Theology on Tap & Spiritual First Responders Project presents: An Evening on Trauma & Theology featuring Dr. Hillary McBride & Dr. Preston Hill
Doors 6:00pm, Lectures begin at 6:30pm
Dr. Hillary McBride - "Growing Ourselves Up: Understanding the Long Term Impact of Spirituality Traumatic Contexts on the Development of Self"
Foundational psychological theories of development and attachment have identified what people need in order to become more of themselves, including the steps necessary for a person to arrive at adulthood with the skills, capacity, and ego strength to face the demands and pleasures of living in a psychically rooted and interconnected way. Models of family systems can be used to understand how the interpersonal context around us supports us to, or inhibits us from, meeting these developmental steps in light of our desire for connectedness and relational safety. Informed by these theories, this talk will explore how extended time in a spiritually abusive and traumatic context (often called a family) can challenge and complicate typical psychosocial development and contribute to distress in adulthood. Ways to support the healthy development of self and organize the disorganized development will be discussed.
Dr. Hillary McBride is a registered psychologist, a researcher, author and podcaster, with expertise that includes working with trauma and trauma therapies, embodiment, and the intersection of spirituality and mental health. Her first book, Mothers, Daughters, and Body Image: Learning to Love Ourselves as We Are, was published in 2017; she was the senior editor of the textbook Embodiment and Eating Disorders: Theory, Research, Prevention, and Treatment, which was published in 2018. Her most recent bestselling book The Wisdom of Your Body: Finding wholeness, healing and connection through embodied living came out in the fall of 2021. She has been recognized by the American Psychological Association, and the Canadian Psychological Association for her research and clinical work. In addition to being a teaching faculty at the University of British Columbia, she is an ambassador for Sanctuary Mental Health, and the host of CBC's award winning podcast Other People's Problems. Hillary makes her home in the pacific northwest in British Columbia, Canada.
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Dr. Preston Hill - "The Psychology of Reconstructing Faith after Spiritual Trauma"
Many people experiencing faith deconstruction feel spiritually homeless but also continue to search for spiritual meaning in life, though it is unclear how they can flourish as desired. This talk will review a current large scale research project that facilitates mentally-healthy spiritual meaning-making for this population. This talk will discuss the challenges and possibilities for "remixed" spiritual experience among this population by setting faith deconstruction and reconstruction in psychological and theological context and drawing implications for mental health care among this group.
Preston Hill (PhD, MLitt, University of St Andrews) is Assistant Professor of Integrative Theology at Richmont Graduate University, where he serves as the Chair of Integration and Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program. His doctoral research offers the first book-length study of Christ’s descent into hell in the theology of John Calvin. His current research focuses on reformation theology, science, mental health, and trauma theology. His latest publications include Dawn of Sunday: The Trinity and Trauma-Safe Church (Cascade, 2021), and a forthcoming volume entitled Christ and Trauma: Theology East of Eden (Cascade). Preston is a clinical pastoral therapist under supervision and ordinand in the Anglican tradition.