Summer Meyers joins Natasha on this episode of Mormon Mental Health. Summer is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. As an Art Therapist she focuses on creativity as healing. Summer shares her story with Natasha about her experience with Mormonism and why she was led to be an Art Therapist as well as her experience as an Art Therapist with a particular project with clients. To view the drawings, please go here: goo.gl/g4PWs2
Summer can be reached at summer@pacificmft.com or at 424-254-9188. She has a web presence at pacificmft.com/summer-myers and a soon to be completed website at summermyers.com. Her full research project can be found at https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/etd/321/
Please consider donating to Mormon Mental Health to keep the podcast going past 2018. To donate, please visit mormonmentalhealth.org.
Due to the news of Sam Young's excommunication, we are rereleasing episode 55 from February 2015.
Sam Young organized "Protect LDS Children". You can find out more by going here: http://protectldschildren.org
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This week the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has once again been in the news in regards to the excommunication of one of their own: this time it’s John Dehlin of Mormon Stories – only months after the excommunication of Kate Kelly of Ordain Women. There have been lesser, yet still painful ramifications (losing callings, not being able to attain temple recommends, disfellowshipment, etc.) for members of the church on a global level as we struggle with both historical, doctrinal and social issues we may not all agree on. This is having a significant impact in many stake, ward and family systems – with frustration, anger and relationship struggles becoming unfortunate, yet common happenings.
On the evening of the news that John Dehlin was excommunicated, Natasha Helfer Parker, Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, Joanna Brooks, Dan Wotherspoon, and Brian Dillman got together via Skype audio chat to discuss various ways they personally cope with the kinds of distress such things cause, and perspectives that help heal them in times of difficulty. Their sharing is this podcast episode, which is being co-released by Mormon Matters, Rational Faiths podcast, and Mormon Mental Health podcasts. How might we experience and understand our anger in healthy ways? How do we not let our emotions get the better of us and block out wider perspectives that likely would serve us better for the long haul? Can historical and sociological frameworks help us see these recent events in greater context, help us understand ways to move forward rather than repeat negative cycles? Are there larger spiritual or existential framings that can help us make peace with the tensions life and the many things we care about seem to constantly call upon us to bear?
In a section led by Joanna Brooks, she refers to and describes this chart:
Violence Cycle
A poem for my brothers and sisters
Please listen and then share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Many thanks to The Lower Lights for the beautiful bumper music and to Brian Dillman for audio production of this podcast.