Poema Podcast
Episodes
Monday Mar 30, 2020
Poema S6 014 | K.J. Ramsey on Self-Care, Spirituality & Grief in a Pandemic
Monday Mar 30, 2020
Monday Mar 30, 2020
In today's special episode my friend, author and therapist K.J. Ramsey returns to the show to discuss how we can practice positive self-care during the COVID19 pandemic, and explore how this impacts our mental & emotional health and our spirituality - and how we can respond in a healthy, life giving way.
KJ & I also explore in depth how what we're all experiencing is a form of grief. We discuss why it's absolutely crucial we acknowledge the grief and fear we're carrying, rather than deny it, and KJ outlines some simple practices which can help us understand and process this grief in a healthy way, so we are no longer carrying the weight of it alone.
KJ also discusses how we can draw closer to God during the pandemic, and somehow find the divine abiding within us in the midst of our suffering - and how God suffers with us.
You can find KJ's work and get her book 'This Too Shall Last' at kjramsey.com
Tuesday Mar 24, 2020
Poema S6 013 | Grief Matters 4: Kristen Kansiewicz on Church Therapy
Tuesday Mar 24, 2020
Tuesday Mar 24, 2020
Kristen Kansiewicz has served as a counselor in a church setting since 2005 and has a BA is psychology. Today she joins us to explore how the church has failed in how it's dealt with grief, trauma and mental health in the past, and offers practical solutions to how we can do better now - which feel even more relevant with COVID19 having such an impact on the world.
Kristen heads up 'Church Therapy', an organisation committed to providing trained therapists and counsellors to churches to support congregations and help churches confront trauma, grief and mental health more effectively, and talks about this work and how communities of faith can begin to deal with this constructively.
She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University. She graduated with a Master of Arts in Counseling from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Wheaton College, so is an expert in this field - and has a lot of wisdom to share, both from her training and experience.
**Please note - this was recorded pre-COVID19, hence there being no reference to it in the episode, however much of what we discussed feels very relevant right now**
Find out more about Kristen's work at www.churchtherapy.com
Monday Mar 16, 2020
Poema S6 012 | Grief Matters 3: Ana's Story
Monday Mar 16, 2020
Monday Mar 16, 2020
**Trigger Warning: Emotional, physical and spiritual abuse**
Today in the third part of our series Grief Matters, my friend Ana shares her powerful story.
In it we explore a not just the grief of losing someone you love, but another kind of grief - the grief and trauma of leaving evangelical church behind, the grief of deconstruction, and trauma of abusive relationships and leaving those behind to begin a new life.
Ana's is a powerful testimony, but it's also a story of hope. It's a story of how when we have the courage leave a painful and difficult life behind, there is the chance for something new and powerful to begin. That when we grieve well, there is a chance of resurrection in our own lives.
Saturday Mar 14, 2020
Poema S6 011 | Coronavirus: Grief, Solidarity & Hope
Saturday Mar 14, 2020
Saturday Mar 14, 2020
Today, a bonus episode of the podcast. In this episode I reflect on the impact of the coronavirus - our individual and collective, fear, anxiety and grief. I share how it's impacted my life, and how none of us are alone in our experiences.
I also speak about the opportunity to learn to grieve and lean into the pain, to provide solidarity and support to each other, to connect more deeply with ourselves and each other, and finder a deeper, wider perspective - and even small joy - in the journey we're on together.
This is, at it's heart, a podcast about how we are not alone. You are not alone.
If you need someone to chat to, or community, connect with me on Twitter at @JamesPrescott77 and join my new online community - 'Poema Podcast - Continuing the Conversation'.
Monday Mar 09, 2020
Poema S6 010 | Grief Matters 2: Tracie Loux
Monday Mar 09, 2020
Monday Mar 09, 2020
In the second of our series Grief Matters, I'm joined by speaker and artist Tracie Loux. Tracie shares the story of the loss of her son Mattie, the journey of his illness and eventual death, and her own experience during this journey.
Tracie talks about the 'collateral damage' of grief, how it impcts our work, our marriages, our relationships and even our daily habits, and how she survived her own collateral damage and began to create a new life for herself.
Tracie also shares how she found healing in her art, and also discovered a different level and type of grief - grief for her own life before Mattie's passing, a life she lost.
Tracie has a powerful story, as well as incredible wisdom and insight on surviving grief and learning to thrive. I know you'll love this episode.
Monday Mar 02, 2020
Poema 06 009 | Grief Matters 1: Kahhe's Story
Monday Mar 02, 2020
Monday Mar 02, 2020
Today we begin a new series on the podcast - Grief Matters - where we will hear stories of grief and loss, talk to therapists and grief counsellors, about the important subject of grief, loss and death.
In this episode my friend and musician Kahhe shares the story of the loss of a parent, the impact this had on her life, her creativity, and how it changed her perspectives on life, spirituality and relationships.
(*Please note there for slight sound issues with the recording, but I've shared this episode as I believe this story needs to be heard)