Amid the rising spiritual malaise and mental health crisis, the goal of the Center is to create…

• attachment-based,
• neuroscience-informed,
• and Jesus-centered

… resources and research to deepen the spiritual formation and discipleship of individuals and communities, especially.

What's New?

1. We added "Center" to Embodied Faith because we are focusing on both creating original resources & research at the points of integration for relational neuroscience and spiritual formation.
2. The Center for Embodied Faith is now an official non-profit, with 501(c)(3) status with the IRS. Yeah! 

Our Focus (2 points)

First, because we are created to know and be known by a relational God, and offer this relational love to others, and because the science of attachment is the BEST articulation of this relational dynamic, the Center for Embodied Faith is focused on joining the insights of the science of attachment and the ancient wisdom of the Bible and the Faith. For more on that see our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection.

Second, this work is best done in partnerships and conversations with others. We started this with last year’s Attaching to God Online Summit, which gathered biblical scholars, theologians, therapists, and spiritual directors to teach us about attaching to God. And our second Summit will be coming in October.

Big picture, be on the look out for creative partnerships with others, us producing white papers and videos, and research and resources, all on an attachment-based, neuroscience-informed, and Jesus-centered spiritual formation and discipleship.

Short History

The Center for Embodied Faith has been in the making for at least 3 years (officially). But something like that has been stirring in our hearts (Geoff and Cyd Holsclaw) ever since we wrote ​Does God Really Like Me?​ (IVP) where we connected the overall story of the Bible to the science of joyful connection.

• 3 years ago (2022), we (Geoff and Cyd) were commissioned to create a teaching resource on attachment, which was the start of our Attaching to God Learning Cohort, and Geoff was already two years into hosting his podcast (which was called Being With originally).
• 2 years ago (2023), we reduced our pastoral roles to only 20% of our time to pursue this work, and we were asked by Chuck DeGroat to organize a Doctor of Ministry cohort at Western Theological Seminary. And we also signed a contract to write our next book with ​Tyndale Refresh​. And we continued to offer our learning cohort.
• 1 year ago (2024) we launched the ​DMIN in Spiritual Formation and Relational Neuroscience​ cohort (with 25 students, and 15 on a waitlist for the next year). We also hosted the first ​Attaching to God Online Summit​ (with a surprising outpouring of attendance of 3500 for the online event). And we finished our manuscript for the book, ​Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection​.
• Now (2025), we are about to launch our second DMIN cohort (with another 25 students), launch our book into the world, and host our second Attaching to God Online Summit in October. Cyd is also developing a one-of-a-kind training integrating aspects of spiritual direction, coaching, IFS, and embodied regulation.
• AND we are officially launching The Center for Embodied Faith as a non-profit, which will house and deepen all these current activities, birth collaborative ventures with other organizations, and develop new resources and research.

Where This Is Going

We will continue offering our online learning cohorts, hosting the online summit, producing the podcast, and running our DMIN program.

What we hope to develop:

• Retreats: Annual, in-person spiritual retreats
• Conferences: An annual, in-person conference combining the practical and academic integration of relational neuroscience and spiritual formation (we have a small germ of a brainstorm about this).
• Ebooks and White Papers: We will be writing position papers and ebooks on essential themes of the Center. Topics will include...
  • Why Faith is a Help, and not a Hindrance, to Mental Health
  • What is an Embodied Faith and Why Is It Important?
  • Why Spiritual Formation Needs Attachment Theory
• Publications: Produce a semi-academic journal to centralize the growing body of knowledge for those working at the interface of relational neuroscience and spiritual formation, along with bringing on other authors for our The Center for Embodied Faith substack.

How You Can Help

We need your support to do all this. You can help in two ways.

1. Stay connected. Fill out the form below and get The Amazing Brain the God Gave Us (ebook), and we’ll make sure you know about all the upcoming events and resources.
2. Donate. Help us fund our scholarships and operations by donating now (follow the link to learn more and make a one-time or monthly donation)

I'm looking forward to everything the Lord is laying before us on this path.

Blessing in Christ,
Geoff Holsclaw
Founder/CEO