The Healing Road Podcast

In this special message to our listeners, we announce the ending of The Healing Road Podcast and the news that we’re working on a new podcast project. Thank you to all our listeners for tuning in, we hoped you benefited from this podcast. Stay subscribed to The Healing Road because at some point (we don't have a timetable yet) we will post a new message to announce the launch of our next podcast. Co-Hosts Jim Owens – Licensed Counselor and Professor of Counseling Ben Pohl – Catholic High...

In this episode, Jim and Ben discuss seeing our lives as works of art. Whether we consider our lives as an analogy to a painting, song, story, or otherwise, there is something unique we can learn that will help us better understand this amazing life that we live. Jim and Ben also share some insights from looking at the stories of the lives of Jesus and the Apostles. This is the final episode in Season 5 on the healing power of art. Jim and Ben are taking a few weeks off to pray and reflect...

In this episode, Jim and Ben share about their challenge to create a work of art as a gift for someone. They discuss what they learned while creating art to express love and connection and the importance of loving and focusing on others for our mental health. Co-Hosts Jim Owens – Licensed Counselor and Professor of Counseling Ben Pohl – Catholic High School Campus Minister Current Season During our season on The Healing Power of Art, we discuss the way in which various forms of art and...

In this episode, Jim and Ben share about their visualization challenge to sketch an icon of themselves as saints. They also discuss the power of creativity and visualization, especially in finding freedom from anxiety. Check out some of the studies on visualization below: Visualizing ideal self vs. actual self through avatars: Impact on preventive health outcomes, Computers in Human Behavior Visualization: Reducing speech anxiety and enhancing performance, Communication Reports Testing...

In this episode, Jim and Ben discuss some creative ways that art and music therapy are utilized. They end the episode by challenging themselves to engage in an artistic process for their own personal growth. Tune in to episode 8 to hear how it went! Music therapy for burn and stroke victims, Huffington Post Music therapy for adult and pediatric cancer patients, Global Advances in Health and Medicine Art therapy for prison inmates with depression, ResearchGate Visual journaling, Journal of...

In this episode, Jim and Ben share insights on the role of journaling in promoting mental health and spiritual growth. They also discuss common pitfalls that undermine the benefits of journaling, as well as how to set yourself up for success. The Good and Bad of Journaling, Dr. Stephen Stosny (Psychology Today) Co-Hosts Jim Owens – Licensed Counselor and Professor of Counseling Ben Pohl – Catholic High School Campus Minister Current Season During our season on The Healing Power of Art, we...

In this episode, Jim and Ben discuss how reading can positively impact psychological health, sleep habits, and the physical health of your brain. They also share some of their reading habits and the personal benefits they have received from reading. The Brain Benefits of Reading and Writing, New York Times The Complete Stories, Flannery O'Connor Complete Short Stories, Graham Greene Co-Hosts Jim Owens – Licensed Counselor and Professor of Counseling Ben Pohl – Catholic High School Campus...

In this episode, Jim and Ben look at the effects of receiving art, particularly the findings of Ellen Winner who has studied the psychology of art. They also discuss the unique power of films and share some of their favorite movies and cinematic tools. The Aesthetic Attitude to Art, on Ellen Winner's work How Long Do People Really Spend Looking at Art in Museums, Artsy.net The Power of a Movie's Musical Score, on the Lord of the Rings People with Depression Feel Better After Listening to Sad...

In this episode, Jim and Ben discuss the different lies we believe about being artists and making art, as well as how we can begin to see ourselves as artists, as people with creativity. There is a difference between professional and amateur artists, however all of us have been made in the image of our Creator, who has made us all "craftsmen," as St. John Paul II put it in his Letter to Artists. When we start to see ourselves as craftsman, as artists, we will more readily engage in the...

***Sorry for the audio quality, we've had a few obstacles and headsets are a hot commodity these days! The quality should be back for episode 3 :) In this episode, Jim and Ben discuss three studies that examine the effectiveness of music therapy. Far from being pseudo-scientific, music therapy is proven to be effective in decreasing levels of depression and anxiety. They also share about active and receptive forms of music therapy, and how music has helped them in their own healing process....

In the first episode of our new season The Healing Power of Art, Jim and Ben share the personal impact that art has had throughout their lives. They also touch on power that art has to support psychological health and even healing. The Healing Power of Art, Harvard Medical School Co-Hosts Jim Owens - Licensed Counselor and Professor of Counseling Ben Pohl - Catholic High School Campus Minister Current Season During our season on The Healing Power of Art, we discuss the way in which various...

In the final episode of our season Seeing with the Eyes of Eternity, we discuss Pope Francis' address during his Friday, March 27, 2020 Urbi et Orbi Blessing (to the city and the world). In particular, we consider Pope Francis' reflections on how the current pandemic is waking us up to the fact that we are all in the same boat, all brothers and sisters, the value of "often forgotten people," and the "false and superfluous certainties" of our lives that have now been unmasked. We also tease...

In this episode we consider the things we choose to pay attention to and the areas in our lives where we do and do not allow light to illuminate. We also discuss how the light can sometimes feel too bright, especially during seasons of social isolation. Robert Kegan on Wikipedia During our season on Seeing with the Eyes of Eternity, we discuss topics surrounding death, dying, mortality, and the afterlife. What we believe about and how we relate to these topics has a huge impact on our...

In this episode we discuss the unique time in history in which we find ourselves, at the beginning of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the United States, and how we can continue to learn and grow in holiness. In many ways, we all need the gift of wisdom, to see with a heavenly perspective, with the eyes of eternity, in order to move forward when everything in our world seems to be grinding to a halt. We hope you are blessed by this episode and we look forward to continuing the podcast in...

In this episode we discuss how we all have blinds spots and are limited in our ability to "see the whole picture." Humility and childlikeness allow us to learn from others and see what we cannot see on our own, and ultimately opens us up to receive Jesus' perspective. We also talk about a great story called Flatland and a humbling experiment called The Marshmallow Challenge. Flatland on YouTube Flatland Book Marshmallow Challenge TED Talk During our season on Seeing with the Eyes of...

In this episode we discuss several Gospel passages where Jesus reveals how He saw with the eyes of eternity, with the perspective of His Father in Heaven. We also share how we struggle to share in Jesus' heavenly perspective. During our season on Seeing with the Eyes of Eternity, we discuss topics surrounding death, dying, mortality, and the afterlife. What we believe about and how we relate to these topics has a huge impact on our psychological health. You can connect with Jim and Ben at...

In this episode we look at a number of therapeutic and relational benefits of seeking an eternal perspective in issues of anxiety, depression, grieving and more. During our season on Seeing with the Eyes of Eternity, we discuss topics surrounding death, dying, mortality, and the afterlife. What we believe about and how we relate to these topics has a huge impact on our psychological health. You can connect with Jim and Ben at facebook.com/healingroadpodcast and visit their website at...

In this episode we share some of the surprising science concerning near-death experiences, what is common to people who have had them, and how we can better see with the eyes of eternity even if we've never had a near-death experience. A Stroke of Insight, Jill Bolte Taylor During our season on Seeing with the Eyes of Eternity, we discuss topics surrounding death, dying, mortality, and the afterlife. What we believe about and how we relate to these topics has a huge impact on our...

In this episode we talk about how people's thoughts on eternity and the afterlife change as they grow and mature, share how our own understandings have changed over time, and discuss what wisdom is and why some people have it and others do not. The Religious Sense, Luigi Giussani During our season on Seeing with the Eyes of Eternity, we discuss topics surrounding death, dying, mortality, and the afterlife. What we believe about and how we relate to these topics has a huge impact on our...

In this episode, we discuss the purpose of our 4th season, why it's important to take stock of our beliefs about eternity and the afterlife, how the fear of death can both positively and negatively impact our psychological health, and why the possibility of sanctity changes how Christians can relate to death and growing old. During our season on Seeing with the Eyes of Eternity, we discuss topics surrounding death, dying, mortality, and the afterlife. What we believe about and how we relate...