Cary Brown, PhD

03/12/2026

Here’s a fun thing. I got to go on a podcast called Rethinking God with Tacos. Silly name, great podcast.
God, trauma, deconstruction, and the freedom to ask better questions. Which is pretty much the territory I live in.
Link in bio to listen to the full episode. Also on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

03/12/2026

Here’s a fun thing. I got to go on a podcast called Rethinking God with Tacos. Silly name, great podcast.
I talked for about 90 minutes about the book which led to a wide ranging discussion of God, trauma, deconstruction (reexamining inherited beliefs), and the freedom to ask better questions. Which if you’ve been following along is pretty much the territory I live in.
Jason Clark is a great host and this conversation went to some honest places. Check it out below.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4GKHgbMXKuMGct84UK5cJ6
Also available on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

03/11/2026

Yesterday was a big day. I’m genuinely grateful for everyone who showed up, shared, and reached out. It meant more than I expected.

A year ago I was consumed with opening my solo private practice. Writing a book was the last thing on my mind.

About a month later I started messing around with some ideas, just trying to organize my thoughts, see if I had enough material to say something worth saying. I wasn’t writing a book. I was just writing. The idea that kept surfacing was about maps. The frameworks we inherit, the belief systems, the stories about who God is and who we are, and what happens when those maps stop matching the territory we’re actually living in. I kept seeing it everywhere in my work. Client after client carrying the same disorientation.

So I wrote a first chapter. When I finished it I wanted to read more. (Seeing how I was the one who wrote it, that felt like a good sign.) I shared it with my wife. She agreed. And then it got fast and furious from there.

This ended up being one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever done. I really do believe this book will help people. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I’d love for you to.

Link in comments.

03/10/2026

IT IS HAPPENING. TODAY. RIGHT NOW.

My book, A Crisis of Maps, is officially live on Amazon and I cannot believe this is real.

This has been a year in the making and I am so ready for this book to find the people who need it.
If that’s you, go get it.
If you know someone who needs it, send it to them. Today.

I’m equal parts relieved, grateful, and terrified. Which I’m told means you did it right.

Link in comments. GO. NOW.

03/05/2026

This book pairs particularly well with a nice coffee from a local shop. Probably because a lot of good coffee was consumed during the writing and editing of it. Available on Amazon next Tuesday, 3/10.

03/04/2026

I’ve been trying to answer one question:

“So what is your book about?”

That’s one question I have a hard time answering (concisely). Here’s where I’m currently at, I think it follows this general outline:

Something unravels.
Something gets sifted.
Something becomes integrated.

A Crisis of Maps traces what happens when the belief system you inherited no longer fits your lived experience. When fear shaped your faith more than love did. When the old answers stop holding.

The first part of the book introduces the problem. Then the rest of the book follows the journey through three movements:
Deconstruction.
Reconstruction.
Integration.

I write more in depth about it on my Substack post today. If you haven’t already subscribed it helps me a ton if you would and you’ll get my posts directly in your email inbox.

If you’ve already read the Preface and Chapter One, this framework may help you see where the story is headed. If you haven’t, you can start there and decide whether this is a road you want to walk.

The book releases March 10 on Amazon.

Preface + Chapter One are available now on my Substack. Link in first comment.

03/01/2026

Gifts are my love language and I love giving them just as much as receiving them. The hardest part has always been keeping my mouth shut when I have something to share but have to wait. I’ve been sitting on this announcement for a while and I finally get to let it out.

I’m so excited to introduce A Crisis of Maps: When Questioning Faith Opens the Way to Love.

Last spring, what started as a small private writing exercise turned into something I couldn’t stop. The words kept coming. About five weeks later, I had a very rough manuscript. I’ve spent the last six months editing, polishing, and shaping it into something I’m genuinely proud of.

This is the book I wish I’d had twenty years ago, but it couldn’t have been written until now.

On Tuesday, March 10, A Crisis of Maps will be available on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle. If you’ve been following along on Substack, my last few posts have been quietly hinting at the themes inside the book. On Wednesday I’ll go deeper into what it’s all about.

In the meantime, I’m giving Substack subscribers a free sneak preview of the preface and Chapter 1 right now. If you’re not already subscribed, head over to my Substack, sign up for free, and the preview is yours. Link in the comments.

Thank you to everyone who has cheered me on, asked good questions, and showed up along the way. This is just getting started.

02/25/2026

The other day, my 16-year-old son was dealing with serious growing pains. Not the metaphorical kind, but the physical ones that ache deep. He had been taking it slow, but after a few days of rest he was ready to get back on the tennis court.

He felt better, but we were not sure if he was ready. So we called my dad, a retired orthopedic surgeon. He gave simple advice: “Just pay attention. His pain level will tell you exactly what his limits are.”

In the physical world, that makes sense. If your knee hurts, you listen to the signal and stop.

When it comes to our internal world, when we feel anxiety, heaviness, or overwhelm, many of us do the opposite. We override the signal. We try to “why” our way out of it, hoping that if we can explain the feeling we can make it stop.

Understanding why you are hurting rarely fixes the pain. Insight matters, but it does not always bring peace.

My latest Substack is about the Language of Discernment. It explores how to listen to the actual data your body is giving you so you can stop following an old map and start navigating the life you are living. Link in bio.

02/22/2026

Performance is used as a shield against a world that feels unsafe.

If I can just look right...
If I can just act right...
If I can keep the house Instagram-worthy and the kids on track...
...then maybe I’ll be safe.

For many of us, performance is a shield. We use "perfection" to try and control an unpredictable world. But eventually, the shield gets too heavy to carry. The hair starts falling out. The body is shouting through the static of our busyness.

In today's Substack post, I’m sharing a story of a client who was doing everything "right" but was completely stuck and how she finally began to update her map.

Link in Comments/Bio

07/28/2025

Be careful who you let have access to your office. You never know what surprises may lurk.

05/24/2025

It’s always an honor to be nominated along side some of the best counselors in NELA. Go vote today for you favorite local things.

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02/18/2025

I’m excited to say that my website is up and going - check it out and let me know what you think. If you know of anyone who wants an appointment - they can request one on there. carybrownphd.com