Being Human

What if you're mistaking something emotionally dangerous for love? In this episode, Dr. Greg tackles a painful but common pattern: relationships that look close, committed, and appear to be flourishing, yet quietly trap both people in fear, dependence, and anxiety. 
Key Topics:
Why both partners can feel "happy" even as the relationship becomes unhealthy
How codependency distorts the kind of free, fruitful relationships God calls us to
Why awareness and willpower aren't enough to break these cycles – and what we can do to heal them
Learn More:
Pilgrimage to Poland - Learn more about this interior journey with St. John Paul II
Being Human episodes on the Dependent Defense Pattern: Ep. #266: You're Giving Too Much! Uncovering How Anxiety Disguises Itself as Holiness
Ep. #265: Jerry Maguire, Gollum, and the Fear of Not Existing

Person and Act by Karol Wojtyla (Pope Saint John Paul II)
Love and Responsibility by Karol Wojtyla (Pope Saint John Paul II)
Discernment of Spirits - Learn more through the lens of Catholic anthropology and Catholic mindfulness
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What if the reason you feel anxious, resentful, or exhausted from "doing the right thing" isn't a lack of generosity—but anxiety hiding behind virtue? This episode explores the crucial difference between authentic Christian self-gift and giving that's really about survival, revealing how true sacrifice should expand freedom, not erase you.
Key Topics:
The difference between Christian self-gift and anxiety-driven giving
Why humility is not the same as self-erasure
How attachment wounds can fuel overgiving
How dependent and narcissistic patterns reinforce each other
Why true love always increases freedom

Learn More:
Love and Responsibility by Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II)
Casti Connubii (Encyclical of Pope Pius XI on Christian Marriage)
Being Human episode on the Dependent Defense Pattern: Ep. #265: Jerry Maguire, Gollum, and the Fear of Not Existing

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Have you ever felt safer letting someone else decide—not because you didn't care, but because choosing for yourself felt overwhelming or even dangerous? Dr. Greg explores the dependent defense pattern and why giving up agency can feel like survival—until healing restores the freedom to exist, choose, and love.
Key Topics:
Why dependency isn't just fear of being alone—but fear of not existing alone
How proximity can start to feel like survival
Why some people lose touch with what they want, like, or dream about
How dependency can quietly shape marriages, families, and faith
And how healing doesn't erase need—it restores freedom

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Being Human episodes on narcissistic personality patterns: Ep. #261: Narcissism and the Terror of Being Ordinary
Ep. #262: Spiritual Narcissism: Exposing the Sneaky Way We Use Religion as a Pattern of Protection
Ep. #263: Holiness and Narcissism
Ep. #264: IFS, JP2 and Narcissism

Is Leadership of the Family a Man's Job? (Being Human, Ep. #201)
Correcting Aquinas: JP2's Truth Bomb on Gender and Human Dignity (Being Human, Ep. #197)
Being Human episodes on Parts Work:  Ep. #34: A New Theory! w/a Catholic Lens
Ep. #35: Why Do I Feel Like I Have Conflicting Thoughts? w/ Dr. Peter Malinoski
Ep. #49: Internal Family Systems & External Family Tensions 

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Dr. Greg wraps up the series on narcissism by going beneath behavior and willpower, drawing on JP2 and psychology to show how real healing happens at the subconscious level. Learn how narcissistic patterns can be unburdened and integrated with compassion—not erased or fought—so healing can actually take root.
Key Topics:
Why a narcissistic part is not a monster, but a protector
How deep wounds get buried beneath conscious awareness and still drive behavior
Why healing isn't about willpower or "trying harder"
How narcissistic patterns can be unburdened and integrated, rather than erased

Learn More:
Being Human episodes on Narcissism: Ep. #263: Holiness and Narcissism: Undoing the Knots with Awareness, Self-Determination, Empathy and Our Lady
Ep. #262: Spiritual Narcissism: Exposing the Sneaky Way We Use Religion as a Pattern of Protection
Ep. #261: Narcissism and the Terror of Being Ordinary

Related blog articles: The Problem with the Bishop Scandals
Outlining Narcissistic Personality Disorder
The Two Types of Narcissism

Being Human episodes on Parts Work:  Ep. #34: A New Theory! w/a Catholic Lens
Ep. #35: Why Do I Feel Like I Have Conflicting Thoughts? w/ Dr. Peter Malinoski
Ep. #47: How to Turn Your Inner Worst Enemies into Your Inner Best Friends

Person and Act by Karol Wojtyla (Pope Saint John Paul II)
Need help? Schedule a free CatholicPsych consultation
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"Die to yourself." "Offer it up." What happens when these phrases get tangled with woundedness? In this episode, we explore spiritual narcissism—and the path back to freedom through awareness, empathy, self-determination, and Our Lady.
 
Key Topics:
Why "good advice" can sometimes feel silencing rather than supportive
How being told to "pray more" can replace real listening
The hidden ways love can feel conditional in spiritual spaces
How spiritual environments can quietly erode trust in your own intuition

Learn More:
Related blog articles: The Problem with the Bishop Scandals
Outlining Narcissistic Personality Disorder
The Two Types of Narcissism

Being Human episodes on Narcissism: Ep. #262: Spiritual Narcissism: Exposing the Sneaky Way We Use Religion as a Pattern of Protection
Ep. #261: Narcissism and the Terror of Being Ordinary

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Want to help? Learn more about our Certification in Professional Accompaniment

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