“God made us, so He can fix us.”
In the beginning, God created man after his own likeness (D&C 20:18)
And as Thom Harrison likes to say,
“God doesn’t create junk.”
Our bodies are a wonder. The way all the parts and pieces work together in harmony is nothing short of a miracle.
When you were formed in the womb, your heart was the first organ to take shape and begin to function.
In beautiful synchrony, it began to play a vital role with other organs and chemicals and hormones to further your physical development.
When you were finally born, the heart and the brain had an inseperable bond, working harmoniously together as your explored and discovered your earthly experience.
As life goes on, the bond between head and heart can become fractured.
Whether through physical trauma, chemical imbalances, pregnancy, life changes, or emotional stressors, mental illness affects all of us in one way or another.
We see it in our spouses, we see it in our families, and we see it in ourselves.
Somewhere down the line, society began to take God out of dealing with mental illness.
Why would we exclude the one being who knows how to reconnect our heads and our hearts better than anyone else?
In this week’s episode of the podcast, Thom Harrison talks about his determination to bring God back into the discussion of mental illness.
God made you, so he can heal you!
When it comes to your mental health, there is no such thing as “normal.” Normal is different for everyone and normal changes every time that we arise to live another day.
You must shatter the expectation of “normal” in your life, and instead focus on adaptation and creation.
Your brain believes the story your heart tells it.
You might have anxiety, but you are not anxiety. You might have depression, but you are not depression. You may have a mental illness, but you are not a mental illness.
Anytime you add the words “I am” in front of any external diagnosis or illness, you’re inviting some major problems into your life.
If anyone tells you that “You are ___ ,” don’t buy that “I am ___.” The only “I am” you should connect to is the “Great I AM.”
- Thom Harrison
Allow the spirit to lead you to the resources, therapy, coping mechanisms, medication, earthly angels, and healthy perceptions that assist you in integrating your mind and your heart and your soul.
Elder Holland said the following about bringing God into your mental health story:
Faithfully pursue the time-tested devotional practices that bring the Spirit of the Lord into your life. Seek the counsel of those who hold keys for your spiritual well-being. Ask for and cherish priesthood blessings. Take the sacrament every week, and hold fast to the perfecting promises of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Believe in miracles. I have seen so many of them come when every other indication would say that hope was lost. Hope is never lost. If those miracles do not come soon or fully or seemingly at all, remember the Savior’s own anguished example: if the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead.
Want to hear more about how you can incorporate God into your mental health?
Come join us at Eternal Core! It’s March 29-30th at Little America in SLC, UT. Find more info here.
About Our Guest
Thom Harrison
Thomas Harrison has been trained in cognitive therapy, psychodynamic therapy, reality-oriented therapy, and relationship therapy. He has been practicing in Utah with a clinical license since 1977. He has taught at the University of Utah Medical School, Graduate School of Social Work and in conflict resolution and divorce mediation at the BYU Law School.
Harrison has postgraduate training in depression, anxiety, sexual, emotional, and physical abuse, sexual addiction, and posttraumatic stress disorders. He has counseled over 4000 survivors of sexual abuse. He treats dissociative disorders and has served on the neuro-trauma team at three hospitals.
He has 40 years of experience and assists in the resolution of problems quickly and in the long run for less cost to the client. He is knowledgeable in traditional psychotropic medication and nontraditional approaches to wellness. He is a skilled therapist. He is the author of three published books.
Show Notes
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