on coping mechanisms. So a national study by the
Association of Religion Data Archives where they basically corelated one
(36:27):
hundred and eighty five different studies on faith's impacts on
different things such as you know, depression, mental health, you
name it. But they concluded that out of the one
hundred eighty five studies that they located, eighty four percent
of them, eighty four percent of them found that faith
reduced the risks of drug abuse. This you know, study
(36:48):
of studies, as I'm calling it, it's literally called belief
behavior and belonging. How faith is indispensable in preventing and
recovering from substance abuse. And it's no wonder that seventy
three percent of addiction treatment programs in the USA include
a spirituality or faith based element, and it's part of
twelve step programs. And of course it was initially made
(37:10):
popular by alcoholics Anonymous, where a lot of its core
principles emphasize relying on God or a higher power to
stay sober. But as you learned, when we talk about
that acc that social brain, it might not necessarily be
drugs or alcohol or sex, or maybe it is those things,
but it can also feel like we're addicted to food
(37:30):
or social media or dating apps or fill in the blank.
And again, yes, it's a conversation of taking radical ownership
and responsibility and doing the work to rewire your brain.
But it's literally proven that inviting God into this conversation
will miraculously help and speed up recovery and I'll add
keep you on the path. So that's what science says
(37:53):
about the faith brain connection for this. But let's look.
Let's take a look at what God has to say
about it. Let's go to God's word. So from First
Corinthians ten thirteen, it says, the temptations in your life
are no different from what others experience, and God is faithful.
He will not allow the temptation to be more than
you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show
(38:15):
you a way out so that you can ender. And
this is where I'll say it again. You are not crazy,
you're not weak willed. You are human and your temptations
are also the human part of you. But God will
not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.
And if you feel lost or in the dark or
out of control, this is the perfect place to meet
(38:36):
God and ask him to meet you there. First Corinthians
six ' twelve says, you say I'm allowed to do anything,
but not everything is good for you. And even though
I'm allowed to do anything, I must not become a
slave to anything. So there's a difference between yeah, you're allowed,
but not being a slave. And that reminds me, Yeah,
(38:58):
we have free will, right, but not everything serves us.
And for me. This was about looking at what I
was a slave to, like what owned me? Right, And
I was a slave to so many things over my life, food,
opinions of others, we relationships, alcohol, friendships, dating sites, you
name it. But I finally did just have to acknowledge like, wow,
this does own me and I'm not really free. And
(39:21):
I had to get to that point where I said,
you know, I refuse to go another day without figuring
out how to heal this. And it's not just about
giving it to God. It's about radical personal responsibility and
ownership while I give it over to God and have
him help me sort it out. But I feel like
that in itself is an important distinction, like taking personal
(39:41):
responsibility and ownership of your struggles while you invite God
in and surrender it over to God.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
Right.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
It's not one of these things of like, oh God,
just do it for me. It's like, no, you have
to do the work too. But when you invite God
into that again, miracles happen. And in one Peter five
ten it says, in his kind kindness, God called you
to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus.
So after you have suffered a little while, he will
(40:09):
restore support and strengthen you, and he will place you
on a firm foundation. Okay, So to that, I say,
even if you feel like you are at rock bottom
or you're suffering, or maybe you feel unhelpable or like
you're a lost cause or just destined to struggle with
your vice forever, there is a restorative, healing power in
(40:29):
the name of Jesus that can strengthen you and give
you a new healthy foundation. God's love will restore support
and strengthen you, and he will place you on a
firm foundation. And again, don't just take my word for
it blindly. Try this on right. Ask God to fill
you with new beliefs and new faith and new elements
(40:51):
of your identity and step into your own rebirth right.
And of course yes you have to take radical ownership
and change what's going on in your brain. But again,
ask God to meet you there. And I'm just giving
you examples of scripture that resonated with me. But again,
resonance is everything, So make sure that you find scripture
that resonates with you. Okay. And last, but not least,
(41:12):
let's look at where faith meets science when it comes
to physical pain and what God's got to say about that.
So there's a study out of Canada that they did
it in two thousand and eight and it was thirty
seven thousand people that were fifteen years or older and
the study concluded that faith based individuals and they literally
defined faith based individuals as measuring it by worship frequency
(41:37):
together with the importance of spiritual values. So having spiritual
values and worship in prayer okay. So faith based individuals
based on that definition were associated with lower levels of
chronic pain and fatigue syndromes. But on top of that,
frequent warship attendance was also associated with better psychological well
(41:58):
being in the populations that suffered from chronic pain and fatigue.
Faith was associated with the use of positive psychological and
positive physical coping mechanism. So again they also saw this
alignment where where again it's connected to what we talked
about in our last section of the coping mechanisms. Faith
also changed how people cope, okay, And again this is
(42:20):
the evidence based science is pointing to the fact that
having a faith life and a relationship with God and
a prayer life and worship is a pain reliever. So
let's take it even further by looking to God's word
and seeing what God's got to say about it. So
from Psalm six to two, it says, have compassion on me, Lord,
(42:41):
for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones
are an agony. And this is literally a prayer. Okay.
This is an example of asking God for healing and
strength and for relief from the agony, which we just
learned that faith and prayer is scientifically proven to help
alleviate pain, and the Bible aligns with Philippians four thirteen says,
(43:02):
for I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
And this just reminds me to look to God for strength.
And yes, don't hear what I'm not saying, like, definitely
do all you can do for yourself physically and to
heal from what's ailing you. But to me, this reminds
me to let God do the heavy lifting in my head,
(43:23):
heart and spirit, and He gives me true inner strength
when I might feel physically weak, for I can do
everything through Christ, who gives me strength. And then of
course there's this scripture that has given me peace in
so many different situations but I feel like it's so
relevant to this. It's from Psalm thirty four eighteen and
it says the Lord is close to the broken hearted.
(43:43):
He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Because let's be honest,
pain and unexplained illness or physical mental emotional distress can
be soul and spirit crushing, you know what I mean.
And even when the circumstances feel like it's more than
you can bear, this scripture reminds me that this is
when God is closest to your reach. The Lord is
(44:05):
close to the broken hearted, and he rescues those whose
spirits are crushed. And again, like just reach out, Like
try it on, Try reaching out to God when you're
broken hearted. Try reaching out to God when your spirits
are crushed. And you know, these are just obviously some
of the examples of the healing power of God's word
and the healing power of faith and the healing power
of Jesus. But again, it's up to you to meet
(44:28):
God there, right, That's all I'm inviting you to do.
And really, the big point of this conversation like what
if you simply started looking at your mental emotional health
and your beliefs and self image and your coping mechanisms
are parts of your life where you feel bondage and yes,
even your physical pain. And what if this was all
(44:48):
a God conversation?
Speaker 1 (44:49):
Right?
Speaker 2 (44:50):
This is the kind of stuff that is happening in
our social brains, whether we are aware of it or not.
But this is also the part of the brain that
I believe if we invite God in in absolute miracles
can happen. Right, Our minds can be renewed, identities can
be reshaped, and hope and healing in our mental emotional
health can be something that we can continually invite God
(45:12):
into the conversation. And as always, everything I share is
simply an invitation without expectation, to just try on a
new story or new perspective and see what meets you
where you are in your own journey. So, if you're
wondering what's God got to do with your mental and
emotional health, I'm here to tell you everything, everything you
(45:33):
know and everything you didn't know you didn't know. We
will be back with more what's God got to do
with it? But in the meantime, I would love to
hear from you, So just tell me where you are
in your own story or maybe what questions you have?
You know, where do you feel like you need more
clarity or wisdom or direction in your own journey. I
(45:55):
definitely want to hear from you, So head on over
to What's God Got to Do with It and scroll
down to the forum to share your thoughts, questions. Our
feedback instantly. That's What's God Got to Do with It
dot com And if you like this podcast and want
to hear more, follow like and subscribe wherever you listen
to podcasts to get your weekly dose of What's God
(46:17):
Got to Do with It? New episodes drop every Tuesday,
and while you're there, be sure to rate and review
to show your support. It really means so much. What's
God Got to Do With It is an iHeartRadio podcast
on the Amy Brown Podcast Network. It's written and hosted
by me Leanne Ellington, executive produced by Elizabeth Fozzio, post
(46:40):
production and editing by Houston Tilley, and original music written
by Cheryl Stark and produced by Adam Stark
If you want to go on a journey.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
If you're skeptical, don't worry. Now here to preach.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Want to keep it clean and talk to me and
recase where faith means all nature. Get in touch with
your creator with a bacon, love and June she even
speaks Hebrew.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
What's that, gonz.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
What's that? As well? Said that talking transformation?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
What's done?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Gonzo?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
We are back on what's God got to do with it?
And thank you so much for all the feedback where
you've received so far, and thank you to everyone who
has followed or liked or subscribed to the podcast. And
if you like what you've heard, we have so much
great content on the way for you. So for example,
next week we are going to be talking about what
God's got to do with it when it comes to
(01:05):
food and body image struggles. So if you struggle with
the whole food and body conversation, or maybe you feel
like it's the one thing you can't seem to control
or get a hold of, we are going to talk
about how you can invite God into the conversation and
really see food and body struggles through a new lens.
And we have some other amazing interviews coming in the
(01:26):
next few weeks as well, So make sure that you
like and subscribe and come back every single Tuesday when
new episodes drop of the God Pod. So today just
so happens to be the day of the year that
the World Foundation of Mental Health celebrates World Mental Health Day.
And that's why today is so perfect to talk about
(01:47):
this whole faith brain connection, because I believe that that
has everything to do with your mental emotional health. And
the theme that the Foundation of Mental Health chose for
twenty twenty three is mental health is a universal human right,
and I couldn't agree more. And if you've been listening
to this podcast, you know that my own mental emotional
(02:09):
health was kind of like my kryptonite for much of
my life, and teaching and coaching around mental emotional health
for women and teens is literally my day job. But
the reason I actually started podcasting was because I just
wanted the world to have easy access to the tools
that they need to take ownership of their mental and
emotional health, because it really is a universal human right,
(02:33):
and because the suffering that happens in our heads and
hearts and brains and bodies is also universal. I mean,
no one is immune to challenges and adversity, and our
brains just kind of doing what they do, right, because
stress is universal and we as humans relying on coping
mechanisms of different varieties to deal with those mental emotional
(02:53):
stress stressors. That's also universal. But also this simple but
not always easy desire to just be happy and to
be at peace and feel free. I believe that those
are also universal desires and universal human rights. So as
you soak in today's episode, I just want to plant
(03:15):
the seed that your mental and I would put emotional
and spiritual health in that same category, but that a
your mental health matters, and B you have a right
to feel healthy in your mind, brain, body, and spirit.
But here's what I also say about it. Okay, since
you do have a brain, I'm inviting you to have
a conversation about taking ownership and responsibility rather than letting
(03:39):
your brain run and do its thing, taking you down
your own rabbit holes. Right, It's about influencing what you
can influence to create your own peace of mind and
happiness and freedom. So yes, taking care of your mental
emotional health is a brain conversation. But this time around,
I'm also inviting you into the possibility of what if
(04:01):
it was also a God conversation, Like, what if this
time you could invite God into the conversation and ask
God to meet you there and help you and support
you unconditionally and be your most supportive friend and trusted advisor.
But I will also say, and I'm sharing this from
my own experiences of making this so much harder on
(04:21):
myself than it needed to be. It will go a
lot smoother and easier if you shift from this idea
of really taking care of yourself and your mental emotional
health is kind of some sort of burden and shift
it to an assignment or a challenge that you are
choosing to take on. Okay, Because when everything else in
your life or your circumstances feels out of control, your
(04:45):
mental emotional health is one thing that you can influence,
you can focus on, and you can choose what you
feed it, right, But it's also something that you can
surrender over to God at the same time and just
see what happens when you do that. Okay. And again
I'm not just saying like blindly take my word for it.
I'm saying, try it on and see how it feels
(05:07):
for you. Okay. So with that being said, let's just
dive on in. Okay, So this whole faith brain connection
and what I mean when I say where self image
meets neuroscience I shared with you in the very first
episode a scientist goes looking for God. That meeting myself
in my skeptical, cynical mind, but also, you know, stepping
(05:27):
into a God conversation around things I was previously trying
to do through my own might and will was so
so powerful for me because A it completed my story
and b it met me in what I already knew
about the magic and wonder of the brain and the
nervous system. And that's why for the last fifteen years
of my life I have been obsessed with the female
(05:50):
self image, like what is it that makes us see
and perceive ourselves the way that we do? And why
do our brains play tricks on us? And why do
we do what we do? And for me this started
with questions like, you know, why did I just lose
one hundred pounds and totally make over my body, but
my self image is still calling myself fat? Or why
(06:11):
do I still feel like a crazy sugar addict? Or
why do I still feel unworthy, unlovable? Undesirable fill in
the blank, and why didn't my mind and my brain
and my self image play catch up with how my
body physically transformed. And that is why I became obsessed
with researching and understanding the intricacies of the female brain
(06:32):
and self image, because, as you know, I suffered and
struggled with food and my body image and my self
image for decades and the world just kept throwing more
diets at my deeper problems. And you know, this stuff
really is not taught in the mainstream and it's not
made readily available, and that's why I really am so
purposeful about getting this way of thinking out there. But
(06:55):
also I've noticed it's really rare that I find anyone
talking about what God has to do with our own
mental emotional health and how that can be if you
are willing to go there, you know, a really pivotal
piece of the puzzle. So we're going to talk about
where faith meets science in terms of where your self
(07:15):
image lives and how to influence it through neuroscience and
by inviting God into it. But please just know that
we are just scratching the surface of this massive topic,
and there will be multiple episodes that unravel this thread
and peel this onion so that you can, you know,
actually feel true worthiness down in your bones, like not
(07:36):
just this ambiguous you know, oh, just love yourself the
way you are kind of fake positivity that a lot
of the world is giving us. I'm talking about taking
a systematic and scientific approach to self love and self
trust and actually transforming the way that you see yourself
while you invite God into this conversation. Or maybe that's
(07:56):
where it starts, right, So that is actually where I
want to start today. Essentially, you know, it's this is
an introduction to where your self image and your self
perception actually live and how to start influencing it, and
how to invite God into that conversation from day one,
and you probably guessed it, I want to start with
your self image, Okay. So when I say self image,
(08:19):
essentially it's the goggles that you are seeing yourself through
day in day out. Okay, It's your personal view or
mental picture that you have of yourself. And so imagine
all of the thoughts that you think about yourself on
a day to day basis. So maybe you're calling yourself
things like intelligent or kind, or beautiful or talented, or
(08:40):
maybe you're calling yourself a loser or ugly or a
disappointment or selfish, unworthy, unlovable, you name it right. Basically,
however you are regarding yourself or perceiving yourself, like how
you view your strengths or your weaknesses, you are defining
yourself and painting a picture of yourself and then living
(09:00):
into that story and picture, and then your beliefs and
your habits and your behaviors follow that story. Okay. And
that's why I always say what you see is who
you be, which is really just to say that how
you're showing up in your life, whether that's physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, relationally, whatever, Okay,
(09:21):
how you're showing up in your life is a direct
reflection of what you see as being true about yourself
relative to each of these areas. Okay, So if you
see yourself as beautiful and lovable and irreplaceable, then you
be someone who shows up in the world as beautiful
and lovable and irreplaceable. What you see is who you be.
(09:43):
But on the other hand, if you see yourself as
imperfect and flawed and ugly, unlovable, unworthy fill in the blank,
then you'll be the person who meets the circumstances of
your life as that person. Okay, again, what you see
is who you be. And that's why doing the out
there work and I'm putting out there in quotes, right,
(10:05):
you know, the diets and the gym stuff and the
goal based or motivational stuff, it usually falls short for
us or it doesn't really address the deeper stuff going on,
because we will only ever be the person that we see.
What you see is who you be. And that's why
I always say true transformation begins with the self image
(10:26):
and really stepping into a new identity. And I learned
this the hard way, you know, after losing one hundred
pounds and making over my body, you know, because I
didn't address this self image and body image and the
wiring in my brain that was causing me to think
and act and feel and behave like I was fat,
unworthy of failure, destined to stay this way forever, whatever
(10:47):
painful words I was using. Okay, yes, I lost a
lot of weight, but I never transformed my identity. And
I brought all of my old habits, thinking, and behaviors
with me. Because I brought my old self image with me. Now,
keep in mind that when I started on my own
self image path, I didn't have God in my life yet,
or at least I just didn't know that I did.
(11:09):
But by some divine miracle, I eventually had the insight
and awareness to just realize, like, Okay, I'm never going
to be able to outdiet or outwork or outsmart the
wiring that's been laying down in my brain for a
long time and really my self image, and I was
not going to be able to do it all on
my own either, Like I needed help and I needed
a lifeline, and yes, in many ways, I needed to
(11:32):
be saved from myself, Okay. And that's why I get
so excited to bring God into this conversation and talk
about what's God got to do with it when it
comes to your self image, because I believe there is
absolutely a faith brain connection. So when it comes to
the collective stories that we're telling ourselves on repeat about ourselves,
(11:53):
where yeah, maybe we are using hurtful words like unworthy
or unlovable or you know, just identif fine with words
like shame or self rejection, but it's also those sneaky
stories that we tell ourselves that maybe we're we're different
or weird, or maybe we just don't belong, or maybe
we're telling ourselves that we're all alone in this world
(12:13):
or isolated, right, Like you get the picture on that
side of it, right, those isolation words. And if you're
anything like me, I also thought that I was crazy,
Like I thought that, like I was morally and undoubtedly
broken and fill in the blank down that rabbit hole, right,
And that really is its own rabbit hole when you're
calling yourself crazy or broken, because when we feel those things,
(12:35):
we also feel isolated or disconnected, and that's its own
rabbit hole as well, or at least it can be
if our self image is untamed or unmanaged or just
you know, growing metaphorical weeds without us weeding the metaphorical garden.
And that's why write off the bat. I'm going to
dive into a very specific part of the brain. And
(12:57):
it's the part of the brain that I have been,
you know, semi obsessed with for many years because it's
essentially where your self image and self perception live. And
I'm starting here because this is the stuff that if
I knew about this when I was younger, it would
have saved me so much suffering because understanding why I
(13:17):
do what I do and really understanding how this part
of the brain works. Honestly, it kind of helped me
own my crazy, as I lovingly say, now, but what
I really mean by that is I can now see
that I wasn't crazy at all. Okay, My brain was
just doing what it does and what it got fired
and wired to do and repeated until I changed the pattern.
(13:40):
So we are going to get a big geeky, but
I promise it will all make sense and become really
important to your own faith brain connection. Okay. So this
specific part of the brain I really want you to
get familiar with is called the anterior singulate cortex, but
you're going to hear me calling it acc for sure.
Acc Okay. And the reason I believe it is so
(14:03):
darn important is because of all of the radically important
stuff that goes on in this part of the brain. So,
first of all, like I said, it's where our brain
is largely responsible for self perception and self reflection aka
your self image. Okay, but this is also where a
large majority of your emotional pain receptors and your social
(14:26):
pain receptors, as you'll learn about in a bit, which,
as you'll learn, is also a big time influencer when
it comes to conversations about addiction or just relying on
any coping mechanisms or anything you feel out of control of. Right, So,
whether that's food or alcohol, or shopping or Netflix, you
name it, Yes, that is all an ACC thing as well. Okay,
(14:46):
but if that's not important enough, all of that stuff
that I just mentioned, the ACC is also where a
large majority of your physical and physiological pain receptors live
as well. So for example, if I hurt my shoulder,
the injury lives in the shoulder, but the pain I'm
experiencing lives in the brain, a large majority of it,
(15:09):
specifically in that ACC. So just that alone, those three things,
can you see why this part of the brain is
so important to know about and just try to take
care of and keep healthy? Right? But also can you
see how it would be a really powerful experience to
invite God into conversations about this part of your brain
(15:31):
as well. So that's exactly what we're gonna do, And
I'm just gonna break down each part really quickly for
like the logic and reason side of it for you,
and then we're going to directly invite God into these conversations.
And as you'll learn, there's literally evidence based science out
there that backs this up. So let's go through these
one by one. So let's go through these one by one.
(16:03):
So first, is the self perception and self reflection part
of your brain and your self image. Okay, So a
quick thing about the ACC, or the social brain as
I call it. I teach my clients to remember the
three letters ACC by remembering acceptance, connection and care. ACC acceptance,
connection and care. And that's because your ACC's job is
(16:25):
to look for acceptance, connection and care from others, but
it also is looking to feel it from yourself. It
doesn't really care if it's from others or from yourself.
It just needs to feel accepted, connected, and cared for.
And so. In other words, in order for your social
brain to feel safe and not go into its own
form of fight or flight, it needs to feel emotionally
(16:48):
and socially safe. Okay, More specifically, it needs connection. It
needs belonging, inclusion and really actual human connection. So either
feeling accepted and connected and cared for from yourself or
to feel that from others. Okay, and guys, this isn't
just a desire. It is a require. It's not just
(17:08):
a want, it is a need from your social brain.
And ladies that are listening. And interesting thing about the
ACC is it's bigger and more active in females than
it is in males. Okay, And so I want to
quote one of my favorite neuroscientists, doctor Lewin Bresendein, because
she says it best when she says this. Okay, she said,
(17:28):
more than ninety nine percent of male and female genetic
coding is exactly the same out of thirty thousand genes
in the human genome. The less than one percent variation
between the sexes aka male and female is small, but
that one percent difference influences every single cell in our bodies,
from the nerves that register pleasure and pain to the
(17:51):
neurons that transmit perception, thoughts, feelings, and emotions. So that's
what one of my favorite brain scientists, Lemann Bresandin said.
And here's the thing. One of the biggest differences. She says,
that one percent difference, the biggest difference is the ACC. Okay,
it is bigger and more active in females than it
is in male. So, ladies that social emotional pain center
(18:15):
of your brain essentially needs more love. You need more acceptance,
connection and care. And really understanding that side of it,
it really helped me realize like, Okay, I'm not crazy,
I'm not over emotional, I'm not needy. I'm just a woman.
And now I know that my female brain needs a
(18:35):
bit more acceptance, connection and care, and it needs more love.
But here's what I also say about this social brain
and self image conversation. It is not practical or even
possible for anyone to just not care what other people
think about us. Like if you've ever heard somebody be like, oh,
I don't care what they think about us, Honestly, it's
not true, because our brains are wired to care about
(18:57):
what other people think about us. Like that's what the
acc does, and especially that female brain, right, We're wired
to actively notice other people's opinions and judges and judgments,
I should say, more than the male brain notices them.
So yeah, it's not possible to not care what other
people's opinions are of you. But here's what is possible.
It is possible to figure out what it would take
(19:19):
for you to value your own opinion of yourself more
so or even just a little bit more so than
someone else's opinion of you. And I truly believe that
the best way to do that is to align with
God's view of who you are, not society, not your
neighbors down the road, or that woman you follow on
Instagram that you're comparing yourself to. Right, I believe it's
(19:42):
possible to build an identity and recreate your self image
through the eyes of unconditional love and unconditional acceptance, connection
and care. And I believe that God is the perfect
set of eyes to start seeing yourself through. In other words,
what would it be like if you didn't need, you know,
endorsement or approval from somebody else to tell you who
(20:05):
you are, or tell you how much you're worth, or
tell you how beautiful or desirable you are, or if
you have the air quotes right to feel that way
for yourself. And let's be honest, like we're human. It's
very nice to get that confirmation and affirmation from others,
like we're only human. But what would it be like
if you didn't need it and rely on it from
others and you were able to provide it for yourself
(20:27):
because you were getting your identity from God and through
the eyes of unconditional love and unconditional acceptance. Right, Like,
just imagine what would you be walking like, and talking like,
and thinking like and feeling like if you were walking
around seeing yourself and your life through those eyes, through
God's eyes. An identity built and based in that, right
(20:48):
and imagine how your self image would be impacted if
you were walking around seeing your life through those eyes
and through God's eyes. And we're going to come back
to that, I promise, But I also want to touch
on remember how I said that the ACC was also
a big player in things like addiction and coping mechanisms
or you know, just kind of feeling dependent or codependent
(21:08):
or just out of control of something. And I believe
the ACC is also primarily where addiction and coping mechanisms
actually live. And here's what I mean by that. Now, First,
I want to just give a little disclaimer because this
is a massive topic. Okay, all of this really is
a massive topic, and none of this episode, but especially
when we're talking about a big thing like addiction. I
(21:29):
am not here claiming that this podcast episode is going
to solve addiction or even close to being a substitute
for getting actual help. And support. Right, I'm simply here
to help you understand a bit more about maybe you
know why you do what you do, and of course
invite God into this conversation, right. And I know this
is a massive topic. It's loaded with emotions and history
(21:51):
and oftentimes trauma. So please don't hear what I'm not saying, Okay.
My hope is just to help you understand so that
you can approach your struggles with compassion and care rather
than judgment or shame. So back to the ACC. So
I'm going to kind of describe this cause and effect
cascade that happens in the brain. And I'm actually going
(22:11):
to use sugar for example. But you know, let's be honest,
sometimes it's wine. Sometimes it's Netflix, mindless TV, online shopping,
scrolling Instagram, anything that really numbs you out, distracts you,
you know, causes you to procrastinate, like drugs, you right,
and again, like we all have our own drug of choice.
There's no there's no shame in that, right, but just no,
Like this really is a small snapshot of how your
(22:32):
ACC works. And of course I'm giving you the very
oversimplified version, but I wanted to kind of lay out
this cascade for you. Okay. So when you're reaching for
your drug of choice, your social brain, like your ACC,
is actually looking for oxytocin. Okay. And oxytocin is the
love and comfort and emotional or psychological safety hormone, and
(22:54):
the ACC has one of the highest densities of opioid
receptors in your brain. And I want you to remember
that because it's going to be important. So here's the thing.
Your ACC or social brain as I call it, will
get it. It will get oxytocin. Okay. Like I said,
it's not just something that your ACC desires. It requires oxytocin.
(23:16):
But it becomes a matter of what you feed your
brain because here's what's also happening, and a lot of
times it's happening without you knowing it. So, like I said,
your brain requires connection oxytocin, that safety love connection hormone
that we talked about instead in those moments, because our
brain doesn't know or maybe it's misfiring. We feed ourselves,
(23:38):
you know, food or mindless TV or mindless web scrolling
or compulsive shopping, or maybe it's actual drugs or alcohol, right,
But really it's any activity that numbs or distracts or
comforts in that moment. So in turn, instead of giving
our brains what it really needs in that moment, which
is oxytocin, we are giving it endless amounts of this high,
(23:59):
like a synthe high of the drug itself, which is
actually not an oxytocin payoff. It's actually creating a dopamine
serotonin payoff. But in those moments, what our brain is
truly craving is connection and oxytocin, and in turn, our
social brain it stays hungry, like it's still hungry for
that oxytocin because it's still not getting it because we're
(24:22):
giving it endless amounts of dopamine instead. So essentially we
are feeding loneliness and sadness and shame and stress and
boredom with like fake connection like TV and food and
other drugs, And in turn we remain overfed, but we're undernourished,
and we stay undernourished because our brain still craze that oxytocin.
(24:44):
But again, the pattern keeps going, and this is the
vicious cycle that keeps happening over and over and over again,
and it's fired and wired in your brain. And that's
why willpower or trying to outmotivate or white knuckle your
way through it probably isn't worth looking or it doesn't
work very long, because that problem is never going to
be solved with logic reason because it is emotional. It's
(25:08):
in your brain. In fact, your brain is just doing
what it's been programmed to do. Require oxytocin and expect
to get that hit of dopamine in return. Okay, But
also this is the perfect place to invite God into
the conversation, because in reality, this is your brain screaming
at you to feed it what it really needs. And
(25:29):
here's a hint. It's oftentimes a spiritual need and an
emotional need. But in the moment, your brain thinks it
wants sugar or Netflix or drugs or alcohol or sex
or whatever. But in reality, it doesn't want that thing.
It wants oxytocin and heart soul spirit connection. But it's
just been programmed and fired and wired to get that
(25:50):
other thing. It's been programmed to live in a state
of being overfed yet undernourished. So I really want you
to start seeing this through the eyes of like, what
spiritual need and emotional need am I filling with my
own drug of choice. Okay, just think about that, like,
what when I'm finding and feeding my drug of choice,
(26:12):
what's the emotional and spiritual need that I am really
filling right there? And we're gonna come back to that
when we talk about the faith brain connection because it's
so important. But first let's look at that third piece
of this puzzle, because it actually totally overlaps and is
very related to what we just talked about, the addiction
coping mechanism kind of things, because you can't look at
(26:32):
the pleasure seeking side of your brain without looking at
the counterpart that manages or soothes pain.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Right.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
So there's pleasure seeking and then there's like pain relieving.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Right.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
So the ACC also has one of the highest densities
of pain receptors as well in your brain. Okay, So,
like I said before, if I hurt my shoulder, the
injury itself is in the shoulder, but a lot of
the pain I'm experiencing is being processed by the ACC
in your brain. And this is where I'll also say,
(27:02):
and I'm not going to go too deep into this
today because it's also a really big topic, but there's
also a lot of evidenced based research that's been done
on the social emotional pain that humans experience, where they're
finding that emotional pain is actually manifesting as physiological pain. Okay,
so emotional pain is being experienced, but it's manifesting as
(27:24):
physical pain. And so, for example, you know, take something
like fibromialgia, and this is fascinating to me, and I
won't go too deep into it, but this is a
great example. So if you take something like fibromyalgia, which
is typically regarded as a physical pain disorder, a lot
of times it's called a FAN, it's called phantom pain
disorder because a lot of times doctors it's unexplained, so
to speak. But there's been studies that show when a
(27:47):
fibromyalgia sufferer is placed under an fMRI machine, the brain
scan shows that the ACC is essentially like firing and overdrive.
And that same study that I'm that I'm referring to,
it showed that the number one treatment for fibromyalga pain
in that study was not physical therapy, and it wasn't
pain meds or pain management. It was getting these people
(28:10):
connected with other fibromyalgia sufferers. It was getting them in
community and connecting their acc social brain to other humans
going through the same thing, okay, aka getting their social
brain that oxytocin social connection. And what this study concluded
was that fibromyalgia could very well be a social disorder,
(28:33):
not a physical one. In other words, the ACC was
essentially in pain and there was what could be considered
like kind of a sensory mismatch, meaning the emotional pain
centers were firing in the ACC, but it was manifesting
physiologically because remember those emotional pain centers and the physiological
pain receptors are all predominantly in the ACC. And when
(28:57):
they attended to the social emotional pain in ACA, the
physiological pain decreased significantly, way more than with meds or
PT and so feeding and taking care of the social
brain is what helped the most with their physical pain. Okay.
And this is so fascinating, right, Like just this brain
(29:18):
stuff to me was revelatory because again it made me realize, like, Okay,
I'm not crazy or weak willed or weird or different.
I just need to learn to take care of my
brain just like I take care of my body. But
if you think that's cool, then let's look at all
three of the important aspects of the ACC that we
just talked about, and let's look at it through the
(29:40):
faith lens. Okay, and let's directly invite God into this
conversation one by one. Let's look at all three of
the important aspects of the acc that we just talked about,
(30:00):
and let's look at it through the faith lens. Okay,
and let's directly invite God into this conversation one by one.
So first, let's look at self image and self perception
and where faith meets science, like, let's see what God's
got to say about it. So first I just want
to mention there was a national study conducted by the
(30:20):
Association of Religion Data Archives, and it concluded that worship, attendance,
and prayer and the specific act of someone committing their
life to Christ, like this is what the study said.
It said the specific act of somebody committing their life
to Christ was all related to higher self esteem when
the individuals reported a close relationship with and I'm quoting
(30:44):
here a divine being who cared about them, A divine
being who cared about them, Okay, And the sociologist that
conducted this experiment said that when humans have what they
called the ultimate friend on their side, it made a
big difference when it comes to self respect and self worth. Guys,
this is literally a study to see the impact of
(31:06):
faith on self image and self worth. And what they
concluded was that and I quote, a sense of divine
support is a robust predictor of self esteem. It is
a robust predictor, robust, robust potato potato, but it literally
is predicting self esteem. Okay, And here's the thing I
really want you to take away from this study. Because
(31:26):
language we've talked about is so important. Notice the kind
of relationship with God in Christ that this study specifically
talks about. In their language, they referred to having a
relationship with Christ where he was like the air quote's
ultimate friend and a divine being who cared about them.
This is about relationship, Okay. It's not religion. It's not
(31:48):
a punishment or shame driven God. It's a relationship with
a loving, redeeming God and a heavenly Father who sees
you and loves you just as you are. And you
don't have to earn it or work for it. And
as Kevin Queen distinguished a few episodes ago, there's a
big difference between religion and faith.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Right.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
The big distinction being that religion is rules and faith
is relationship. And this study just shows that faith as
a relationship with God and Christ as the ultimate friend
and someone who cares about you is scientifically proven to
improve your self esteem and self worth. Now, let's look
at what God's got to say about it by going
(32:27):
into his word Like this from First Samuel sixteen seven.
It says, but the Lord said to Samuel, don't judge
by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him.
The Lord doesn't see things the way that you see them.
People judge by outward appearance. But the Lord looks at
the heart. The Lord looks at the heart. I love that,
(32:49):
Like How often are our self image is based solely
on what we look like or quantifiable things like money
and bank balance and scale weight and gene size and
all those things. The Lord look at the heart. Can
you imagine if you walked around reminding yourself of that?
Or this one from First Peter, chapter three, verses three
through four reminds us of something similar. It says, don't
(33:11):
be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry,
or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the
beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a
gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God
and to me. This is about working on your inner beauty,
because what you see is who you be, and the
(33:33):
beauty within you that has nothing to do with the
worldly ways that we comprise our self worth is so
so precious to God. And of course this one from
Tewod Corinthians five seventeen. This means that anyone who belongs
to Christ has become a new person. The old life
is gone, a new life has begun. And this just
(33:54):
reminds me that you can take on a new story
and a new identity any time you choose. And I've
shared throughout this entire podcast, I tried on the story
that God sent his son Jesus to die for all
my sins so that I didn't have to live in
my own burden and shame any longer, and I could
be a new creation in Christ, and that when I
chose to follow him, the old is God and the
(34:16):
new has come, and that I can take the pen
and I can rewrite my story with God. And when
I tried on that story, and I literally just asked
God to show me who I really am and show
me how he sees me. Everything transformed because what you
see is who you be. And when I started seeing
myself through his eyes, Wow, it completely transformed my life.
(34:41):
And yeah, it started with me going down the brain
and science rabbit hole. But when I started asking, you know,
what's God got to do with all this self imaged
stuff and what's God reflecting back to me in the
mirror of my own self perception, what happened is beyond description.
And yeah, I use words like miracles because that's what
it felt like, thirty years of toxic shame and having
(35:02):
self rejection and self abandonment as my emotional home. And
really that's why I'm inviting you to try this on.
Try on that you're not crazy or weak willed. You
just have a brain, and ask God to fill you
with new beliefs and new elements of your identity and
step into your own rebirth because what you see is
(35:23):
who you be. And keep in mind, I am just
giving you examples of scripture that resonated with me. But
like we talked about in last week's episode, resonance is everything.
So it's important that you find scripture that resonates with you.
So for the next part, remember how I also said
that the ACC was a big player in coping mechanisms
(35:43):
or you know, feeling dependent or out of control or
even outright addiction. So again this is a big topic
and obviously not someone and done conversation. But I also
want to say this again just to reiterate. You know,
you are not crazy, and you are not weak willed,
and you are simply doing what your brain got fired
and wired to do. But this is also a brain
that God created and God gifted you with, and if
(36:06):
you feel lost or in the dark, then this is
the perfect place to meet God and invite him in there.
So let's see where faith meets science when it comes
to addiction or feeling out of control or you know,
relying on coping mechanisms. So a national study by the
Association of Religion Data Archives where they basically corelated one
(36:27):
hundred and eighty five different studies on faith's impacts on
different things such as you know, depression, mental health, you
name it. But they concluded that out of the one
hundred eighty five studies that they located, eighty four percent
of them, eighty four percent of them found that faith
reduced the risks of drug abuse. This you know, study
(36:48):
of studies, as I'm calling it, it's literally called belief
behavior and belonging. How faith is indispensable in preventing and
recovering from substance abuse. And it's no wonder that seventy
three percent of addiction treatment programs in the USA include
a spirituality or faith based element, and it's part of
twelve step programs. And of course it was initially made
(37:10):
popular by alcoholics Anonymous, where a lot of its core
principles emphasize relying on God or a higher power to
stay sober. But as you learned, when we talk about
that acc that social brain, it might not necessarily be
drugs or alcohol or sex, or maybe it is those things,
but it can also feel like we're addicted to food
(37:30):
or social media or dating apps or fill in the blank.
And again, yes, it's a conversation of taking radical ownership
and responsibility and doing the work to rewire your brain.
But it's literally proven that inviting God into this conversation
will miraculously help and speed up recovery and I'll add
keep you on the path. So that's what science says
(37:53):
about the faith brain connection for this. But let's look.
Let's take a look at what God has to say
about it. Let's go to God's word. So from First
Corinthians ten thirteen, it says, the temptations in your life
are no different from what others experience, and God is faithful.
He will not allow the temptation to be more than
you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show
(38:15):
you a way out so that you can ender. And
this is where I'll say it again. You are not crazy,
you're not weak willed. You are human and your temptations
are also the human part of you. But God will
not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.
And if you feel lost or in the dark or
out of control, this is the perfect place to meet
(38:36):
God and ask him to meet you there. First Corinthians
six ' twelve says, you say I'm allowed to do anything,
but not everything is good for you. And even though
I'm allowed to do anything, I must not become a
slave to anything. So there's a difference between yeah, you're allowed,
but not being a slave. And that reminds me, Yeah,
(38:58):
we have free will, right, but not everything serves us.
And for me. This was about looking at what I
was a slave to, like what owned me? Right, And
I was a slave to so many things over my life, food,
opinions of others, we relationships, alcohol, friendships, dating sites, you
name it. But I finally did just have to acknowledge like, wow,
this does own me and I'm not really free. And
(39:21):
I had to get to that point where I said,
you know, I refuse to go another day without figuring
out how to heal this. And it's not just about
giving it to God. It's about radical personal responsibility and
ownership while I give it over to God and have
him help me sort it out. But I feel like
that in itself is an important distinction, like taking personal
(39:41):
responsibility and ownership of your struggles while you invite God
in and surrender it over to God.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
Right.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
It's not one of these things of like, oh God,
just do it for me. It's like, no, you have
to do the work too. But when you invite God
into that again, miracles happen. And in one Peter five
ten it says, in his kind kindness, God called you
to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus.
So after you have suffered a little while, he will
(40:09):
restore support and strengthen you, and he will place you
on a firm foundation. Okay, So to that, I say,
even if you feel like you are at rock bottom
or you're suffering, or maybe you feel unhelpable or like
you're a lost cause or just destined to struggle with
your vice forever, there is a restorative, healing power in
(40:29):
the name of Jesus that can strengthen you and give
you a new healthy foundation. God's love will restore support
and strengthen you, and he will place you on a
firm foundation. And again, don't just take my word for
it blindly. Try this on right. Ask God to fill
you with new beliefs and new faith and new elements
(40:51):
of your identity and step into your own rebirth right.
And of course yes you have to take radical ownership
and change what's going on in your brain. But again,
ask God to meet you there. And I'm just giving
you examples of scripture that resonated with me. But again,
resonance is everything, So make sure that you find scripture
that resonates with you. Okay. And last, but not least,
(41:12):
let's look at where faith meets science when it comes
to physical pain and what God's got to say about that.
So there's a study out of Canada that they did
it in two thousand and eight and it was thirty
seven thousand people that were fifteen years or older and
the study concluded that faith based individuals and they literally
defined faith based individuals as measuring it by worship frequency
(41:37):
together with the importance of spiritual values. So having spiritual
values and worship in prayer okay. So faith based individuals
based on that definition were associated with lower levels of
chronic pain and fatigue syndromes. But on top of that,
frequent warship attendance was also associated with better psychological well
(41:58):
being in the populations that suffered from chronic pain and fatigue.
Faith was associated with the use of positive psychological and
positive physical coping mechanism. So again they also saw this
alignment where where again it's connected to what we talked
about in our last section of the coping mechanisms. Faith
also changed how people cope, okay, And again this is
(42:20):
the evidence based science is pointing to the fact that
having a faith life and a relationship with God and
a prayer life and worship is a pain reliever. So
let's take it even further by looking to God's word
and seeing what God's got to say about it. So
from Psalm six to two, it says, have compassion on me, Lord,
(42:41):
for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones
are an agony. And this is literally a prayer. Okay.
This is an example of asking God for healing and
strength and for relief from the agony, which we just
learned that faith and prayer is scientifically proven to help
alleviate pain, and the Bible aligns with Philippians four thirteen says,
(43:02):
for I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
And this just reminds me to look to God for strength.
And yes, don't hear what I'm not saying, like, definitely
do all you can do for yourself physically and to
heal from what's ailing you. But to me, this reminds
me to let God do the heavy lifting in my head,
(43:23):
heart and spirit, and He gives me true inner strength
when I might feel physically weak, for I can do
everything through Christ, who gives me strength. And then of
course there's this scripture that has given me peace in
so many different situations but I feel like it's so
relevant to this. It's from Psalm thirty four eighteen and
it says the Lord is close to the broken hearted.
(43:43):
He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Because let's be honest,
pain and unexplained illness or physical mental emotional distress can
be soul and spirit crushing, you know what I mean.
And even when the circumstances feel like it's more than
you can bear, this scripture reminds me that this is
when God is closest to your reach. The Lord is
(44:05):
close to the broken hearted, and he rescues those whose
spirits are crushed. And again, like just reach out, Like
try it on, Try reaching out to God when you're
broken hearted. Try reaching out to God when your spirits
are crushed. And you know, these are just obviously some
of the examples of the healing power of God's word
and the healing power of faith and the healing power
of Jesus. But again, it's up to you to meet
(44:28):
God there, right, That's all I'm inviting you to do.
And really, the big point of this conversation like what
if you simply started looking at your mental emotional health
and your beliefs and self image and your coping mechanisms
are parts of your life where you feel bondage and yes,
even your physical pain. And what if this was all
(44:48):
a God conversation?
Speaker 1 (44:49):
Right?
Speaker 2 (44:50):
This is the kind of stuff that is happening in
our social brains, whether we are aware of it or not.
But this is also the part of the brain that
I believe if we invite God in in absolute miracles
can happen. Right, Our minds can be renewed, identities can
be reshaped, and hope and healing in our mental emotional
health can be something that we can continually invite God
(45:12):
into the conversation. And as always, everything I share is
simply an invitation without expectation, to just try on a
new story or new perspective and see what meets you
where you are in your own journey. So, if you're
wondering what's God got to do with your mental and
emotional health, I'm here to tell you everything, everything you
(45:33):
know and everything you didn't know you didn't know. We
will be back with more what's God got to do
with it? But in the meantime, I would love to
hear from you, So just tell me where you are
in your own story or maybe what questions you have?
You know, where do you feel like you need more
clarity or wisdom or direction in your own journey. I
(45:55):
definitely want to hear from you, So head on over
to What's God Got to Do with It and scroll
down to the forum to share your thoughts, questions. Our
feedback instantly. That's What's God Got to Do with It
dot com And if you like this podcast and want
to hear more, follow like and subscribe wherever you listen
to podcasts to get your weekly dose of What's God
(46:17):
Got to Do with It? New episodes drop every Tuesday,
and while you're there, be sure to rate and review
to show your support. It really means so much. What's
God Got to Do With It is an iHeartRadio podcast
on the Amy Brown Podcast Network. It's written and hosted
by me Leanne Ellington, executive produced by Elizabeth Fozzio, post
(46:40):
production and editing by Houston Tilley, and original music written
by Cheryl Stark and produced by Adam Stark
Feeling Things with Amy & Kat News
Host
Amy Brown
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