The Best of You

Today's Scripture: Hebrews 2:14–18

Sometimes fear doesn’t feel like fear. It looks like staying ahead, planning for every possibility, holding people tightly, or never quite letting yourself rest. Hebrews 2 names a deeper fear beneath much of our striving: the fear of loss and death.

Today, we’ll explore how that fear quietly shapes our lives—and why Jesus frees us to loosen our grip and live more fully.

*How fear of loss can disguise itself as responsibility or control

*Why avoiding what we fear can actually give it more power

*The “smaller deaths” we brace against in everyday life

*What Jesus’ death and resurrection mean for the things we fear losing

*How to loosen your grip without pretending you’re not afraid

Go Deeper:

For more on your Inner Controller check out The Secure Soul

Episode 41: Boundaries with Fear and Anxiety

Episode 167: Can I Pray My Anxiety Away?

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍
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What if the way you pray has more to do with your attachment patterns than you realize?

In this episode, Dr. Alison shares how her own prayer life changed as she became more securely attached—and the surprising shift that she didn’t understand at first. We’ll look at what attachment theory can teach us about the way we experience closeness, why deeply feeling or anxiously attached parts of us may equate intensity with love, and how healing can lead to a steadier, more integrated way of relating—with other people and with God.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why intensity can feel like closeness—even when it isn’t security

What attachment research reveals about why some relationships feel so consuming

The subtle shifts that happen as your attachment system begins to heal

What securely attached people do differently in close relationships

A simple practice for building greater trust from the inside out

More Resources:

With every purchase of Dr. Alison’s newest book, The Secure Soul, you’ll get exclusive access to her Soul Tending Video Library, including “Boundaries for the Deeply Feeling Woman” and her masterclass “Healing the Wounds That Still Shape You.”

Connect further with @dralisoncook on Instagram

📖 Find a full transcript and list of resources from this episode here

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While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍
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Today's Scripture: Isaiah 42:1–4

Sometimes you’re not falling apart—you’re simply bruised. You’re still functioning and showing up, but certain places inside feel tender, weary, or easily overwhelmed.

Today, we’ll explore what it means to receive God’s gentleness in the places where you’re hurting.

*Why being tender doesn’t mean you’re weak*How hurt can cause us to guard or criticize vulnerable parts of ourselves*What the bruised reed reveals about the character of Jesus*Why God’s strength and gentleness belong together*One way to treat your own soul with greater tenderness today

Go Deeper: If you’re learning how to meet yourself with more compassion, explore the Soul Tending video library at TheSecureSoulBook.com.

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Scripture: Matthew 9:9-13

Shame tells you to hide the parts of yourself that feel messy, reactive, needy, or disappointing. But Jesus does the opposite of what we often expect: He moves toward Matthew before Matthew has cleaned up his life. Today, we’ll look at what this story reveals about the heart of God and why the places you most want to hide may be the very places where mercy wants to meet you.

*Why Jesus didn’t wait for Matthew to become respectable

*How shame teaches us to hide the parts of ourselves that need care

*Why God’s holiness moves toward human need rather than away from it

*The difference between mercy and spiritually proving yourself

*How to let Jesus meet you in a place you don’t feel proud of

Go Deeper: Check out our Soul Tending Video Resource library all about tending the wounds within—it's free when you preorder The Secure Soul

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Scripture: Psalm 30:1–5

Sometimes the hardest part of a painful season isn’t simply surviving it—it’s discovering that joy still feels far away even after the worst has passed. In Psalm 30, David makes room for both realities: the night is real, and it doesn’t get the final word.

Today, we’ll explore why joy can feel risky after grief or disappointment and how to begin receiving goodness again without denying what still hurts. You'll learn:

*Why Psalm 30 doesn’t minimize grief or rush you toward happiness

*Why prolonged hardship can make joy harder to receive

*How joy and grief can exist together

*Why some parts of you may feel safer expecting disappointment

*A gentle practice for noticing one small sign of “morning” today

Go Deeper: Share this episode with someone who needs to hear that sorrow is real, but it isn’t the end of the story.

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices