Is your spouses trauma causing marriage problems? Are your marriage problems caused by spiritual warfare? Is it because of past wounds? Should you try to diagnose the source of every conflict, or is there a better approach?
Join Dan and Stephanie Burke as they tackle what may be the single best marriage question they've ever received: *How can I discern the difference between my spouse's wounds, my own trauma responses, and genuine spiritual warfare so that I respond with wisdom instead of fear, passivity, or control?*
In this transformative episode, discover why the answer is both simple and profound: *it's all of the above.* Dan and Stephanie reveal why trying to precisely diagnose the source of every conflict may be less important than understanding the universal truth that *the enemy is always an opportunist,* looking for wounds, traumas, and vulnerabilities to exploit in your marriage.
Learn why modern culture has fallen at the feet of scientism and psychology, leading Catholics to drastically underestimate the presence of spiritual warfare in everyday life. Dan makes a bold statement: *there has never been a saint created by a psychologist.* While good Catholic psychology exists, the spiritual dimension cannot be ignored or brushed aside without serious consequences.
Discover Dan's practical approach to dealing with desolation regardless of its source: *In the name of Jesus, fight.* Whether physiological struggles, emotional darkness, or direct demonic attack, the response remains the same. Refuse victimhood, recognize desolation, and act in the opposite spirit of what the darkness is producing in you.
This episode unpacks *two universal truths:* first, the enemy is always involved when opportunity presents itself; second, every conflict is an invitation to healing and deeper intimacy with God. Learn how St. Ignatius's Rule Nine identifies three principal causes of desolation and why Rule Fourteen reveals that *the enemy attacks where you need strengthening.*
Stephanie shares a powerful insight from one of their adult children: *I have a responsibility to seek the healing and wholeness I need for the sake of those who will be entrusted to me.* Your healing is never just for you. The body of Christ suffers when you fail to pursue the wholeness God is calling you toward.
Dan and Stephanie provide essential resources including Finding Peace in the Storm and Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits, explaining how these truths transformed Dan from living mostly in desolation to experiencing joy and peace. Discover why *mental prayer is the foundation* for the self knowledge needed to navigate marriage conflicts with wisdom.
Learn Stephanie's beautiful metaphor: with proper spiritual formation, you shift from getting pummeled by waves to *learning to ride the waves toward union with God.* Every storm becomes the means through which Christ purifies, strengthens, and transforms you when you keep your eyes fixed on Him rather than the chaos around you.
Resources:
Join Dan and Stephanie Burke as they tackle what may be the single best marriage question they've ever received: *How can I discern the difference between my spouse's wounds, my own trauma responses, and genuine spiritual warfare so that I respond with wisdom instead of fear, passivity, or control?*
In this transformative episode, discover why the answer is both simple and profound: *it's all of the above.* Dan and Stephanie reveal why trying to precisely diagnose the source of every conflict may be less important than understanding the universal truth that *the enemy is always an opportunist,* looking for wounds, traumas, and vulnerabilities to exploit in your marriage.
Learn why modern culture has fallen at the feet of scientism and psychology, leading Catholics to drastically underestimate the presence of spiritual warfare in everyday life. Dan makes a bold statement: *there has never been a saint created by a psychologist.* While good Catholic psychology exists, the spiritual dimension cannot be ignored or brushed aside without serious consequences.
Discover Dan's practical approach to dealing with desolation regardless of its source: *In the name of Jesus, fight.* Whether physiological struggles, emotional darkness, or direct demonic attack, the response remains the same. Refuse victimhood, recognize desolation, and act in the opposite spirit of what the darkness is producing in you.
This episode unpacks *two universal truths:* first, the enemy is always involved when opportunity presents itself; second, every conflict is an invitation to healing and deeper intimacy with God. Learn how St. Ignatius's Rule Nine identifies three principal causes of desolation and why Rule Fourteen reveals that *the enemy attacks where you need strengthening.*
Stephanie shares a powerful insight from one of their adult children: *I have a responsibility to seek the healing and wholeness I need for the sake of those who will be entrusted to me.* Your healing is never just for you. The body of Christ suffers when you fail to pursue the wholeness God is calling you toward.
Dan and Stephanie provide essential resources including Finding Peace in the Storm and Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits, explaining how these truths transformed Dan from living mostly in desolation to experiencing joy and peace. Discover why *mental prayer is the foundation* for the self knowledge needed to navigate marriage conflicts with wisdom.
Learn Stephanie's beautiful metaphor: with proper spiritual formation, you shift from getting pummeled by waves to *learning to ride the waves toward union with God.* Every storm becomes the means through which Christ purifies, strengthens, and transforms you when you keep your eyes fixed on Him rather than the chaos around you.
Resources:
- Spiritual Warfare and the Family Summit Vault (https://spiritualdirection.com/vault2026?utm_source=dir&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=summit_vault&utm_content=trauma) videos
- Spiritual Warfare and Discernment of Spirits (https://spiritualdirection.com/spiritual-warfare-and-discernment-of-spirits-signup-2?utm_source=dir&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=swados&utm_content=demonic_backlash) video series
- Discernment of Spirits for Beginners (https://shop.spiritualdirection.com/product/discernment-of-spirits-for-beginners/) Dr. Mary Ruth Hackett & Dan Burke
- Into the Deep (https://spiritualdirection.com/into-the-deep-sign-up?utm_source=sd.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=into_the_deep&utm_content=dir) video series
- Finding Peace in the Storm (https://sophiainstitute.com/product/finding-peace-in-the-storm/) Dan Burke
- Into the Deep (https://stpaulmemphis.com/product/into-the-deep/) Dan Burke
- Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits (http://spiritualdirection.com/shop) Dan Burke
- The Contemplative Rosary (https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/the-contemplative-rosary) Dan Burke and Connie Rossini
- A Catholic Guide to Mindfulness (http://spiritualdirection.com/shop) Susan Brinkmann OCDS
- SpiritualDirection.com/Events website
- Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation (http://avila-institute.org/)
- EWTN Religious Catalogue (http://www.ewtnreligiouscatalogue.com/) online
