+ The Fuller Symposium on the Integration of Psychology and Theology is the annual conference held by the School of Psychology. The 2020 conference, “Holistic Healing and Wellness: Mind, Body, and Spirit,” featured Thema Bryant-Davis, associate professor of psychology at Pepperdine University and ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Her lectures, and the faculty and student responses to each, explored contemplative practices and their transformative impact, interpersonal trauma and recovery, and the holistic approach of womanist psychology.
“People were put on the planet to do more than recover from the thing that was done to them.” – Thema Bryant-Davis
+ In her lecture “The Therapeutic Role of Contemplative Practice: Christian Mindfulness and Embodied Healing,” Thema Bryant-Davis, associate professor of psychology at Pepperdine University and ordained minister, speaks about encountering God and experiencing transformation through contemplative practice and mindfulness.
+ Thema-Bryant-Davis, Tina Armstrong, and Denette Boyd-King discuss resistance, mindfulness, Black church tradition, and spiritual direction in a Q&A moderated by Brad Strawn.
+ In her lecture “Biblical Narratives of Trauma: Paths to Spiritual and Psychological Restoration,” Thema Bryant-Davis speaks about interpersonal trauma—its complex effects, themes of recovery, and post-traumatic growth—and considers it through a unique Biblical lens.
+ Thema-Bryant-Davis, Carly Crouch, and Robert Craig discuss the risks of vulnerability and the need for spaces where stories of trauma can be told in a Q&A moderated by Brad Strawn.
+ In her lecture “Wisdom from Womanist Psychology: Integrating Art, Spirit, Activism, and Community,” Thema Bryant-Davis speaks about womanist psychology and the need for a holistic approach to psychology that includes cultural humility, self-definition, and spirituality.
“For you to put a face and a name to your existence is actually an act of survival.” – Thema Bryant-Davis
+Thema Bryant-Davis, Daniel D. Lee, and Seanita Scott discuss trauma and forgiveness in a Q&A moderated by Brad Strawn.