The Catholic Morning Show

How Emotional Wounds Block Grace (and How Healing Opens It) – Dr. Matthew Breuninger – 10/15/2026

Episode Summary

Clinical psychologist Dr. Matthew Breuninger, author of Finding Freedom in Christ: Healing Life's Hurts, explains how our wounds shape the way we see God, why so much of life is driven by avoidance, and how faith and medicine work together. He speaks Sunday, October 18, at the Catholic Medical Association St. Luke Feast in Des Moines.

Episode Notes

Deacon Mark Campbell welcomes Dr. Matthew Breuninger — the author whose book helped Deacon Mark through a season of healing — ahead of his talk for the Catholic Medical Association St. Pius X Guild's St. Luke Feast this Sunday, October 18, at St. Augustin Church in Des Moines. The event is free and open to the public, with a freewill offering.

Dr. Breuninger, who holds a master's in theology from Ave Maria University and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Baylor University, discusses:

How reading St. Thomas Aquinas on virtue and the passions led him to study the union of body and soul
Why emotional and psychological wounds can be obstacles to grace — and how healing opens new pathways for it
His hope to encourage doctors and healthcare workers facing burnout, insurance battles, and pressure on human dignity
Why "all I need is faith" and "medicine can fix everything" both fall short — and how he helps people move past either view
How avoidance often looks like success, talkativeness, or quiet withdrawal, and why moving toward what we fear makes room for growth

Resources:

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