Mental Health Conversations for Disciples of Jesus Christ

Have you ever wondered why it's possible to know all the right doctrine and still feel disconnected — from yourself, from others, even from God? What if the very thing you've been taught to push away — your struggles, your wounds, your "natural" self — is actually the place where Christ wants to meet you most?

Connect with a growing community of followers of Jesus Christ who seek to share His love by first building a deep relationship with Him. Through Christ's transformative love, we allow our natural tendencies to be transformed, so that love can flow into our families, friends, and communities.

This community is facilitated by Patricia Ogden, an IFS Level 3 Practitioner. For more information about her training see the About -Patricia Ogden page in the navigation menu.

What does mental health have to do with my discipleship?

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we believe this life is the perfect school for refinement — designed so we would experience both the bitter and the sweet. These experiences shape who we become.

The bitter experiences are often the ones we wish we could leave in the past. For many of us, they began in childhood — neglect, emotional, physical, sexual, or spiritual abuse from caregivers, the death of a loved one, family upheaval, health crises, or simply growing up in a mortal world among imperfect people. When these experiences accumulate without enough support to process them, something happens that psychology calls trauma.

What is trauma? Dr. Gabor Maté — a physician, author, and internationally renowned expert on trauma, addiction, and childhood development — defines it not as the external event itself, but as the internal wound left behind when we feel overwhelmed, unsupported, or unable to process what happened to us. As he puts it, "Trauma is not what happens to you; it is what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you." I'd add this: trauma doesn't just wound us in the moment — it often reshapes how we see ourselves, how we relate to others, and how we experience our relationship with God. And that shapes how we respond and feel about many things.

“The natural man is an enemy to God and has been from the fall of Adam and will be forever and ever unless he yields to the enticings of the holy spirit and becometh a saint through the atonement of Jesus Christ and becometh as a little child; meek submissive, full of love, patient, willing to submit to all things the Father seeth…”

Mosiah 3:14

Meet your guide

Hello! My name is Patricia Ogden.

When God opened my eyes to see the above scripture differently, it changed my perception of my discipleship with Jesus Christ forever. My witness of and faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ guided me to see God’s creation, our physical frame, as good, and God-given. To me that means that everything about our natural frame was created for Good! For his glory.

This also means that the mind and heart inherent to my natural frame—the natural woman—are from God and are good, created by our perfect Father and Savior. It has been my delight to discover that our natural mind or our internal world’s desires to yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit as our eternal spiritual self learns to love tenderly those parts of us and lead them to Christ, the true Physician and Healer for us all.

I have found this to be true for my own discipleship journey; and now see my internal world (my parts) as a stewardship from God to lead and love my natural self to Christ.

You might ask, how is what you are offering help in my quest for putting off the natural man?

In simple terms, when our Eternal Spirit comes down and receives a body, with our body comes the natural tendencies of being human; hurt, fear, anger, grief, loss, regret, abuse, betrayal, vulnerability, anxiety, coping strategies that aren’t so great, etc.

Internal Family Systems offers a framework for helping us help these parts of us trust the Savior more and “yield (more) to the enticings of the holy Spirit”. Which is one of the main reasons I believe we have a body; for our eternal Spirit to learn and have leadership of our whole Self, including our internal world. When we practice Self Leadership and we learn to strengthen those muscles of leading our natural man/woman self to Christ and submit to all the Father sees is needful for our journey here in mortality.

My experiences have taught me that fighting or shutting down these natural man or woman tendencies actually makes discipleship more challenging than it has to be. Christ has taught me to befriend these different parts and as I have done that they are more willing to surrender to his influence and will. It is no longer a sum zero game. It is all about building connection with Christ, my parts and my Self. And getting the results I desire; more calm, connection, peace, clarity, direction and closeness with God.

Who We Are

We remain deeply grateful for the journey that has brought us here, fully immersed in the present moment while holding a steadfast optimism for the future that lies ahead. What I hope truly sets this community apart is not simply the methods we employ, but the profound and deliberate intention that guides each step of our process: that we are committed to understanding, exploration, and creation that are deeply rooted in our spiritual foundation. We view ourselves and every other person as cherished children of God, each endowed with unique capacities and divine gifts—our "Divine DNA"—that beautifully reflect the boundless love of our Heavenly Father and Mother.

Rather than seeing the natural man or woman as an enemy, we embrace them as a willing ally to God, yielding to His love and His invitation for continuous growth, transformation, and enduring joy. Furthermore, we recognize ourselves as faithful stewards of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, actively embracing the invitation to pursue deeper spiritual maturity. I invite myself and all within this community to surrender to Christ's call, inviting our natural selves and all our inner parts to place their trust in Jesus, ultimately becoming like little children through His transformative at-one-ment.

Our
Commitment

We have a profound and enduring intention to collaboratively cultivate a life in which our True Self and our Savior Jesus Christ serve as the guiding force for our inner worlds, fostering a deep sense of authenticity and alignment. To bring this transformative vision to life—

We actively engage in regular group meetings that serve as a sanctuary to renew our collective commitment, rekindle our excitement, and strengthen our shared dedication to this essential inner work.
Complementing these gatherings, we strive to participate in regular self-examination, courageously exploring our own contributions to our experiences to uncover hidden patterns and foster personal growth.
Furthermore, we fully embrace self-leadership and Christ-led guidance by integrating our own parts work practices into our daily lives, while remaining open to seeking outside help (professional, pastoral, mentor) whenever deeper support is needed to navigate complex emotional landscapes.

“Trauma blocks love.
Love heals trauma.”

Frank Andersen

Topics we will address

What began as a passion project has evolved into something more. We’re proud of where we’ve been and even more excited for what’s ahead. What sets us apart isn’t just our process—it’s the intention behind it. We take time to understand, explore, and create with purpose at every turn.
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