Spirituality and Mental Health with Dr. Sharon Smith

Sharon Smith has done a PhD looking at spirituality and schizophrenia. She founded an organization called Sanctuary that works with religious communities around matters of mental health, education about mental health, and the removing of stigmas about mental illness and struggle. Sharon is now a Vicar at St. Catherine's Church and a part-time instructor at the University of British Columbia.

We talk about mental wellness, about flourishing and languishing and about how to best care for one another.

Episode Terminology

Spiritual Bypassing –Shifting done in conversations when topics become uncomfortable. There is a struggle to be with others in their pain so often spiritual platitudes are offered instead. In the context of mental health this can be seen in how things are framed. This has been done in labelling mental health struggles as evil or demonic so as to offer a spiritual solution.

Tasting Notes

This episode we enjoyed the Salted Lime Lager and Horchata Porter from La Cerveceria Astilleros in the brewery district of North Vancouver.