Attaching to God: Neuroscience-informed Spiritual Formation

069: Leading with & through Emotion: Limbic Resonance, Leadership, and Spirituality with MaryKate Morse (Summer Rewind)

Aug 16, 2023

MaryKate Morse, Executive Dean and leader in spiritual formation and mentoring, explores how our limbic system shapes connection and leadership. She discusses limbic resonance, how leaders’ emotional presence regulates groups, infant mirroring, unconscious social judgments, and formation-focused seminary practice. Short reflections on Jesus’ regulating presence and creating safe communal spaces round out the conversation.

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INSIGHT

Emotions Precede Rational Decisions

Emotions spread implicitly and instantly in groups, shaping decisions before reasoning kicks in.
Once a group decides someone is safe or unsafe, that verdict is hard to change.

ADVICE

Enter With Calm, Purposeful Openness

Walk into rooms with relaxed, warm openness to regulate group emotional states.
Use a grounded, purposeful love to calm hysteria rather than matching fear or anger.

INSIGHT

Presence Rewrites Emotional Patterns

Sustained loving presence can change people's emotional patterns over time.
Therapists change clients more by modeled emotional safety than by words alone.

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(During our Summer Break we are airing important past episodes)

What if the secret to impactful leadership and genuine community connection lies deep within our biological construct? Are emotions and moods contagious, between people and in groups? Why are we unconsciously drawn to certain people and repelled by others? And what does this have to do with leadership?

This episode uncovers the power of our limbic system, our emotional center, and how it shapes our interactions, leadership, and relationships. Embodied Faith host, Geoff Holsclaw (Phd), talks with professor MaryKate Morse of Portland Seminary about LIMBIC RESONANCE, leadership, and the shifts between connection and protection.

MaryKate has authored Lifelong Leadership: Woven Together through Mentoring Communities, Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space, and Influence and A Guidebook to Prayer .

We journey through the transformative power of purposeful love, exemplified by Jesus' actions, and counter the use of fear as a tool for influence. The conversation takes us deeper into the profound impact of creating a nurturing learning environment, fostering the growth of pastors and leaders. It's a deep dive into the critical role of emotions, identity, and spiritual formation in shaping a culture of openness in theological education and beyond.

Finally, we bear witness to the power of authenticity and community in spiritual growth, illustrating how speaking our truth and forming genuine relationships is instrumental to our spiritual evolution. We conclude with a reflective discussion on the transformative power of reading and the influence of books on our lives. Get ready to explore your emotional self and discover how it shapes your leadership and connections. Join us on this enlightening journey and enrich your understanding of the intricate relationship between our emotions and our lives.

Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.

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