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Attaching to God: Neuroscience-informed Spiritual Formation

Attaching to God: Neuroscience-informed Spiritual Formation

By: Geoff and Cyd Holsclaw
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Attaching to God connects relational neuroscience and attachment theory to our life of faith so you can grow into spiritual and relational maturity. Co-host Geoff Holsclaw (PhD, pastor, and professor) and Cyd Holsclaw (PCC, spiritual director, and integrative coach) talk with practitioners, therapists, theologians, and researchers on learning to live with ourselves, others, and God. Get everything in your inbox or on the app: https://www.grassrootschristianity.org/s/embodied-faith

© 2025 Attaching to God: Neuroscience-informed Spiritual Formation
Christianity Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Spirituality
Episodes
  • 128 Why Therapists Are Reading "Landscapes of the Soul" (with Monica Mouer, LPCS)
    Aug 5 2025

    In this special book launch episode, Geoff interviews Monica Mauer about why therapists are reading Landscapes of the Soul, and how it can help their clients.

    Monica is a therapist, therapist supervisor, and founder of the Center for Family Transformation. Monica talks about the unique and very helpful terminology used in the book to describe the different attachment strategies, such as the JUNGLE, the DESERT, the WAR ZONE, and the PASTURE, and how helpful it is to focus on intimacy and independence over anxiety and avoidance. They also touch on the centrality of joyful connection in relationships and the transformative potential of secure attachments with God.

    Find out about the "Life Model Informed Therapy" certification here.

    Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.

    Stay Connected:

    • Check out our Attaching to God 6-Week Learning Cohort.
    • Join the Embodied Faith community to stay connected and get posts, episodes, & resources.
    • Support the podcast with a one-time or regular gift (to keep this ad-free without breaking the Holsclaw's bank).
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • 127 Landscapes of the Soul: Chapters 1-2 (read by Cyd Holsclaw)
    Jul 31 2025

    Here is an audio snippet of our new book. Description below. Please buy and review.

    ______

    Does it feel like you experience life in a totally different way than others? Like you are living somewhere else, and you can’t build connection or intimacy with God like others can?

    There’s a good chance that you, like so many of us, have tried it all: read your Bible more, gone to church more, prayed more, and delved deeper into self-awareness. But you still struggle with discontent, anxiety, avoidance and doubt. You still feel stuck.

    No matter where you find yourself emotionally, relationally, or spiritually, Jesus meets you there and helps you move toward a place of peace and rest. As pastors, coaches, and educators, Cyd and Geoff Holsclaw are very familiar with this struggle, and they are prepared to help. In Landscapes of the Soul, they draw on the science and spirituality of attachment theory, biblical wisdom, and the language of spiritual formation to show us why Christians tend to get stuck spiritually―and how to get unstuck and move forward.

    Whether you feel like you’re living in a spiritual jungle, desert, or war zone, you will discover:

    • how you are designed to grow good roots through healthy relational attachment
    • how things go wrong through your often-distorted survival strategies
    • how God repairs your faith, hope, and love for Him, others, and ourselves
    • how Jesus quiets your anxious and avoidant faith
    • how to incorporate practices for building your security with God

    You aren’t meant to live in the anxiety of a jungle, the desolation of a desert, or the chaos of a war zone. God designed you to live in joy and peace in relationship with Him, as if you are in a pasture, under the protective care of the Good Shepherd.

    Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.

    Stay Connected:

    • Check out our Attaching to God 6-Week Learning Cohort.
    • Join the Embodied Faith community to stay connected and get posts, episodes, & resources.
    • Support the podcast with a one-time or regular gift (to keep this ad-free without breaking the Holsclaw's bank).
    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
  • 126 Where it all started: The Shepherd Story (with Cyd Holsclaw)
    Jul 29 2025

    In a sense, this is where all the attachment stuff started, with Cyd telling the "Shepherd Story" to our boys during bedtime. Over and over, year by year, she did this little guided meditation with them. She was doing attachment work with the Good Shepherd even before we had language for it.

    Many listeners and cohort members have asked for a recording of this prayer exercise, so here it is.

    For all the background (attachment theory and spirituality), see our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection (and please review it on Amazon).

    Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.

    Stay Connected:

    • Check out our Attaching to God 6-Week Learning Cohort.
    • Join the Embodied Faith community to stay connected and get posts, episodes, & resources.
    • Support the podcast with a one-time or regular gift (to keep this ad-free without breaking the Holsclaw's bank).
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
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