Every soul should have a bucket list of spiritual reading
Sleepless souls often doomscroll in bed, which bathes our retinas in blue light; thereby suppressing melatonin. Befuddled in exhaustion, some turn to white noise to coax brain waves into theta, delta and REM rhythms. Meanwhile, God aches for this time with us. While sleep is important, so too is healing. Below are saints' voices who can carry us straight into the Father's nourishing heart. These 6 saints are noted for spiritual therapy breakthroughs. Below are their FREE audiobook links, from the public domain, that check off bucket list boxes. Know that their methods have been borrowed by psychologists and validated by neuroscientists because of successful healings -- coincidence or Providence? This first voice reveals how the darkest of nights reveals the brightest of stars, “O night that guided me, O night more lovely than the dawn...”
1. St. John of the Cross is the patron saint of detachment. His poetic alternatives introduce how only God is our perfect and secure Tether. His audiobook, The Dark Night of the Soul (5-6 hours) has profound neuroscience implications.
- The most edifying version is the original Spanish text. Verb conjugation rubrics in romance languages enable unique rhymes and rhythms, sadly; that are lost in translation. Many souls learn Spanish for the sole purpose of experiencing this work and his, The Spiritual Canticle.
- Specifically, this saint's explorations evoke liminal brain wave processing. "Liminal" is a Latin word that best translates as a "threshold," where we shift from surface-level cognition into deeper networks. One such neuro network is the Default Mode Network (DMN). Periods of “dark night” resemble DMN quieting and limbic pruning, which allow new emotional patterns to form. Active within this brain network, overall suffering is reframed as purification which reduces catastrophic thinking.
- The brain's DMN activates when we revisit our memories, and sometimes with our understanding and will. The DMN is where we reflect on who we are and what our lives mean. A good example is when we unite our suffering with Christ's. We not only empathize, we reshape our identity with His. We weave our pain into His love story, sacrifice, and redemption (John 3:16). The DMN is where we transpose personal suffering into deeper spiritual meanings. Spiritually, this is the stage where God loosens false attachments. Empathically, the soul learns to surrender to ambiguity and uncertainty without panic, stress or fear. In our quest to become saints, this is the hallmark of mature compassion.
- Repeated listening bears more fruit. While not The Word, the rich metaphysics baked therein; satisfy our souls' palates with each new exposure.
2. St. Teresa of Ávila is the patron saint of chess. In her 1566 audiobook, "The Way of Perfection" (7-8 hours) she compares strategy in chess to prayer in spiritual life. Our job is to outwit our opponent on our journey towards the King. St Teresa’s calm is not naïve. It reflects her insight into the parasympathetic nervous system which will bypass urges to ruminate ourselves into self-incoherence. Her spirituality cultivates what psychologists call "affective regulation" or the ability to stay grounded when our amygdala wants to pull fire alarms. This is our foundation of empathy. Like Christ on the Via Dolorosa, a regulated heart can experience suffering without collapse.
"Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing frighten you
All things are passing away
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing
God alone suffices.”
3. The Confessions of St. Augustine (10-11 hour) audiobook read by Fr. Gregory Pine et al, is pure psychological healing. St Augustine rewrites his life story with raw honesty and moral clarity.
- He journals toward healing or what modern therapists call "narrative therapy." This is where a soul retells their past mistakes to release guilt, demonstrate lessons learned and apply them toward growth while blossoming into spiritual maturity.
- Modern neuroscience explains why this kind of reflection is powerful. When someone remembers their past, confesses and tries to understand their choices; the medial prefrontal cortex activates. Here we experience "emotional regulation," self-understanding and the calming of strong feelings. St Augustine shows us how to transform shame into grace. By owning his failures, he turns guilt into a new identity. He loosens sin's hold and reboots himself in faith, hope and love. He prays, “You have made us for Yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”
- Confessions is not only a memoir, but an intense examination of conscience. It turns shame into redemption through forgiveness and healing.
4. The Story of a Soul (9-10 hour audiobook) by St. Thérèse of Lisieux is what modern psychology calls a gentle method of emotional healing.
- Her “Little Way” teaches us to step back, reassess and treat ourselves with kindness. Her concepts grew into Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Instead of her attempts to be entirely perfect; St Thérèse uses a piecemeal approach. She focuses on achievable, tiny acts of love with calmness thereby minimizing failure. She states, "my vocation is love." By garnering small wins, her stress lowers which helps her mind to settle.
- Neuroscience attributes her trust and surrender to activating the parasympathetic nervous system. This achieves slowed breathing, a drop in stress hormones and a firm sense of safety. This is similar to St Teresa of Avila's approach, see above #2. With similar fears and similar names, their similar means achieved similar ends.
- Over time, her simple daily choices—smiling, forgiving, trusting—work like micro-acts of emotional regulation. Her small wins slowly reduce chronic anxiety and find comfort. In this way, The Story of a Soul becomes the path toward healing, as trust reshapes fears into confidence and peace.
5. The Dialogue of St Catherine of Siena (7-8 hour audiobook) is a powerful manifestation of inner healing.
- God the Father dialogues cannot be recreated for study. The best explanation from psychologists, although dubious, is a spiritually-guided subliminal probe into the deepest part of the self. In modern parlance, this approach grew into the Internal Family System (IFS), whereby a person listens to the “inner voice of truth.” Jeremiah (31:33) says the Word of God is written on our hearts. This reinforces why the saints leveraged their trust to correct and comfort their wounded souls. They assert God is the best and only means to mend our brokenness.
- St Catherine’s mystical experiences are described by neuroscientists as intense spiritual states. Unable to recreate, the closest thing we have is imaging of a praying soul's brain. Results show increased activity in the temporal lobe which manifests as a decrease in self-focused thinking. This quiets fear and creates a sense of being held by something larger than ourselves. As St Catherine listens to God, her identity becomes anchored in purpose rather than anxiety. The result is a transformation where her fear turns into mission. Her sense of self becomes stronger, clearer and more courageous. In her book she encourages us to do the same,“be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.”
6. The Rule of St. Benedict (2-3 hour audiobook) is an early guide to achieve emotional stability. It applies to the secular, because it teaches a balanced rhythm of life that supports mental health as well as the physical, emotional and spiritual health.
- St Benedict focuses on steady routines, respectful communication and gentle self-discipline. This has evolved into what modern psychology recommends for people dealing with stress and/or anxiety. The rule encourages small, consistent actions that can be achieved rather than unrealistic, dramatic change. Behavioral psychology uses similar approaches to help build healthier habits one step at a time.
- Modern science borrows his structured use of secure boundaries for work-life balance. A scheduled time for prayer, work, rest and community life elevates the parasympathetic nervous system. This ensures that the body reduces stress, stress hormones and returns to a state of safety. Over time, this steady pattern becomes a healing environment where fear softens, emotions settle and a person’s identity becomes anchored in peace and purpose.
- St Benedict’s rule works like a psychological framework that shapes a stable, grounded and compassionate individual who functions better within a family or community. He suggests, “listen, with the ear of your heart.” This book is recommended for all couples -- with or without children.
Saints as Psychologists
The soft sciences don’t explain away or negate the sanctity of our saints. Intuitively, they demonstrate how our saints used their flaws to find God. Meanwhile, therapists borrow their techniques while neuroscientists validate them via functional imaging. Yet, modern health care foists pharmacology rather than prayer. The saints' writings heal because they encompass the whole human organism—mind, brain, body and soul. God has given us a vast library from our gifted saints. Below is a beginning list of psychological concepts that have evolved from the writings of our beloved saints.
Breathing that steadies,
reframing that softens,
detachment that frees,
meaning that gathers,
belonging that holds,
stillness that settles,
integration that harmonizes,
processing that calms,
compassion that awakens,
identity that coheres, and so forth.
Fun Fact
Did you know the 10 commandments (minus the first 3) represent a standardized format for many therapists' sessions today? Meanwhile, we have the sacrament of confession to offer us heavenly rewards without hefty remittances. Stay tuned for part 2, where 6 more saints offer healing words for broken souls.
Sources:
6 saints who shaped modern Psychology | Catholic 365
Affective Regulation: Everything you need to know | ManhattanCBT.com
Dialectical Behavior Therapy | dbt.com
How a single tear grows an orchard | Catholic 365
Narrative Therapy | Psychologytoday.com
Parasympathetic Nervous System | ClevelandClinic.org
What is Internal Family System? | ifs-institute.com
What is the Default Mode Network? | Simply Psychology
