27: Psychotherapist Mark Vernon on the Meaning Crisis and Rediscovering the Sacred

About this episode

Mark Vernon is a former priest turned psychotherapist who has spent the last 30 years exploring one central question: how do we find meaning in a secular age? After a crisis of faith pulled him away from the Church’s inner sanctum in his youth, Mark turned to Plato and Jung in pursuit of a deeper understanding of purpose, connection, and the soul. Today, his writing bridges ancient philosophy, religion, and modern psychology, a powerful triad he also applies to his work as a therapist. In this episode, we discuss: ✦ The overwhelm of conflicting meanings and remembering the sacred ✦ The spiritual thread connecting Dante, William Blake, and Jesus ✦ How wonder helps us access the divine ✦ Why psychotherapy is a path for ‘spiritual intelligence’ Mark's work invites us into the depths of wonder and spirituality as a necessity for the soul. Chapters 0:00 Intro: The modern crisis of meaning 5:08 Psychotherapy and the vertical dimension of life 11:25 The cloud of unknowing and mystical experiences 18:19 Kairos time: Moments of spiritual significance 23:01 William Blake on joy and eternity 27:04 Death as a transcendent and transformative experience 33:08 Early Christ