Healing the Unresolved

Fr. Joshua Makoul, and Ancient Faith Ministries•www.ancientfaith.com

Religion & Spirituality

Christianity

Putting the Past in the Past

Last refreshed: July 16th, 2025 at 5:50 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Tolerating uncomfortable emotions in the present

Very often, when doing the healing work, we forget that even though we have had negative and uncomfortable emotions tied to past painful experiences, we are still going to have normal negative feelings related to every day life stressors and changes. Without realizing it, we can associate negative emotion only with the past. And then when negative emotions do occur from the present, we feel like something is wrong or we must’ve missed something in our healing work. The healing work does not mean...

May 19, 2023

When Movies Resonate: Seeing our Pain in another’s Story

This podcast centers around the question as to whether there are any movies that can be helpful in the healing process. Typically movies that resonate are helpful for us. This is because when we witness our pain or lack of closure in someone else’s story, it’s not as threatening, and so is able to get past our defenses and bring out emotion that previously had been held back. These moments can help us leapfrog in our healing work and be used to our advantage.

May 12, 2023

Navigating Painful Parish Experiences

Today’s discussion involves a question in which the submitter of the question had a series of painful parish experiences that led to them feeling abandoned. It is always a difficult decision to decide whether to stay or move onto a different parish community. However, before we decide, we can explore and answer certain questions that will ensure we make a good decision and that will enhance our spiritual growth significantly.

May 05, 2023

Wielding Forgiveness

This podcast episode answers two submitted questions, both involving forgiveness on some level. Whether it’s that we have to forgive ourselves, or making sure we truly have forgiven the other, God wants us to let go of our past weaknesses and focus on the present. He also wants our forgiveness to be real, and not just a result of denying reality and protecting ourselves from painful emotions.

Apr 21, 2023

When the Calendar Hurts: Navigating the Anniversary Effect

An anniversary reaction or effect is very common and affects most people at one time or another, and some are affected throughout their lives. The anniversary of a loss or painful event can be a challenging experience for many. Knowing what they are, being prepared for them, leaning into them, and using them to our advantage, can help make them tolerable, and even put them to rest.

Mar 24, 2023

Sharing our Story, Safety, and Real Forgiveness

This episode discusses healthy ways to share our painful or traumatic experiences. It is also covers the importance of safety and how to rediscover safety in a health way after losing it in the aftermath of a painful or traumatic experience. Finally, the issue of trauma bonding is discussed. This occurs when we see the abuser as innocent or in an elevated way, while not giving ourselves the validation and empathy we need as the victim.

Mar 08, 2023

The Healing Work as a valuable part of the Praxis of our Faith

This episode discusses how our healing work and our painful experiences are not separate or outside of our relationship with God and our faith, but rather an integral part of it. These experiences, which have been such a source of shame, can actually aid and accelerate our spiritual growth. There is also discussion on keeping shame out of the sacrament of Confession, as well as what to look for in a counselor.

Feb 04, 2023

Tricking grief, rooting out shame, and a healing paradigm

This podcast episode discusses a helpful exercise to do when grief over our own experiences seems stuck, also rooting out shame by it’s source, and reviewing a paradigm of different approaches that fits well with our faith and that should cover all the healing work.

Jan 19, 2023

Self-denial and self-acceptance: a peaceful and necessary coexistence

This podcast episode discusses much of the confusion and fears about the concepts of self acceptance and self compassion. The discussion highlights that self acceptance and self compassion are both very necessary for healing and for our spiritual lives. Practicing both self denial and self acceptance provides balance and stability to every aspect of our lives.

Dec 27, 2022

When the Past Reappears

In this episode, Fr. Joshua addresses questions on loss, abandonment, and broken relationships. Many of us experience fear and anxiety on some level, but this is often from perceived threats and difficulty tolerating uncertainty. Often, our past wounds will reappear in the present and we must find a way to fully grieve, and fully heal, in order to move forward. As we head into the season of the Nativity, it's a time to focus on reconciliation and healing.

Nov 10, 2022

Holding on to Hope

In this episode, Fr. Joshua addresses questions on trauma in the Church, divorce, and alcoholism. While we may become guarded due to our own woundedness, we must never turn in on ourselves in self-reliance. It is a strength to reach out for help - and it will ultimately aid us in our spiritual growth. In all of these issues, there is always hope for a fresh start, a hope to continue on the path of salvation. Our prayers, surrounding all of these difficult issues, must be rooted in hope, not cont...

Oct 28, 2022

Dealing with Trauma

Fr. Joshua begins his new podcast by answering submitted questions on the subject of trauma and how to heal from it within the context of Orthodox Christianity. If you have a question for Fr. Joshua, please email him via the "Send Feedback" link.

Oct 20, 2022

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