The Gentle Year

Neuroscience, Scripture, and Emotional Healing | Raeanne Johnson (Part 2)

Knikki Hernandez Episode 30

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What happens when neuroscience, faith, emotional healing, and parenting all collide in the same conversation?

In part two of this interview, Raeanne Johnson joins The Gentle Year for a deeply thoughtful discussion on the connection between the brain, belief, hope, suffering, healing, and the renewing of the mind.

Together, we explore the relationship between Scripture and neuroscience, the science of neuroplasticity, the emotional impact of hope, and the role faith can play during fear, uncertainty, grief, and hardship. Raeanne also shares personal stories about motherhood, parenting through difficult moments, and the practical ways she helps children and families build emotional resilience through both clinical wisdom and Biblical truth.

This episode is reflective, honest, encouraging, and filled with meaningful conversation about what it looks like to hold onto hope in the “messy middle” of life.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

• Neuroplasticity and the “renewing of the mind”
 • Can faith influence emotional and physical healing?
 • The connection between hope and perseverance
 • Parenting through fear and uncertainty
 • Faith, suffering, and emotional resilience
 • Scripture and neuroscience working together
 • “Glory Glasses” and teaching children to recognize faithfulness
 • Family catechisms, emotional regulation, and mindset practices
 • Thought patterns, belief systems, and mental renewal
 • Practical encouragement for parents navigating difficult seasons

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SPEAKER_01

Welcome to part two of my interview with Ray Ann Johnson. I know you're excited to move beyond clinical tools into deeper questions about faith today. And we're going to be exploring those questions. For example, can faith actually change the brain? What role does hope play in healing? And can neuroscience and scripture actually support one another without competing? This interview is going to explore some of those elements like emotional resilience, healing, parenting, and also the ways that Rayanne integrates faith into her work with her children and other families like yours every single day. This podcast is powered by turning the tide tutoring, personalized academic coaching for students who think differently, acting with Pippy, where creativity and confidence come to life on and off the stage, and your wish is your command, an audio and physical book designed to expand the way you think about the mind, beliefs, and human potential. Welcome to the gentle year. So, Ray Ann, I believe you have at least 15 years of clinical experience.

SPEAKER_00

So yes, I've been a pediatric nurse since 2009. And I went back to grad school in 2012 and have been working as a prescriber since 2014. So been working with kids for a really long time, and I am so grateful because they are so strong and so resilient. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01

And were you always a faith-based person?

SPEAKER_00

I became a believer in college. So I probably would have told you when I was younger that I was saved and really believed that I was, and then went through a really rough patch between high school and college, and was in had a lot of anxiety and a lot of depression in when I was a freshman UVA and joined a fellowship group. They came to my dorm and invited me to a party called Something in a Mug on the move-in weekend. And then from the something in a mug party, where we had like snow cones and root beer, all the things, something in a mug. And the mugs were so tacky. And from the thrift shop, um, started some of the sweetest friendships I ever had. And those opportunities were how I started reading my Bible again. It was more of a relationship at that point. Before it was just a set of rules that, like, oh, if I'm a good kid, these are things I should do. And then when I was in college, was when I really felt a relationship with the Lord for the first time, that God wasn't just like some higher power with a big set of rule books, but he was a friend who I could talk to all the time, anytime. And that the Holy Spirit was sent to dwell within me. Uh so since around 2006, I would say I've been walking with the Lord for like 20 years.

SPEAKER_01

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00

Which is crazy.

SPEAKER_01

That is fantastic. Yes, I I hear you on the the friend piece, the benevolent God piece, that piece. When you start to recognize that there is a there is a benevolent energy around all things and in all things, we may not necessarily see it all the time, that's for sure. But that it is real and that good does exist in an abundance and that no evil or bad can drive that out is very faith-strengthening. But anyway, I don't want to preach to the choir here or preach to anybody. Everybody's got their own faith. Good for you. Okay, good. So now, as far as the science piece and the faith-based integration, you know, a lot of people don't they they say that science contradicts the Bible and that the Bible has no place in science and that faith has no place in science. Um, and uh in my opinion, science has sort of become a religion in and of itself, even evolution is sort of like its own cult. I think it's a terrible word to say, but you know, it just kind of is. So where do you do you think that these two are contradictory? And if not, how did you integrate them?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so I think that the Bible scripture interprets scripture, and we see time and time again how often the Bible is true and all God's words are true. There's no in there is no error in any of the canon of scripture. And so in the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth and he made man in his image, there was none of this brokenness, but we only made it to Genesis 3 before brokenness entered. And when it entered, that's when things broke. And so when we see all these hard and bad and uh disbelief, it is because sin entered and creation fell. And so the Bible is also a story that points all to Jesus. The Jesus storybook Bible says every story whispers his name. Um, and even in throughout the whole canon of scripture, it points to the same meta-narrative of God made everything perfect, we sinned, but God always had a rescue plan, and it was Jesus. And so we see that true in our neuroscience as well. And so, like Romans 12, 2 says, Do not be conformed to this age, be transformed by the renewing of our mind. And so that proves that proning and neuroplasticity, which are very well documented scientific findings, are echoed in scripture. Similarly, Isaiah 26, 3 says he will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is fixed on him. Neuroscience tells us a mantra, a reflection, a a point in which to rehearse these good news things to ourselves helps calm our minds and our bodies. And so the Bible is true, and the Bible says that God's good design includes even our big emotions and he gives us a rescue plan ultimately in Jesus, and we might need more than Jesus, but we'll never need less. But even in our hard, nothing is wasted. And so you were talking about how bad things happened, and it's true. Um even Jesus said, in this world, you will have trouble, but we can take heart because he's overcome the world. And so when we're in the middle of our hard and our heavy, it's an important time to remember that this is all the middle. And the middle of the story is the worst time to scrutinize God's goodness. And so Jesus is returning to make all things new. But while we're here in the messy middle, he doesn't leave us without a tool, he leaves us with grace. And sometimes that grace is medicine, sometimes that grace is therapy, sometimes that grace is moving your body, sometimes that grace is looking at his creation, but it's all grace.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it can come with many forms: friendship, reading the Bible, education, enlightenment, all different kinds of things. So I've got so many questions in my head, and I will just pinpoint it to one thing that you said earlier was that a colleague or a friend of your some science guy that I want to go build and I the science guy, anyways, but some science guy was really into imaging, brain imaging.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, um, Dr. Eamon. Yeah, okay. Daniel Eamon of the Eamon Clinics is all about some imaging. Okay, cool.

SPEAKER_01

So has he ever seen anything I guess you maybe miraculous or whatever happen in the brain imaging, maybe if somebody was praying, or is there a difference between an atheist brain and a believer brain?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, there actually is uh MRI studies that show the presence of faith. I mean, I haven't seen it directly in ADHD, but I've seen the literature for cancer patients. So um patients enduring cancer treatments who had a faith background had improved scans over patients that didn't. And I have to wonder, is it the miracle of modern medicine mixed with the miracle of God's sovereign healing hand as Jehovah Rafa? Like there is scientific data to back up that miracles do still happen.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. So some people have the belief that faith-based healing is not real. I know that if that if a person takes a pill and they're participating in a study, that if a person has an illness and one group of people is given medication, and another group of people are given a placebo, that the placebo group in many cases often outperforms the medicated, actually medicated group. Now, in no way am I saying that medication doesn't help people, it doesn't save lives, and all that. That's not what I'm saying. That's not what I'm saying. So everybody calm down. Who's listening to this? But what I what I am saying is that this is documented in the scientific community many times over, that our thoughts changer that our thoughts and our faith and our beliefs are having a physiological effect on the body, 100%. Can you talk to us a little bit more about that?

SPEAKER_00

I think our brains are naturally looking for context. And so if our context is, I'm gonna be this way forever, I'll never get better, that's where we'll dwell and it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. But if our brains are latching onto hope, then we are going to have hope, and hope is anchors our soul, and hope doesn't disappoint, and hope leads to perseverance and perseverance, etc. Like, I think there is so much in the Bible about going historical to look at all that God has done. Like, that's why the Israelites had to have stones of remember remembrance. That's why Jesus gives us the Lord's Supper because we are bad rememberers. And anytime we take our eyes off of God's faithfulness, we are quick to reflect on our own shortcomings or the things that we wish we could change. Instead of zooming out and see all that God has done, we look back and remember he was able so that we can look ahead in faith, believing he can make it better.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, most definitely. So, what do you think? This is just something I'm curious about. What do you think that, like, let's say you have a cancer patient and that person was shown like maybe they were, I don't know, maybe they were agnostic and they had they had cancer or whatever. What kind of effect do you think that showing the images of the the atheist brain and the faith-based brain would have on someone who's on the fence while they're undergoing treatment?

SPEAKER_00

I think if I my desire is to live a long, healthy life. And so if you gave me data that showed believing in this higher power could help extend my life, I probably would pursue it. I would also hope that they would have I don't want people to believe in Jesus to cure their cancer because we know plenty of people who love Jesus and died of cancer. Absolutely he doesn't promise to cure us always. But I think there's some value in even if the answer is no, having hope that he will see us through, having the bigger, overarching picture that nothing is wasted, and even if not, he is still good.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah. That's I think I do think you bring up a good point there about the some people getting healed, some people not getting healed. And that's uh the way that I look at it is that everything, including the bad, or what we classify as bad anyway, is all working to perfect our faith and to perfect God's power. That's my opinion.

SPEAKER_00

So go ahead. Because his strength is made perfect in our weakness, and nothing brings my out my weakness more than when things don't go according to my plan.

SPEAKER_01

That's a fact. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. So in this particular moment in time, I'm thinking about a a situation in which a person may not understand fully why bad things happen to good people. And so in that particular case, even I struggle with it at times. I mean, I really do. I really do. But the one thing that does help me to under to to um reconcile these conflicting thoughts in my head, yeah, is that the the battle is not over. We're like you said, we're in the messy middle. So this isn't the end. Whether it's a physical end to our life or a temporary inconvenience, we'll call it, this is the messy middle. And we're gonna get to the other side, and that is going to that's gonna change everything. It's gonna change everything for all people, and so or for all people who put faith, you know, in God. That's the way I look at it. And so if we're going through something, not trying to lecture anybody, of course, but if we're going through something, it's because you're in the messy middle. It's not because you've lost, it's not because you've lost the battle, not at all.

SPEAKER_00

No, there's a really good Shane and Shane song that says, I know how the story ends, we will be with you again. And so just to remember, if it it never ends in ashes, and so if it's not if it's not good, it's not over because the Lord promises to redeem, he will return to wipe every tear and make all things new. And in the meantime, while things are not new, and there are lots of tears, he holds our tears in a bottle. It says in Psalm, it could be 96.8, I could be lying. It does say in Psalm, it's there somewhere. Yes, that he holds our tears in a bottle. It says in Lamentations that he's close to the brokenhearted, and so even in the really hard things we wouldn't choose, he's still working, and so moving us closer to him and using our faith to point others to him.

Your Wish Is Your Command

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. There's hold on, let me just write this down real quick. Um, just want to make sure that I touch on this. So I do have a question for you, for you personally. Before we get into this next question with Ryan, I want to highlight an interesting point that she made about faith. And that is that we never need less of a connection with God, but we may need more of something else. And that more can take the form of education, therapy, sunlight, good foods, medication. So there may be something else that our body and our mind actually needs to become renewed. And scripture talks about this idea constantly: hope, transformation, changing the way we think. And so what Rayanne said about renewing your mind reminded me of the reasons why I connect so deeply with the book Your Wish Is Your Command. This book and the audiobook really helped me to understand beliefs, focus, mental patterns, and how much power there truly is in becoming more intentional with the mind that God gave each of us. We can interrupt patterns, we can reset mentally, we can expect more from our lives. And so if you've never listened or read Your Wish is your command, I highly, highly recommend it. The updated version is incredibly, incredibly thought-provoking. And it's honestly one of those resources that I will recommend until kingdom come. So I put the link in the description and now back to the interview with Ray Ann Johnson. What does it look like for you to be in a place of faith when the future health of your children sometimes feels uncertain, maybe even frightening? What does that look like for you on a day-to-day basis if you're, you know, if you're going through something? Because you know, there's gonna come a point where I know ever I know this thought has come through every parent's mind. There's going to be a day where I am not here anymore. And my child is going to be.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, Nikki, I actually was in a car accident on Friday um on the interstate going very quickly. Um and so I've had a lot of thoughts of like my legacy and what have I shown them. And I actually wrote them a note in a Google Doc that just reminded them, Ma, um When did you um when they were little? Actually, I only have a note for two out of the three of them. Whoops, I don't even think the youngest one has one. My husband and I went on a cruise when our kids were like two and one because we had a voucher that was going to expire. And I remember writing them this note that said, if mom is not here, Jesus always will be. And so to remind them that even when I'm far away, that the Lord promises to never leave them or forsake them, and to teach them something I call glory glasses. And so this is a muscle we flex now to look with eyes of faithfulness to how God protected us, how God provided for us. And so glory glasses are just what I call looking with eyes to see God's faithfulness. So, like we look read the book of Exodus and we know when the Israelites cross over the Red Sea, like we clearly see God's faithfulness to part of the waters. But if we put on our glory glasses and look back in Egypt, where was God's faithfulness there? How he saw his people, how he sent a rescuer, how he provided for them, how he offered them protection, how he gave them the hyssop in the blood, all the things. And so how we see eyes to see God's faithfulness even in the middle of really hard.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. I I love the glory glasses concept. That is cute. I'm wearing glasses right now, and I'm just gonna like start calling these my glory glasses.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, I wear them all the time. I have a manuscript called Glory Glasses about just that of like a little kid talking to his grandma and who's teaching about glory glasses. Facts. That's so cute. Oh, that's that's amazing.

SPEAKER_01

When are you gonna publish that?

SPEAKER_00

The first one is in August, the second one's in January.

SPEAKER_01

So how that is awesome. Okay, well, I'm excited. Yeah, definitely please let us know. And um, I'm gonna invite you into other. Do you have Facebook? Yes, okay, cool. So I'll invite you into the Facebook group. And so um, when your books come out, you can definitely let us know. So, okay, another question. It's kind of kind of hard. I saw this Instagram reel one time, it had me balling. Let me just tell you. A lot of Instagram reels do, because I have like a lot of like good content that comes through, but man, this one in particular was like so. This young boy had cancer and it was just eating him up. I he may have been in St. Jude or somewhere, but Mayo Clinic, whatever. Well, anyway, so his dad told him on the video he because the kid was so motivated um to no scratch that. The kid had such strong faith. The kid had such strong faith, and the parents, they were beside themselves, of course, because their son, their little son at that, is going through something so horrific. And the son is like, he's the one going through it, he's the one suffering the pain, but yet he's the steadiest and the most grounded one out of the whole family. And he's like, It's okay, it's all right, I'm coming out the other side. It's like he knew something that they didn't know. It was amazing. And then the dad, he said, you know, um, he goes, I wish I could take this pain away from you and put it on me. If somebody had to had it have it, I wish this cancer was mine, not yours. And so, you know, in in your perspective, if you were to experience something like that with your own child, how would you navigate it? I know that's a crazy question. I mean, that's mad.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Um, well, um, my son just had to have emergency surgery in January. Um, and we did all the same things I just practiced. While we were waiting in pre-op for him to go back, he said, Mom, should we play glory glasses? I'm like, Yeah, we should. And so we look to see God's faithfulness. We also go historical to avoid going hysterical, which is not my my gut is like worst case scenario, it's gonna be terrible. And so I think the way that I would navigate that is to remember who's on the throne, remember who this did not surprise, remember that the Lord promises to waste nothing, to recover the years of the Locusts is eaten, he promises to like it even says, after we've suffered for a little while, he himself will restore all the things. And so uh there's a verse, there's a psalm that says, For you, O Israel, fear the Lord, for with your God there is plentiful redemption. And so, like, not just redemption, but plentiful. And so knowing that things are like hard or things we wouldn't choose, but that God will redeem them plentifully gives us hope to keep going.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, for sure. That hope component is is major. Um, so you had mentioned this will be the one of the things that I want to talk about, and we may kind of dive into a little bit more on this in part three, because you had mentioned something in part one where you have these like specific, um, I don't know if they're axioms or mantras or just scriptural principles, but excuse me. For your boys, you said this, this, and this. I don't remember exactly what they were. I tried to write them down, but it was so fast. And then uh for for girls, you have this, this, and this. Can you just kind of like elaborate on that a little bit more?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Um, so I if you ever re-hang out with me in real life, you will probably hear me use one of 17 expressions. Um, and I had a lot of friends would say, like, can you write those down? So I did. And I made them into a card deck called the family catechisms. And so they are what are your hands for, love and serve? What are your words for? Grace to those who hear, what are your what are we called to be? The answer is good stewards. How should we work as onto the Lord? Um, what are young men called to have? Self-control. What do we value people over things? What kind of friend should we be? Be the friend that widens the circle. Um, so there's lots of them. Um I made a whole card deck of them and what the Bible says about it. So that is awesome. I love that. Those are all the ones I have from memory, but my 38-year-old brain is feeble. I think there's a dozen total. I don't think I got all 12. That's awesome. So do you sell those anywhere? Yes. Brainwaveswellness.com. So a digital download is$10. You can print your own, or the hard copies are$20 with free shipping. You can ship anywhere in North America. What do they look like? Would you like me to show you?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. So it's an audio podcast. You'll have to go to Brain, what was it, Brainwaves.com?

SPEAKER_00

Brainwaveswellness.com.com. They are little trading cards. And so they are about the size of a baseball card. Yeah, show me up. They're right here. Give me one second.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, absolutely. Isn't this a great podcast, guys? Definitely leave your comments in the comment section of the podcast because I know that Rayann would love to hear your feedback. Of course, I want to hear your feedback as well and just your thoughts about everything. Because, you know, we're we're talking about something that's very personal and intimate. And um, you know, the thing I love about Rayanne, she's getting her cards right now, by the way. But um, the thing that I love about her is that she's she's speaking in a way that's not, you know, frightening. It's not frightening, it's easy to listen to her. So all right.

SPEAKER_00

So this is the family catechism cards, and so they're like five by seven. Help I say family catechism. And so I have some families that like put them in a morning time basket. And so, what are your hands for? Love and serve. The scripture references you are called the freedom brothers, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, serve one another. So just that's how we got the idea to love and serve. And then a support reference would be Jesus came not to be served, but to serve, Matthew 20, 28, and modeled the sacrifice for us on the cross. As followers of Jesus, we show his love when we love and serve one another, see a need and need it, identify gifts of the spirit, and then use them to serve his bride is an example of this card. So what are your hands for? What are your words for? What are young men called to have? That's the self-control. What are young women called to have? We have a lot. Kindness, self-control, diligence, and purity. Come on now. Come on, Lord. Oh, what do we value people over things? What are we called to be good stewards? Be the friend that widens the circle. How should we work it as onto the Lord? What am I always for? That's what I didn't mention that one earlier. What am I always for? And my kids will say, My good. And then I say, and there is no one more committed to your good, and they say, Then Jesus. Just a reminder that Jesus is always for their good. I say, What are uh what's my number one job? And they say to keep you safe. And I say, I can keep you safe if you don't obey. When do we obey on the first time? And then the last one is a choose your own adventure card. So you can make up a family catechism of your own. So a cute little high quality card deck to check them out.

SPEAKER_01

How fantastic. I just need to like buy a pack and have them in my backpack. You know what I mean? It's like I don't have kids, but like, bro, if I had these memorized, I had them in my backpack, man. You could just pull out a card, you can't even go wrong, you can't pick the wrong one.

SPEAKER_00

I put them on teachers pay teachers with related modifications to be a classroom catechism because I think they're just wise ways to love one another, to be in fellowship with one another. Those are good things we should do. And then the other thing I made is these truth trading cards. And so, for example, sometimes our kids will like perseverate on a lie. The first one I flipped to was the lie says I'm dumb. Do you ever have students who are like, I'm just too dumb? I can't learn this. The truth is, God made your mind with good in mind, He gives wisdom to those who ask for it, James 1, 5, and we can renew our mind, Romans 12, 2, making more neural connections every day through the process of neuroplasticity. Simply put, we can change the way we think. So this goes back to our first um installment, too. Um, so it's lie, truth, and then the back is no, there's never an end to learning, and you're getting smarter day by day. Wisdom and understanding come from the Lord who delights to lavish his children with good gifts, and then no, and then do do a 60-second plank while thanking God for a brain that is being renewed day by day, asking him to give you wisdom and understanding. And so we move our body to move our mind. So fun little cards.

SPEAKER_01

God, thank you so much for having Ray Ann on my podcast. I cannot like seriously, I am so moved and so touched by what you have created. It's fantastic, truly.

SPEAKER_00

I am very excited to get them. I have some moms of high school students who like put one in their kids' backpacks, and I just love it. I have one middle schooler who like keeps them in his locker to remind himself of the truth. So I'm very grateful that the Lord has given me the idea for this resource and that he's multiplied the margin of my time to make them and hopefully they will get into the hands of more and more kids and families.

SPEAKER_01

And those who need it. Yes. Amazing. I love that. Well, thank you for that. So I just as we close out this part of the interview, we're gonna, guys, in part three, we're gonna go into Rayanne's gonna explain to us some practical things. So she's already given us like some gems and some hints that's of certain things that she does and all of that. But I know you guys are probably like really excited to hear some of the additional practical things that that she does and how she does it specifically. So we will get into that in the next part. But uh just to close out this part two, gotta ask, do you have a favorite scripture?

SPEAKER_00

Whoa, that's such a good question. I really like Habakkuk 317 that talks about though there be no fruit on the vine, though the olive crop fails, though the cows are not in their stalls, etc., yet I will trust, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. Just to remember that even if our earthly circumstances look dim, that we can still rejoice in the God of our salvation. Habakkuk 317, paraphrased. Wonderful. Because I butchered it.

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Your Wish Is Your Command

SPEAKER_01

Yes. Absolutely amazing. Well, thank you, Ryan, for being here for part two. Guys, go ahead and play for part three. I know you're really excited, so we'll get into it. As we close out part two, I think one of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is that hope, faith, and the mind are all deeply connected, probably on levels that we don't fully even understand. And so throughout this conversation about renewal, neuroplasticity, emotional resilience, suffering, healing, is really the idea that even in difficult seasons, our thoughts and our beliefs and our focus matter now more than ever. And Rayanne, she brought such a thoughtful perspective to the relationship between neuroscience and scripture that we can now start to apply the practical realities of what we've learned into everyday life. Also, this podcast is powered by turning the tide tutoring, personalized academic coaching for students who think differently, acting with Pippi, where creativity and confidence come to life on and off the stage, and your wish is your command, an audio book and a physical book centered on mindset, belief, and human potential. In part three, we are going to dive even deeper into the practical side of all of this. And I'm super excited to get into that with you because Ryan is going to talk to us about her routines, her phrases, her tools, her family practices, and just the everyday principles that she uses inside of her home to help families navigate some of these complex situations. So, again, welcome to the gentle year and click play for part three.