Interior Integration for Catholics

Moral theologian Fr. Thomas Berg and philosopher and therapist Dr. Andrea Messineo take on the topic of personal conscience and parts work through a Catholic lens. We explore the relationships among conscience, parts, the innermost self, the intellect, the will, impulses, and desires. We address concupiscence and parts, and offer specific examples. Join us for a fascinating exploration of conscience and parts. Check out these other episodes:https://youtu.be/bw-zUp2h_TAhttps://youtu.be/f5MNCaCJLychttps://youtu.be/Isxmlx8pQAsDr. Peter’s advanced group for Catholic formators: Relating Wholeheartedly with God in Prayer, Mondays from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM Eastern starting on March 9, 2026. Find out more here: https://members.soulsandhearts.com/registrationDr. Gerry’s advanced group for Catholic formators: Surviving, Healing, Thriving, and Flourishing - A Path To Greater Integration Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM Eastern, starting on March 11, 2026Fr. Thomas Berg’s books: Hurting in the Church: A Way Forward for Wounded Catholics: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hurting-in-the-church-fr-thomas-berg/1124597873Choosing Forgiveness: Unleash the Power of God's Grace: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/choosing-forgiveness-fr-thomas-berg/1140395384?ean=9781681926537Dr. Andrea Messineo’s book, Alone in Church: https://www.amazon.com/ALONE-CHURCH-Andrea-Messineo/dp/1732054290Check out Dr. Messineo’s website at andreamessineolpcc.comKey moments:16:15 What are the relationships among one's innermost self, one's parts, and one's conscience?21:25 St. Thomas Aquinas’ emphasis on prudence23:30 How parts with emotions have a role in a well-formed conscience and the innermost self does not have a “localized omniscience.” 31:30 What are the relationships among parts and the faculties of the intellect and the will?37:00 Parts are closely connected with impulses and desires, driving agendas40:00 What about addictions, obsessions, and compulsions?45:40 Can a person possess a virtue, but parts of that person not have access to that virtue?56:20 Does the innermost self need any formation from others, or is it complete, as Richard Schwartz maintains?1:08:00 Causal chains that lead to morally problematic behaviors1:17:20 What is concupiscence and does it always need to be lodged in a part?

Catholic philosopher Dr. Andrea Messineo and moral theologian Fr. Thomas Berg guide us in moral reasoning from a parts perspective, grounded in Alasdair MacIntyre’s Thomistic thought. Join us as we romp through understanding the development of moral reasoning informed by IFS, “values clarification”, Winnicott’s object relations model, the importance of unblending and recollection for clarity in moral reasoning, the necessity of dependence on others, the proper use and the misuse of penance and mortification, how accepting a part does not mean endorsing that part’s impulses and desires, and so much more. Fr. Thomas Berg’s books: Hurting in the Church: A Way Forward for Wounded Catholics: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hurting-in-the-church-fr-thomas-berg/1124597873 Choosing Forgiveness: Unleash the Power of God's Grace: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/choosing-forgiveness-fr-thomas-berg/1140395384?ean=9781681926537 Dr. Andrea Messineo’s book “Alone in Church”: https://www.amazon.com/ALONE-CHURCH-Andrea-Messineo/dp/1732054290 Check out Dr. Messineo’s website at Andreamessineolpcc.com If you want to flourish in loving God, your neighbor, and yourself, with other Catholics in a structured program informed by Internal Family Systems and grounded in a Catholic worldview, check out the Resilient Catholics Community here: https://soulsandhearts.com/rcc and check out our informational video here: https://vimeo.com/1160648485/1d2c052338?fl=ip&fe=ec New groups are forming for Catholic formators – counselors, coaches, spiritual directors, priests, and others who individually accompany others in their formation are welcome to join our Formation for Formators community. Details are here: https://soulsandhearts.com/fff

You need to love yourself properly to love others in an ordered way. How can we understand St. Thomas Aquinas' insistence on us governing our passions from an IFS perspective in a way that loves our passionate parts? How can we be detached from worldly goods? Do saints get blended with their parts? Are there benefits to some kinds of blending with parts? How can we frame the Theology of the Body to resonate more with women's concerns? How can we consider both errors of commission vs. errors of omission in parts work? What about the importance of mercy, the centrality of love, the requirement of interior integration in for human formation through an Internal Family Systems lens, grounded in a Catholic understanding of the human person? Join Dr. Gerry Crete, Dr. Peter Martin, and Dr. Peter Malinoski take these questions and more in this episode with a live audience.

Christopher West has recently embraced IFS and parts work because of Dr. Gerry Crete’s book, Litanies of the Heart. Dr. West shares the impact of IFS in his life, seeing it as a “missing piece,” a key to internalizing and living out the powerful message of St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. In this episode, Dr. West, Dr. Gerry, and Dr. Peter invite you into their rollicking, wide ranging, and deep conversation about “marrying” TOB and IFS -- and how the TOB/IFS union brings guidance and light in redeeming eros, healing from trauma, growing in interior integration, living chastely, and loving our parts that experience lustful desires and impulses. For the full video experience with Beth West's painting of eros, the crumpled painting analogy, and all our visuals, gestures, and graphics, and for conversation and sharing in the comments section, check us out on our YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/@InteriorIntegration4Catholics

A sure norm for teaching the faith – that’s what the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) is, according to St. John Paul II. Today, Elizabeth Galanti, Dr. Gerry, and Dr. Peter look at what the CCC has to say about parts work, human formation, divided hearts, healthy multiplicity vs. inner fragmentation, self-knowledge, self-governance, self-love, inner unity, sexual sins, the body, and hope. And all of this in our effort to ground Internal Family Systems and other parts and systems approaches in an authentically Catholic understanding of the human person, informed by the Catechism. Why? So you can flourish.For the full video experience with all our visuals, gestures, and graphics, and for conversation and sharing in the comments section, check us out on our YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/@InteriorIntegration4Catholics Our new podcast Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts podcast A daily podcast where we bring Jesus' ministry inside, to all parts of us. Just as Jesus reaches out to the outcasts of society, we reach out to your inner outcasts-- the parts of you that feel unworthy or unlovable. Join us in seeing Scripture through a new lens, coming alive for those parts of you that may have experienced spiritual neglect and need healing. Check out Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts wherever you listen to podcasts.

“Man is divided within himself.” So says the Vatican II document Gaudium et Spes. Sins – original sin, the sins of others, and your own personal sins lead to your inner fragmentation and the obscuring of your conscience. What is your conscience? Where is your conscience within you? What does Vatican II say about IFS concepts? How did St. Maximilian Kolbe live sacrificial love in Auschwitz with interior integration, inner unity? And what does Vatican II say about psychology and the social sciences? Dr. Gerry Crete joins me for a wide-ranging discussion of these questions and so much more.

We explore the surprising compatibility of Internal Family Systems with a Thomistic understanding of the human person. The modern pioneer of parts work, Richard Schwartz, originator of IFS harmonizes with the medieval angelic doctor of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas. Join Thomistic philosopher Dr. Anthony Flood, Catholic psychologist Dr. Eric Gudan and me, Dr. Peter, as we discuss how the goodness of IFS can be modified and grounded in the excellence of a Thomistic anthropology. For the full video experience with all our visuals, gestures, and graphics, and for conversation and sharing in the comments section, check us out on our YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/@InteriorIntegration4Catholics

How do we love with the three loves in the two Great Commandments? And what are the relationships among love of God, love of neighbor, and love of self? Join Catholic philosopher Anthony Flood and Catholic psychologist Eric Gudan as we explore love in Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas. We address flourishing, friendship, virtues, interior integration, inner unity, union with others, trauma, healing, selfishness, humility, magnanimity, where to find truth, and so much more, all through a Thomistic lens. Join us! For the full video experience with all our visuals, graphics, and for conversation and sharing in the comments section, check us out on our YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/@InteriorIntegration4Catholics

We have answers to your questions about Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Catholicism. From the experts. That’s what this episode is all about. Dr. Peter Martin, Dr. Gerry Crete, Dr. Christian Amalu and Dr. Peter Malinoski come together with a live audience to discuss your questions about parts’ felt sense of safety, their God images, and your innermost self as a secure internal attachment figure for your parts and a bridge between your parts and God, your will and your parts. We discuss whether you can love others if you don’t love yourself. And so much more. Come and see!

Both Socrates and Plato were deeply concerned with the questions 1) Who is the human person? and 2) How does one flourish in living the best life possible. And both addressed these questions through understanding a person’s relationship with self. Knowing oneself, loving oneself, and governing oneself wisely are the core of their teaching on virtues and ethics. All three of those imply a relationship oneself. We explore the “parts of the soul” that Socrates and Plato proposed, and how these parts interact in the inner life. Join Catholic Thomistic philosopher Dr. Anthony Flood, Catholic psychologist Dr. Eric Gudan and me, Dr. Peter, as we explore Plato’s five forms of self-governance, and which parts of the soul are in charge in each of them, connecting each one to an IFS understanding of inner dynamics. For the full video experience with all of Dr. Flood's expressive gestures, all our visuals, graphics, and for conversation and sharing in the comments section, check us out on our YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/@InteriorIntegration4Catholics

Q: What can St. Bonaventure teach us about our inner life? A: More than you might imagine. Writing in the 13th century, St. Bonaventure emphasized the importance of the heart, of our emotions and our desires. He prized love and relationality – starting with the relationships among the three Persons of the Trinity, that God is both a unity and a multiplicity. He also emphasized the faculty of memory in addition to the intellect and the will as part of his tripartite model of soul, which opens the door to the modern concept of the unconscious, with parts existing outside of our awareness. Join Dr. Gerry Crete, Dr. Christian Amalu, and Dr. Peter Malinoski as we “nerd out” on St. Bonaventure, connecting him back to St. Francis of Assisi, St. Maximus, and other Catholic experts on metaphysics in a way that’s accessible, conversational, inspirational, and fun. For the full video experience with all of Dr. Gerry's expressive gestures, all our visuals, graphics, and for conversation and sharing in the comments section, check us out on our YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/@InteriorIntegration4Catholics

Q: Did St. Maximus anticipate Internal Family Systems thinking by 13 centuries? A: In a word, Yes. Maximus, writing in the seventh century, described in detail the unity and distinctions within the human person, and how each of us is a mediator that connects the spiritual and natural realms, and microcosm that contains within us the entire cosmos. Mind-blowing ideas. He also believes that each of us is a macrocosm, being able to influence the whole world in ways that matter. Maximus was a sophisticated systems thinker. He believed we already have certain virtues within us that can and should be released to flower. And love was at the very center of his message. Join Dr. Gerry Crete, Dr. Christian Amalu, and Dr. Peter Malinoski as they explore Catholic parts work and St. Maximus to your imagination break free.

You can think of St. Augustine’s heart as an “open book” titled “Confessions.” In this episode, we go deep into his restless heart, sharing with you how well his clear, detailed, and nuanced descriptions of his inner experience reflect Internal Family Systems and parts work so well. As St. Augustine describes his “divided heart” and “conflicting wills” and the stages of his conversion, Dr. Gerry Crete, Dr. Chrisian Amalu, and Dr. Peter Malinoski show how this translates into IFS terms. And Dr. Christian provides an Augustinian experiential exercise. Join us to see how St. Augustine wisdom connects with and informs Catholic parts work. If you are a Catholic who wants to jumpstart getting to know and love your own parts, check out the Resilient Catholics Community at https://members.soulsandhearts.com/rcc

What can the Early Church Fathers teach us about our inner worlds, the complexity of our psyches? Actually, very much, if we are willing to listen. Join Dr. Gerry Crete, Dr. Christian Amalu and me for a highlight tour of what these Early Church Fathers offer us in understanding and loving ourselves, God, and others: St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Irenaeus, St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. John of Damascus. We particularly focused in on St. Evagrius discussing the “Christ-self” and the “legion of other selves” within each person. We explore how the Early Church Fathers bring in allegory, metaphor, symbol, and typology to capture more readily the richness, variety, complexity, and beauty of the inner life than we moderns generally do. Dr. Gerry closes with a brief prayer reflection. For the full video experience with visuals, graphics, and for discussion in the comments section, check us out on our YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/@InteriorIntegration4Catholics

Internal Family Systems is extremely popular not only as a therapy model, but as a way of making sense of our inner experience. IFS does not have specifically Catholic origins. But can there be a way of understanding parts work and systems thinking and harmonizing them with an authentically Catholic understanding of the human person? Dr. Christian Amalu, Dr. Peter Martin, Dr. Gerry Crete, and Dr. Peter Malinoski explore that question in these next episodes, starting with Sacred Scripture. What evidence can be found in the Bible to support the major tenets of IFS? How might IFS be understood through a Catholic lens? Join us for a tour of Scripture to answer these questions, with an experiential exercise as well.

You have got questions, we have answers – all about IFS and parts work, Catholic style. Join Marion Moreland, David Edwards, Bridget Adams, and Dr. Peter as we engage with a live audience for a discussion. David provides a brief drop-in exercise. The new discuss relating with our parts with love, legacy burdens and legacy gifts, detecting when a part is blended, displaced anger, how core beliefs drive parts, how our human formation arithmetic can help our spiritual formation algebra, Divine Providence working through our flaws, shortcomings, sins, and inadequacies, making the gifts, and the Resilient Catholics Community with the PartsFinder Pro. For the full video experience with visuals, graphics, and for discussion in the comments section, check us out on our YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/@InteriorIntegration4Catholics

Question: What do improvisational jazz bands, 8-man rowing shells, the Catholic Church, and a nuclear family all have in common? Answer: They are all human systems. Systems have three components: 1) elements (or parts); 2) interconnections (relationships among elements); and 3) a function or purpose. John David Edwards and Dr. Peter as we explore systems. Understanding yourself as a system, with an innermost self, parts, internal relationships among your innermost self and parts (e.g. polarizations, alignments, suppressions, etc.), and that each unintegrated part has an agenda – a purpose it desires – all that helps us understand ourselves and each other. And that understanding helps so much in being able to receive and give love as Catholics.

Fearfully and wonderfully made – that is what you are. And made not just as a single, homogeneous personality – but as a system. But what is a system? How can we understand ourselves not just as a monolithic personality, not just as a unity, and not just as a multiplicity, but in terms of our inner relationships with ourselves? Join Dr. Gerry Crete, Bridget Adams, and Dr. Peter as we explore how each of us has a “kingdom within” – and how understanding that kingdom, understanding our multiplicity of our system allows us to better love God, our neighbor, and ourselves, the three loves in the two great commandments, firmly grounded in a Catholic understanding of the human person. For the full video experience with visuals, graphics, and for discussion in the comments section, check us out on our YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/@InteriorIntegration4Catholics