Post Traumatic Growth with Dr. Gerry Crete

In this episode of Post-Traumatic Growth, Dr. Gerry Crete sits down with Cameron Fradd—host of Among the Lilies podcast and wife of Matt Fradd—to discuss her eight-year journey with chronic illness and the unexpected spiritual and emotional growth it has produced. Cameron shares how suffering has deepened her prayer life, shaped her children's empathy, and drawn her closer to Christ rather than further away.Main Topics:Cameron's journey with chronic illness and how it reshaped her sense of identityThe invisible nature of chronic illness and the experience of feeling unseenHow suffering deepened rather than damaged her relationship with GodThe impact of chronic illness on marriage and motherhoodIntegrating faith and healing without using spirituality to bypass painChapters:00:01: Welcome and Introduction00:30: Cameron's Health Journey and Chronic Illness02:04: Accepting a New Normal04:04: Discovering the Mind-Body Connection06:10: A Profound Encounter10:56: The Invisible Suffering of Chronic Illness12:42: Speaking at SEEK Through the Pain16:58: How Suffering Deepened Cameron's Prayer Life20:36: The Impact on Marriage and Motherhood26:57: Growing in Empathy as a Family28:24: Redemptive Suffering and Human Flourishing38:49: What Therapists Should KnowResources Mentioned:Hallow App: https://hallow.com/Among the Lilies podcast with Cameron Fradd: https://www.cameronfradd.com/Litanies of the Heart by Dr. Gerry Crete: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/litanies-of-the-heart/The Elijah Institute: https://elijah-institute.org/Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios: https://saintkolbestudios.com/

In this episode of Post-Traumatic Growth, Dr. Gerry Crete sits down with Greg Willits—author, Catholic media pioneer, and co-founder of Rosary Army—to discuss his journey through complex trauma, PTSD, and the healing he's found through therapy, the sacraments, and the writings of St. Louis de Montfort. Greg shares his story with remarkable vulnerability, tracing how his deepest wounds became the foundation for his most meaningful work.Main Topics:Greg's experience of complex trauma, PTSD diagnosis, and the road to healingHow sharing your story publicly reduces its power over youThe role of the Sacrament of Reconciliation alongside professional therapySt. Louis de Montfort's Love of Eternal Wisdom and its connection to trauma healingFinding meaning and identity beyond earning your valueChapters:00:04: Welcome and Introduction02:02: Greg's History in Catholic Media03:23: The 2017 Workplace Crisis and PTSD Diagnosis09:41: Writing God Doesn't Hate Me After All17:50: Learning to Forgive Yourself20:10: The Confession That Changed Everything24:39: St. Louis de Montfort and Trauma Healing28:17: Praying Across Time for Your Wounded Self34:20: Narrative Therapy and the Hero's Journey48:37: The Importance of Catholic-Integrated Therapy53:55: Finding Meaning Beyond Earning Your ValueResources Mentioned:God Doesn't Hate Me After All by Greg Willits: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/god-doesnt-hate-me-after-all/Rosary Army: https://rosaryarmy.com/The Love of Eternal Wisdom by St. Louis de Montfort: https://catholicbookpublishing.com/products/the-love-of-eternal-wisdom-redThe Elijah Institute: https://elijah-institute.org/Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios: https://saintkolbestudios.com/

In this inaugural episode of Post-Traumatic Growth, Dr. Gerry Crete—licensed marriage and family therapist and trauma specialist—introduces the podcast and its mission: to walk alongside those who have experienced trauma and discover what it means to grow through it.Dr. Crete shares his own story as a survivor of childhood abuse and unpacks the Christian vision of suffering as a source of meaning, resilience, and transformation. If you've experienced something that shattered your sense of safety, your faith, or your understanding of yourself—this podcast was made for you.Too often, conversations about trauma stop at survival. We're told to cope, to manage, to just get through. But what if there's something beyond getting through? What if the very wounds that brought you to your knees hold the seeds of a deeper, more grounded life than you had before?That's the question at the heart of Post-Traumatic Growth. Drawing on decades of clinical experience and his own journey from crisis to flourishing, Dr. Crete introduces the Arc of Healing—a framework that maps the path from Crisis through Languishing, Surviving, and Thriving toward Flourishing. He also introduces the Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual-Moral model, a whole-person approach to healing that honors the complexity of what it means to be human: body, mind, relationships, soul, and conscience.This isn't a podcast that spiritualizes away your pain or reduces your suffering to a clinical diagnosis. It's a space where evidence-based psychotherapy and the rich tradition of Christian wisdom meet—where the science of trauma and the mystery of redemption are allowed to speak to each other honestly.Whether you're a clinician looking for a deeper framework for your practice, a pastoral leader walking with people in pain, or someone in the middle of your own healing journey, Dr. Crete invites you to begin here. Not with answers, but with the one question that changes everything: What if growth doesn't happen in spite of your suffering—but through it?