
Curt Thompson: How Naming Desire Leads to Transformation
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Dec 21, 2021 Curt Thompson, a board-certified psychiatrist and author, delves into desire's transformative power by exploring its roots in neuroscience and spirituality. He argues that beneath our longings lies the deep need to be seen and known. Through engaging discussions, he highlights how naming desires can illuminate struggles in relationships and leadership. Thompson also addresses the connection between shame and desire, advocating for loving gazes as a means to reveal beauty and foster personal growth within confessional communities.
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Desire Is Image-Bearing Creativity
- Desire is foundational to human identity because we are made in the image of a desiring God.
- Curt Thompson links desire to creativity and calls Christians to create beauty, not just fix problems.
Name Desire And Use Loving Gaze
- Practice naming your desires regularly because Jesus' question "What do you want?" opens new formation.
- Use attention and loving gaze to call forth beauty in others through embodied presence.
Five-Minute Loving Gaze Exercise
- Curt Thompson describes a five-minute loving gaze exercise given to couples in therapy.
- After initial discomfort the couples report wanting to continue because beauty emerges in the gaze.




