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“Do Not Be Afraid … You Are My Dearest Friends”*

Toxic Fear is perhaps life’s greatest hostage-taker. One psychiatrist calls it a “disease of the imagination.” Fear and disabling Worry can start off like a tiny seed and, watered by thoughts that emphasize worst-case scenarios, grow into a virus-like fiend that ends up dominating our mental state. It then holds us back from our ability to enjoy nearly every dimension of our life: our talents, our work, our love, our play, and our approach to a life in the Spirit.

This website is dedicated to three major Defense Systems that can be effective in helping us overcome the insidious nature of fear, as well as other mental health demons like depression. It will also focus on how we can better live out our lives free of those persistent foragers that roam throughout the corners of our minds… relentlessly haunting us.

Those three Defense Systems are: Spirituality, Psychology and Addiction. All three of these provide newly developed means of delving into the root causes of fear and depression and other mental health disorders, and assisting people in finding improved pathways to freedom, joy, and peace.

“Do not be afraid” – a phrase found 365 times in Sacred Scripture!

*Luke 12:32; translation found in The Bible in Contemporary Language, Eugene H. Peterson

Recent Posts

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    A few years ago, on a trip to Ireland, I learned more about my great grandmother, Mary Gardiner, who lived in County Clare, in a rural area between the towns …

  • Fear: Humanity’s Dark Cloud

    My dear sister-in-law, Clara, tells the story of a teacher colleague who many years ago boarded a crowded bus to go home from school, carrying her salary in cash in …

  • Can a Believer Really Be Free?

    Many people feel that contrary to what religious people say, faith does not bring freedom but more restriction, more rules and regulations, less opportunity to do what you want. How …

  • The Road to Success

    Contemporary society, seems to me, is obsessed with the idea of success. Financial firms say their products will help you achieve a “successful retirement.” Universities and business schools offer courses …

  • Suffering as a Challenge to Faith

    Life, as we all know, is “unfair.” It’s an observation expressed by people who are suffering, or whose loved ones are suffering, by the rhetorical question, “Why me?” I believe …

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Past Posts

mm Tom Carney

Who’s Entitled to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness?

Jul 17, 2026

A few years ago, on a trip to Ireland, I learned more about my great grandmother, Mary Gardiner, who lived in County Clare, in a rural area between the...

mm Tom Carney

Fear: Humanity’s Dark Cloud

Jul 10, 2026

My dear sister-in-law, Clara, tells the story of a teacher colleague who many years ago boarded a crowded bus to go home from school, carrying her salary in cash...

mm Tom Carney

Can a Believer Really Be Free?

Jul 03, 2026

Many people feel that contrary to what religious people say, faith does not bring freedom but more restriction, more rules and regulations, less opportunity to do what you want....

mm Tom Carney

The Road to Success

Jun 26, 2026

Contemporary society, seems to me, is obsessed with the idea of success. Financial firms say their products will help you achieve a “successful retirement.” Universities and business schools offer...

mm Tom Carney

Suffering as a Challenge to Faith

Jun 19, 2026

Life, as we all know, is “unfair.” It’s an observation expressed by people who are suffering, or whose loved ones are suffering, by the rhetorical question, “Why me?” I...

mm Tom Carney

Are Faith and Reason Compatible?

Jun 12, 2026

There’s a famous quote from Tertullian, one of the earliest Christian thinkers, about the relationship between faith and reason. (“Reason” being rationality or critical thinking.) You may not have...

mm Tom Carney

All or Nothing?

Jun 05, 2026

I’m a life-long believer, born and raised a Catholic and having almost all of my formal education provided by church-related institutions. But my journey along the road of faith...

mm Tom Carney

A Pivotal Choice

May 29, 2026

“I asked AI for a prayer before dinner. It thanked the cloud.” “The church livestream added AI captions. “Prince of Peace” became “prints of peas.” These are jokes ChatGPT...