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I started my journey of blogging in 2003 — mostly to capture what I called “transitioning life’s journey”.
In 2023 I took a 3 year break from blogging, but have decided to return to it. I hope you enjoy.
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[VIDEO] Embedding Yourself in Open Community
I have been sharing a lot with friends, colleagues, and clients recently, the life giving importance I have found in being completely embedded in open community during this season of life. In short — being deeply connected in relationships with others where I can be completely vulnerable. I wrote about this briefly a couple of […]
Rhett Smith 135: I’m Doubling Down on Breath Work
I have always been a fan of breath work, especially in the way that it has not only been so helpful for my own life and the anxiety that I have struggled with — but I have literally seen it change the people’s lives that I work with. Breath work is integral to our ability […]
Navigating Relational Space During COVID-19
What does healthy, functioning, relational space look like during this time of COVID-19? How do we keep from overly fusing and suffocating one another, while also not moving away and disconnecting from each other as well? What does self-differentiation look like?
The Compression of Physical and Relational Space (COVID-19)
During the quarantine due to COVID-19, I think that we are experiencing a compression of space. Relational space. Physical space. This compression of relational and physical space messes with boundaries and raises important questions about our identity. Questions like “Who am I?” “How am I to be loved?” What am I to do with my […]
Being Honest About How We Feel and Connecting in New Ways (During COVID-19)
“I’m doing fine.” “I’m doing good.” Those have typically been our responses to the question posed by others: “How are you doing?” And they are typically what we are hearing during the stressful time of COVID-19. But now…more than any time in recent history, I think we have the opportunity to move beyond acting like […]
“How to Feel Safe in an Unsafe World”
Two of my most influential mentors, Terry and Sharon Hargrave, put together a helpful video this last week regarding relationships/families, and navigating COVID-19. I highly recommend it.
Partner Communication During High Stress — COVID-19
During times of high stress, like we are facing right now with the COVID-19 quarantine, it is no surprise that conflict is high for many couples. In this video I talk about some specific things you can do to help you navigate the high stress and conflict.
Rhett Smith 123: Jeff and Robin Reinke on Pornography, Marriage, and Recovery
In this episode I had the privilege of sitting down with my good friends Jeff and Robin Reinke. Besides being colleagues of mine in a workshop we lead in equipping ministry leaders in a variety of issues impacting the church, we are also co-authors in Vital Tools for Relevant Church Leaders: Restoring Relationships and Building […]
Rhett Smith 121: Robert Scholz on Addiction Through the Lens of Restoration Therapy
In this episode I get to sit down with a colleague of mine who I have been getting to know more over the last couple of years in our collaborative work together around Restoration Therapy and ministry leaders. Robert Scholz is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, consultant and writer, who specializes in helping individuals […]
Rhett Smith 120: Conversation with Terry and Sharon Hargrave on the Beginnings and Future of Restoration Therapy and Relate Strong
In this episode I spend some time in conversation with Terry and Sharon Hargrave. Terry is the founder of Restoration Therapy and is the Evelyn and Frank Freed Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at Fuller Theological Seminary and Sharon is the Executive Director of the Boone Center for the Family at Pepperdine University, as […]
Rhett Smith 117: The Creation Account, Self-Differentiation and Restoration Therapy
This episode is somewhat of a continuation of Episode 115 where I reflected both theologically and psychologically on the biblical text found in Genesis 1-3 (and a little of 4). Those opening chapters have lots of insight and implications for us relationally. In this episode I want to pick up on some of those themes, […]
Rhett Smith 116: Reframing How We Talk About Anxiety and Depression
I had the opportunity this last Monday to record a video on anxiety with another therapist, and one of the pastors at Preston Trail Community Church in Frisco. And then a few hours later, I talked to a group of parents at Legacy Christian Academy in Frisco about anxiety and depression. It’s obvious that anxiety […]
Rhett Smith 115: Some Relational Reflections on Genesis 1-4 (at the intersection of theology and psychology)
As I mentioned in a previous podcast, I thought I would take some time this year (on occasion) to stop and reflect on my reading of the bible, and how it connects at the intersection of theology and psychology. So in this episode I want to take some time and just reflect on Genesis 1-4 […]
Rhett Smith 111: People Are Complex, So Don’t Judge
“I’d like to know more, of course, but I’ve accepted that there’s nothing more he has to say; I’ve accepted that there’s a limit on our knowledge of even those who are closest to us. The older one gets the more one realises how saturated life is in mystery, and the biggest mystery of all, […]
Rhett Smith 109: Managing and Using Your Anxiety in the New Year
The new near can bring forth a lot of varying emotions from people. In my experience, a large number of people come into the new year very excited about change and all the potential possibilities that await them. It’s often a time to start anew. But there is also a large number of people who […]
Restoration Therapy: Tools, Resources and Strategies for Working with Anxiety
The Anxiety Equation In an earlier post I wrote about a very powerful and transformative therapy experience I had back in 2010. It was one of those therapy sessions where insight was enough to create change. Or at least I should say, the insight alone was enough to create some initial change, but it led […]
Restoration Therapy: Anxiety and the Bible
Reframing The Meaning of Anxiety in the Bible “I am here, in your office to see you because I didn’t feel like there was anyone else I could talk to about my anxiety.” I hear some form of this statement quite often in my office. And it most frequently comes from someone who is a […]
Restoration Therapy: Discerning the Difference Between Healthy and Unhealthy Anxiety
Anxiety Changed My Life Back in 2011 when I was doing some reading and research for my book The Anxious Christian, I came across a sentence in Rollo May’s book, The Meaning of Anxiety that really resonated with what I was thinking about in regards to anxiety. In that book he writes the following: “The […]
Restoration Therapy: Identifying and Healing the Underlying Roots of Anxiety
What Is Underneath the Anxiety One of the most difficult things about anxiety is trying to define its roots. In an earlier post I wrote about the challenge of trying to define it, but in this post I want to explore more in depth what the underlying roots are that trigger anxiety. You may remember […]
Restoration Therapy: Trying to Define Anxiety
Anxiety in the Headlines Anxiety is a hot topic these days. I am not saying that it has ever gone out of style, but it seems that anxiety has been increasing at record numbers in our culture and one can hardly look at the news without seeing article after article proclaiming the findings of some […]