Being Human

Episode 296: A Saint in the Subconscious: JP2 and the Search for the Human Person

John Paul II is the most important psychologist of the twentieth century — and almost no one knows it. In three dense paragraphs on the subconscious, he named what Freud

Episode 295: God Threw My Journal into a River: A Conversation on Love and Freedom from the Streets of Zakopane, Poland

You can become who you are. Which means you can also become who you're not. Recorded on location in Poland during a pilgrimage through the life of John Paul II, Dr. Gre

Episode 294: When "Figuring It All Out" Is the Problem: A College Senior Speaks About an Uncertain Future

Not knowing what comes after graduation feels like failing. It's not. The real problem is the pressure to have it all figured out. Dr. Greg sits down with college senior

Episode 293: God Is Tired of One Thing (Hint: It's Not Your Sin): Healing the Scrupulous Spirit Through Loving Trust

Trust isn't something you manufacture through effort — it's something you receive through relationship. In this episode, Dr. Greg Bottaro concludes the series on OCPD and

Episode 292: Holy Anxiety: The Understandable Underbelly of Scrupulosity

Scrupulosity often looks like devotion — but when fear takes over, even our spiritual life can become consumed by doubt, checking, and the search for certainty. In this e

Episode 291: OCPD and Scrupulosity: How the Worship of Rules and Control Leads to the Loneliness of Certainty

Certainty feels like safety. But you can only ever be certain alone — and the life you build on control slowly becomes a lonely one. In week two of the series on OCPD,

Episode 290: "I'm Only Loved When I'm Perfect": The Lie Fueling Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

Perfectionism doesn't always come from loving excellence. Sometimes it's the only way you've ever known how to feel safe. In the first episode of a new series on Obsess

Episode 289: You Can't Heal What You Won't Face: How Presence Breaks the Cycle of Fear

Avoidance works. That's the problem. Every time you dodge the hard thing, the relief is real—and so is the price you don't see coming. In this final episode of the seri

Episode 288: Why "Everything Happens for a Reason" Isn't Working: The Holy Words We Use to Avoid Healing

"Offer it up." "I've forgiven them." "Everything happens for a reason." Every one of them is true—and every one can become a way to avoid the healing God is actually offe

Episode 287: We Are Not Robots: Why Connection Is Not Optional for Human Flourishing

There's a lot of talk recently about whether AI can be considered a person. But the more serious question might be whether people are becoming too much like AI—learning t

Episode 286: A Mental Tug of War: Inside the Avoidant Mind and the Burden of Being Known

Avoidance looks like not wanting people. It's almost always the opposite: wanting connection so badly that being seen feels like the biggest risk of all. In this episod

Episode 285: Venting Isn't Always Healing: The Difference Between Sharing Truth and Feeding Resentment

Getting it all off your chest is supposed to be healing. But sometimes the venting that feels like relief is quietly feeding your resentment instead. In this episode, Dr.

Episode 284: Stop Chasing Spiritual Highs: Why Real Healing Happens in the Ordinary

Your prayer life can be how you avoid healing. In this final episode of the antisocial series, Dr. Greg unpacks why a retreat high or a powerful devotional moment can con

Episode 283: "I Will Never Be Hurt Again": How Jesus' Sacred Heart Breaks the Cycle

A hardened heart isn't where the story starts. It's what's left after a child trusted, got hurt, and concluded: I'll never be in that position again. This week, Dr. Greg

Episode 282: You're (Probably) Not a Serial Killer—But You May Share Some of Their Antisocial Traits

You're probably not a serial killer. But the patterns that shape one run through all of us, at lower volume. In this episode, Dr. Greg traces antisocial patterns back to

Episode 281: Control or Be Controlled: The Devastating Wounds Behind Antisocial Behavioral Patterns

Not every rule-breaker is choosing rebellion. Most are choosing safety — and they've been doing it since childhood. In this first episode of a new series, Dr. Greg takes

Episode 280: Being Human in the Age of AI: Exploring What Machines Can't Replace with a World-Class Artist

AI was supposed to replace what humans make. Instead, it's revealing what only humans can. In this episode, Dr. Greg sits down with Mike Marshall, Director of Design at t

Episode 279: Stop Diagnosing Your Kids: Rethinking "Behavior Problems" Through Development and Love

The meltdown. The defiance. The constant "look at me." It's easy to wonder if something is wrong. But most of the time, these aren't signs of a disorder — they're signs o

Episode 278: Better than 20 Billion Dollars: A Litany For Mental Health

$20 billion in research. Suicide rates 32% higher than the year 2000. Something is deeply wrong — and it isn't a lack of effort. In this episode, Dr. Greg makes the cas

Episode 277: Boring Is Healing: Embracing Hiddenness and Alleviating Histrionic Patterns

Healing isn't about changing your personality. It's about being freed from the compulsions that drive it. In this final episode of the histrionic series, Dr. Greg explore