Therapist Dave Verhaagen and pastors Sam Barnhart and Kevin Dixon search for what's behind the need to be liked and what we can do to manage that craving.

Do you have a comment or question about mental health and spiritual issues? Join the discussion: Text us at (615) 861-9503. If you would like to talk with someone, you can email Journey's care pastor, Sam Barnhart, sam@journeytn.com.

We're all living inside our own private bubbles, certain that we're right and all those other people are wrong. But why? Are convictions learned in families, a product of culture or basic in our personalities? Why does it seem like things are getting worse? And, what can we do about it? There's a chance we could fall apart before too long, so therapist Dave Verhaagen and pastors Kevin Dixon and Sam Barnhart are here to work it out.

Dopamine isn't exactly the "pleasure chemical" it's described as in pop culture. But, it is responsible for ambition, drive, hunger for new experiences. So, is that a problem in an age of mobile phones and social media? Does it affect our spirituality? How can we control our dopamine hits, and does it make sense to just be bored sometimes? Pastors Kevin Dixon and Sam Barnhart join therapist Dave Verhaagen to explore the topic.

Therapist and eating disorders expert Lauren King returns to the show to share healthy eating strategies for the holidays. In a season when treats are everywhere and families feast together, how can we enjoy the season without spiraling into unhealthy habits? Fellow therapist Dave Verhaagen and pastors Kevin Dixon and Sam Barnhart join the conversation and share their own holiday eating struggles.

Therapist Dave Verhaagen and pastors Kevin Dixon and Sam Barnhart, share their experiences of grief—their own losses and ones they have walked through with others. What's really happening in the brain when we grieve? How can we navigate those times in healthy ways? And how can we best help others who are grieving?

In a world where it's hard enough to figure out what's even real, people are increasingly drawn to misinformation, deepfakes and conspiracy theories. How does this work on otherwise rational people? Are some of us more susceptible? And (clutches pearls) what does that mean in the church? Pastors Kevin Dixon and Sam Barnhart join therapist Dave Verhaagen to look at the newest research.

In this episode, we're not talking about a step-by-step plan to build a platform. Instead, therapist Dave Verhaagen and pastors Kevin Dixon and Sam Barnhart are looking at the psychological research on fame. How can celebrity warp people? How can public figures maintain mental health? And, does fame have any place in the church?

Paul said it in the Bible: Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. So, where's the balance between freedom self restraint? Pastors Kevin Dixon and Sam Barnhart join therapist Dave Verhaagen to explore the psychology and theology of keeping ourselves in check. Is our identity wrapped up in our behavior? How does self control relate to sin? And, does it help when we show ourselves grace and forgiveness?

Cultures have always had violence, but it's different now. What does it do to our psyche and spirit when millions instantly share in graphic violence, like the recent video of Charlie Kirk's assassination? Therapist Dave Verhaagen, and pastors Kevin Dixon and Sam Barnhart reflect on the power of brutality to desensitize society and amplify its worst tribal behaviors.

Pastors Sam Barnhart and Kevin Dixon join therapist Dave Verhaagen to ask how church discipline can go wrong and to survey the permanent damage that can result.

The recent, well-publicized freak outs of some generative AI products has our panel wondering what happens when chatbots become so lifelike that we start to trust them.

That's an especially interesting question when those same AI models still reflect (or even multiply) the biases of the content used to train them. Pastors Sam Barnhart and Kevin Dixon join therapist Dave Verhaagen to look at the psychological and faith implications of forming trust relationships with non-human chat buddies.

What does true vulnerability look like? How do transparency and vulnerability differ? And how can being part of a trusted community help us be strong in our vulnerability? Hosts Kevin Dixon and Sam Barnhart share their experiences.

It's all-pastor day on Journey On My Mind. Sam Barnhart, Kevin Dixon and Suzie Lind discuss living in a world that continuously stokes fear and anxiety. How do we manage all this information and opinion in a healthy way?

Artificial intelligence has accelerated—at a rate that it now out-thinks us in many ways. What does this mean for faith and mental health? Will ChatGPT become our new therapist and BFF? How will that affect us? And, if AI patterns itself after humans who exist in the image of God, will it, too, become godlike? Therapist Dave Verhaagen and pastors Kevin Dixon and Sam Barnhart try to crack the code.