Casting Down Vain Imaginations: How God Rewires the Perfectionist Brain| 033

Have you done the Bible studies, declared the truth out loud, been to counseling — and still feel stuck? What if that's not a faith problem? What if it's a wiring problem?

In this powerful bonus episode, I'm joined by transformational coach and Kingdom neurocoaching trainer Raven Van Asten, founder of Kumi Collective, who has spent over 29 years helping people understand how the brain forms beliefs, stores trauma, and — here's the good news — how God designed us to be rewired from the inside out.

This isn't self-help. This isn't new age. This is Romans 12:2 made practical.

Together we're talking about:

✦ What "vain imaginations" actually means in the Greek — and why your looping thoughts aren't a discipline problem
 ✦ How limiting beliefs get wired into your nervous system (and why willpower alone can't undo them)
 ✦ The reconsolidation window — the God-designed 6-hour window where the brain forms new neural networks after healing work
 ✦ What it looks like when the Holy Spirit walks into a memory and rewrites it with His presence
 ✦ How perfectionism is often rooted in shame — and what freedom actually looks and feels like
 ✦ Why brain rewiring and Biblical truth aren't in conflict — they were always meant to work together

Whether you've been stuck in the same belief system for years, you're a coach or counselor looking to expand how you help others get free, or you simply want God to feel like a safe space again — this episode is for you.

For coaches, counselors, and ministry leaders: Raven's 12-week Kingdom Neuro Coaching Certification begins June 29th. Mention The Redeemed Perfectionist and receive an automatic $400 scholarship. Links in show notes.

For listeners who want to receive this work personally: I am currently in training for certification and will be offering individual and small group sessions. Email lenee@leneepezzano.com with the word WAITLIST in the subject line. 

Healing doesn't have to be dramatic. It just has to be surrendered.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To connect with Raven:
Email:  ravenvanasten@gmail.com
Visit her website at:  www.kumicollective.com .
Apply here for a seat in the upcoming Kingdom Neuro Coaching training and certification.

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Transcript

When Scripture Isn't Enough: How God Rewires the Perfectionist Brain | ft. Raven Van Asten | 33 

[00:00:00] Have you ever had something in your life that keeps popping up and you just can't seem to get rid of it? Maybe you're like I was. You've done the Bible studies, you've been to counseling, declared the truth out loud, and still there are places inside you that feel stuck. Triggers happen easily. Beliefs still looping like a record on repeat that you didn't choose and can't seem to shut off.

And somewhere in the back of your mind, you wonder, "What is wrong with me? Why isn't this working?" I remember traveling two states away, desperate enough to eat the bitter thing, just to sit with two women who knew how to create space for God to go into the places I couldn't reach on my own. What happened in that room changed me.

Layer by layer, He has been redeeming what the cankerworm stole. 

[00:01:00] And now, I am growing into the destiny He always had for me. That's what is possible, and that is what is at the heart of our God. He says, "I know my children can't redeem themselves, so I'm gonna make a way through the power of the Holy Spirit."

That's grace, by the way. "And I'm gonna go into their lives, and I'm going to show them the framework and the strategy, the how-to, to overcome the broken areas of the foundation." That is what we are getting today. Here's what I've discovered in my own healing journey. Some things can't be renewed from the outside in.

They have to be renewed from the inside out, all the way down to the cellular level. And God, who designed your brain, your nervous system, and your imagination, already knew that. 

[00:02:00] And He already made a way. I'm here to ask you one question today that might change the trajectory of your future. What if the reason you can't think your way out of that old belief system isn't a faith problem?

What if it's a wiring problem? Today, you're going to hear what that actually looks like. Not theory or Christian cliches. A real Spirit-led

Neurologically sound framework for how God rewires what you cannot fix on your own. And my desire is that by the time you are finished with this episode, you will know that healing is not only possible, but it's provided.

Today, you will know why the patterns are there, how God designed your brain to release them, and what it looks like when the Holy Spirit walks into a memory and rewrites it with His presence. 

[00:03:00] This isn't new age. It isn't self-help. This is Romans 12:2 made practical.

Hey friend, if this is your first time visiting, welcome.

My name is Lenee’ Pezzano and I am the host of The Redeemed Perfectionist. I created this podcast for the woman who wants God to feel like a safe space again. The one who loves Him, but somewhere along the way started to wonder if He was disappointed in her, if she was too much, if she'd have to get it together before He'd really show up for her. Friend, this show is for you.

This is where we trade the pressure for presence and discover that the God who made you has never stopped being for you and before we dive in, I have two very important things to share with you

One, if you're hungry to receive the kind of facilitation that we speak of today, 

[00:04:00] please reach out to me directly via email at lenee@leneepezzano.com.

That's L-E-N-E-E@L-E-N-E-E-P-E-Z-Z-A-N-O.com,

and let's talk. Two, if you're a coach or a counselor and you want to expand your services to help your own clients get free, today is your day to be blessed. 

We have a very important gift for you at the end of this, so stay tuned.

Audio Only - All Participants: Well, friends, I have been so looking forward to this conversation. 

Today's guest is one of the most gifted people I know at living and teaching at the intersection of two things that I am deeply passionate about. One is the freedom that comes through Jesus- Mm-hmm

[00:05:00]and just the awe-inspiring way that God designed us to experience that freedom, right down to the architecture of our minds. Psalm 139 tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

And those who've been listening to me know I love to get practical, when it comes to our walk with Jesus. We hear Christian theory, we hear biblical principles, but I think we could all benefit to be able to translate principle into practice.

Raven Van Asten is a transformational coach, a Kingdom neurocoaching trainer, and the founder of Kumi Collective, which means rise up and awaken in Hebrew. For over twenty-nine years, she has been helping people understandhow the brain forms, how it stores, and -- this is good news -- how we can rewire the 

[00:06:00] images and the memories that have shaped our inner world. Mm. But here's what I believe sets Raven apart, is that she doesn't stop at the science.She brings the Holy Spirit into the room, partnering the truth of God's word with the very real God-designed capacity that your brain has to be renewed. You know Romans 12:2, and it says, "We are transformed by the renewing of our minds." 

And Raven, you've built your life's work, at the beautiful intersection of both of those truths, and I cannot wait to dig in with you today. So welcome to The Redeemed Perfectionist. I'm so glad you're here. 

Thank you. I am so glad I'm here also. Very excited about what we're going to talk about today. 

This is a fun fact. You and I are both redeemed perfectionists. Oh, yes. We still are journeying through overcoming perfectionism.

[00:07:00]  So it's gonna be fantastic for the listeners to, to hear our real stories and how your techniques and what God's revealed still work in your life even today.

Yeah. Absolutely. And I know that, we met at the perfect time to bring this forward because I fully believe that God, right now in this window of time that we're in, wants his body well, he wants the bride well, and that means that we get to show up as our best selves. And I like to take on a quote from Pablo Picasso, that there's the ability to have the dust brushed off of our souls- Mm

and we're able to really be the person He's created us to be. Like, fully live it out when, the barricades are removed. Absolutely. Oh, I love it so much. So, before we get into the actual science, which is where I start geeking out- Yes ... why don't you help the listeners know just a little bit about your journey?

 [00:08:00] How did you go from learning about, these things and then translating it to where you are today? Yeah. Yes. I would be happy to. So, I've always been, a lover of personal development, transformation. Always hungry to learn how to grow and change and improve, and that's where that perfectionism started too, like trying to, quote, perfect myself”

[00:08:00] before I was in a deep relationship with God, that was what was available to me. I had a childhood that was, we'll say, sprinkled with opportunity for growth through, chronic abuse of all kinds and it left its mark on me. Yeah. formed and shaped me in a way that caused me to seek.

And I was one of those kids who was, looking for love in all the wrong places when I had a God-sized hole in my heart. 

[00:09:00] And so as I sought, change and to relieve the pain that I was in, I started to study personal development. I had quite an opportunity to find God, but didn't know how to find God- Mm if that makes sense. Yeah. I grew up in the Midwest. I thought there was only a couple major religions when I was young, and until I went into, psychology in college to really, try to, quote, "fix myself," right? Mm. Yeah. And that wasn't the answer. It was wonderful foundation, and I learned so much.

And, I have expressive art in my background. I've always been an artist at heart, and art was very healing to me, throughout my journey as well but as I developed and looked into the psychology of things and, what could fix me, I kept coming back to that hole in my heart and believing that there was something greater.

And it would show up in my art. 

[00:10:00] Even in high school, like in my art projects, I would see... I was very into drawing hands, for example. And- Mm ... if I looked back at that art today, you could see literally the hand of God in every piece of art. I just was fascinated by it.

So- Wow ... He was communicating with me then, and I just didn't quite have my thumb on it to know that's what that was. Yeah. So nonetheless, studying psychology, and then hungry for more because things weren't, still weren't gelling and working. I was making choices through that trauma lens and just seeking so desperately.

 Yeah ... He brought me to people that had external certifications to add on. all specifically to neuroplasticity, to the way the brain changes and art. And I accepted those fully. Neuro-mindfulness, which might sound like it's outside of our Christian Bible-based world, but it really is the mindfulness that's in the Bible, not the esoteric mindfulness that other world traditions tout.

 [00:11:00] So I did all that extra work and studying because through that, He brought me the people that actually were able to rewire me and literally, through their work, God moving through them, remove the PTSD from me, I would say fully. I've been left with a wonderful ability to have a little bit of that ADHD we can say, glorious entrepreneurial gifting, which I embrace, and I'm okay with that.

Yeah. But the trauma itself and the memories and the images and the impact that it had on me is completely relieved. Oh, I just love that so much. And, I think you and I would agree that right now at a macro level, you alluded to it in your opening, at a Kingdom level- Yeah ... 

[00:12:00] God is really helping folks truly experience the renewal of the mind and the transformation that comes with it.

And of course, it's almost a buzzword right now, neuroplasticity- Yeah ... and neuroscience and all the things. But really in this episode, what we're gonna try to do is get practical and use language that you as a listener can relate to. 

Yes. And There's this phrase in scripture that's called vain imaginations. Mm-hmm. And I was like, "Lord, let's talk about that." Yeah. What does that even mean?

Mm-hmm. And, I wanna read a scripture. There's a couple of them, but this one in 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God- Mm ... and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Yep.

[00:13:00] I wanna say that many of us know that scripture, but I don't know that we fully have understood to what degree our own souls have vain imaginations.

Mm. So when you look at the Greek word translated imaginations here, it's, I don't even know how to say this. logismos. Logismos. Something like that. But it means reasonings, arguments, calculations, thoughts, opinions, mental conclusions.

So, we're not just talking about merely daydreams or creative thoughts. These are thought patterns, these are beliefs, these are arguments and conclusions that contradict God's truth. Yeah. So, an example might be, "God could never forgive me." Mm-hmm. "I have to earn God's love. If I make a mistake, everything will fall apart."

[00:14:00] Yeah. "I'm not enough. God is disappointed in me. I'm a failure." Mm-hmm. Like these ... are vain imaginations. And of course, we know the brain is an organ that's intended to make meaning out of life- Yeah ... and also protect us. Yes.

 God would not have put into scripture the realities that we need to renew our mind and be transformed by it, and to take captive every thought, if He didn't already know how it could work against us.

 Before we get into the neuroscience of how all this works, Raven, I wanna ask you to define something for us, because I think we throw the word belief around a lot without really understanding what's happening inside us when we hold one

So, beliefs are assumptions, right? We assume something is true, and then it lodges in. And you'll hear people talking about limiting beliefs. But really all beliefs are boundaried.  And some work really well for us, 

[00:15:00] and some l- literally cut us off from accessing wisdom from the Holy Spirit.

Mm. And so to check on those beliefs, like you mentioned when you were reading, Like, God needs me to be perfect, or I need to be perfect to show up for him. Yeah. things like that, or I'm gonna disappoint him. Those are thoughts, yes, but they're also beliefs, which mean that they have a structure to them.

A belief is literally an assumption that we hold true. Our reticular activating system begins to filter our life experience in order to prove that those beliefs are true. So we like to say, in the training that I run that if you believe something, you get to be right, because you're going to continue to search for things that prove that is right, whether it is or not, against His Word.

So, we wanna be careful in discerning, if our beliefs are actually in alignment with the Word or if they're out of alignment. 

And this brings us to something we need to understand about how the brain actually handles all of this

[00:16:00] yeah. 

I'm a very visual processor. The way that Him and I communicate, I get pictures. Mm. So while you were speaking, I'm seeing all these pictures, right? Yeah. So, there's a lot in there, but if we look at the construct of a thought, and that the 

the mind and the brain actually are like a recursive loop. The mind is shaping the brain, the brain is shaping the mind. And He wants us to renew our mind. Well, as you mentioned, the brain, the three to five pounds of fat we have in our head, and the brain of our heart, and the brain that's our gut, those are our actual three main brains- Mm in the nervous system because we're made like our Dad.  We're made in an image of our Father who is the ultimate Creator. We are creative. He’s given us the power tools of this imagination that we have.

 and we actually are fighting with that imagination too. 

[00:17:00] The casting down is also casting down strongholds.  We're working in the realm of principalities. there's a lot going on there, but if we bring it back to the here and now to our own selves, we can grab onto a thought that's maybe, planted from the world or planted from, a childhood experience, things like that, and actually expand it and bloom it out into this really big vein imagination, if that makes sense.

And that is a catalyst for worry, anxiety, fear, and all of the things He's requested we don't meddle with.

Yeah. Yeah. and so, when we can really come back to taking control over what we have control over, which is literally our thinking. And some of the audience might be considering, "Well, yeah, but, for me, I get racing thoughts," or "For me, I can't do it.  I can't grab it. It seems like it's got a life of its own." Yeah. 

I used to experience that when the trauma was very active in my nervous system. 

[00:18:00] There are ways to bring that down through the way He designed our bodies, to really get that to be cast down.

Yeah. And we can take control of it, and there's multiple different ways for us to reach that. But nonetheless- Yeah ... the brain also likes to make shortcuts and generalize things for us. I'm personifying it here. But when it thinks it's doing us a favor by speeding something up or br-rebringing it into our awareness, it sometimes doesn't feel really that good, or like it's a favor.

Yeah. So, we- Yeah ... get to decide and become so clear at listening and discerning as well, what is me? What is God? What is just an old thought?" Or I like to say, like, when brand-new carpet off-gasses, what is this off-gassing in my brain- Yeah ... right now that's happening? Is this mine? So, I can literally have the discernment as to what gets to get cast down and what gets to be kept.

Yeah, and let's get even more specific 'cause I, I think understanding how the brain processes these images is going to help everything make even more sense.

[00:19:00]  You and I talked about this before this call, the brain uses overlapping networks- Yeah for seeing something real and imagining it. So- Yeah ... there's certain parts of our brain that are visual, that are active, creating memories and things like that. Re- representations, almost like internal pictures- Yes ... and putting meaning to things. But then there's our- Yeah ... emotional systems, like the limbic- Yeah system, where the fight or flight takes place, that processes feelings rapidly. Emotions involve biochemical messengers- Yeah ... that flow everywhere, not just the brain. And so- when you feel shame or anxiety in your body, even before the full thought and construction of that thought forms, it's because of this limbic system in us.

So, you're saying that true renewal comes 

[00:20:00] from integrating all of these different kind of systems that exist, right? Yeah. And bringing that all together. Well, because we have our language centers, right? Mm-hmm. Which are bringing the narrative to the experience. 

I don't wanna go too jargony, but that subdominant hemispheric functioning that we have is that sort of expansive oceanic experience when someone trips back into a memory that they feel stuck in or c- or can't get out of, and it's like they're reliving it in the moment. Yeah. It's because it hasn't metabolized.

It hasn't actually been able to process. And so that unconscious awareness, that implicit memory, we actually get to move it outside of the body. and literally with the Holy Spirit goes in and shows us everything rearranging. 

Mm-hmm. And then that imprints back into long-term storage. 

[00:21:00] Yeah. And updates, and that's the integration. That's the integration.

I wanna share something personal here because I think some of you are going to hear yourselves in this

Audio Only - All Participants: One of the things we are saying here is that some people can simply read the Word of God, and faith comes from hearing, hearing from the word, and they can hear it and think about it, and somehow they can think their way out of the old belief and into the new.

So, we're not saying everybody has to go through this kind of approach. Exactly. However, what I found to be true in my life, and maybe it's because I am a creative individual. Maybe it's because I'm wired prophetically. Maybe there's certain demographics- Mm-hmm ... that are common amongst those of us who need this kind of approach, right?

Yeah. but for me, I couldn't think my way out of certain things. I was stuck. 

[00:22:00] What I didn't realize is that the stuckness was in my nervous system and was there- Mm, mm-hmm ... because I had cellular memories, and I had trauma that was- Yeah ... in the background that was playing a song in my system over- Yeah

and over and over and over and over. And then when something would happen in life and it would trigger me- Yes ... it would tap into that song that was associated with that belief system, and- Yep ... and then I would immediately go into being triggered, fight, fight, freeze, fawn, whatever the response is.

Yeah. and no matter how many times I would quote scripture, do all the Christian things. It wasn't freeing me. I was still in bondage. Yeah. And so, this approach is the ability to safely recall- Yeah ... the wiring, the software, the program that's wired- Yep, uh-huh ... into us and override it. Like that- Yes

[00:23:00] is literally what we're doing. So good. Experiential learning with the Lord. And so, here's how that played out for me. I had two women who I literally traveled two states away from where I live just for this. I was so desperate. That's how desperate I was. And I remember being so scared, right? And I mean, there's just all kinds of stuff was bubbling up, being a perfectionist, rejection of man, fear of God and punishment, all the unknown. But when you're ready to heal, every bitter thing is sweet. You will eat whatever you have to eat to heal. Yeah. And so, I went two states away, and I remember them explaining that we're a house. We have lots of compartments inside, and there are fractures.

And God is wanting to make us whole again. Yes. and there's all these compartments, and, belief systems exist in those compartments, 

[00:24:00] but so do our giftings. Yeah. But so does a root system that the enemy created, it was so cool. So, then we just got before the Lord, and they invited the Lord in and just said, "Lanae, tell us whatever you hear, whatever you're experiencing.

It's, it could be a sense. It could be a word. It could be a, a phrase. It could be a picture. It could be..." And I'm like you. He speaks in pictures a lot and then words- Uh-huh ... to me. Yeah. And through that, I began to experience the Lord internally, my inward man, my spirit man, 

My mind's eye could see the Lord. And- Yeah ... one unique situation in particular, He took me back to a memory when I was bullied severely in- Yeah ... elementary school, and I was on the playground, and I was so sad, and I was defeated and already forming the beliefs that I must be a horrible person, something must be wrong with me- Yeah that nobody likes me. And He then showed me a picture of where he was. 

[00:25:00] And I began to realize he had been with me the whole time. I just didn't know how to- Oh, that's so good ... turn to him. Yeah. And that's just one tiny example of many similar examples along the way.

And layer by layer, He has gone in and, scripture talks about He will redeem what the cankerworm has- Yeah ... stolen or eaten. And He's redeemed me and been making me whole, and now He's tearing down all these vain imaginations because I am partnering with Him in faith. Yep. And boom, I'm growing into my destiny and who I'm intended to be.

So- Oh, okay ... I say all that to paint the picture of- Yeah ... practically what that looked like in my life.

Maybe you're hearing yourself in what I just described, stuck, quoting scripture, doing all the right things, and still in bondage. And if that's you, I want you to lean in for what Raven is about to share because she is going to explain exactly what's happening and more importantly, what's possible.

[00:26:00] The mental images, like you just said, that are coded in are literally stuck in that place, right? And they get to be rewritten- Yeah ... but not just, not language…with image. Yeah. He often will use language, but specifically will use pictures. And one of the lies of the enemy is that a lot of people believe they can't see things or visualize. Now, those of us who are prophetically wired, which you and I both are, we tend to lean a little more visual than the general- Yeah public out there. However, it doesn't mean other people aren't. So, equipping the body to understand what's happening internally and how their thoughts are created and literally, brought out is one way that we work with them. And then like you experienced Jesus coming in, 

[00:27:00] He always comes into these processes when he's invited and He shows us literally, where He was, like you said.  Him coming into that is part of the integration. And where we find full healing and updating, in my opinion, is when that integration occurs. Yeah. So as the framework is occurring, the construct within that framework literally causes the old structures to crumble, and the new structures to be put into place.

What happened then when He met you there, the body updated- the experience into long-term storage into the hippocampus. And it literally became the new truth that is wired in. Yeah.

And, and the truth which set you free. Yeah. That is how it works. So, when we begin to understand how to leverage the imagination and the images that we're seeing and the memories, 

[00:28:00] we can get ourselves out of it a bit. And then when working with someone who is trained to pray, elicit, and work within that framework- Yeahin my opinion, Yeah. 'Cause really- And folks- ... like you and I, when we're working with people through these types of frameworks, we're the traffic manager. We're the- Yeah ... facilitator. Yeah. But the encounter is really between that person and the Lord. Absolutely. Mm-hmm. We're, we're the facilitator is the perfect word, and we're His hands and feet.

So let's talk a moment about the timing, right? You talked about, this is a safe... it's actually a nondramatic- Yes, very nondramatic ... form of deliverance- Yeah ... let's call it, right? Yeah. It's not, you're not gonna end up on the ground manifesting demons and...

I'm not saying that those types of deliverance, settings are not real. They are very real, but those can also be incredibly intimidating- Yeah ... and scary for people. and let's face it, there's a lot of counterfeit- 

[00:29:00] Yes ... demonic activity happening in the prophetic realm and in the- Um spiritual realm and... So, I believe those of us who are prophetic, we have the gifting of prophetic, we have certain jurisdictions, um, that we're assigned to. And sometimes we know what they are, and sometimes we don't. Sometimes we stumble across them, but I love to encourage people to stay in their lane.

If they are not trained w- in this work, prayer is their weapon. Worship is their weapon. If they're trained in this work, prayer, worship, and the neural coaching is their weapons. Amen. I am very particular about the coaches who come through the Kingdom-based neural coaching training, because I know because, this is just my belief, it is that, that if we are on assignment to assist the body in getting well, let's do it well.

Yeah. Let's do it with precision. Mm-hmm. 

[00:30:00] And let's literally help the person in front of us, and that does take some skill set training- Yeah ... and, awareness and personal development, personal spiritual practice, and intimate time with the Lord to know how to work that- Yeah ... so we don't cause harm. No, that's exactly right. 

So we've talked about what vain imaginations are, how beliefs get wired in, and what it actually looks like when God goes into a memory and rewrites it. And now I want to go a little bit deeper into the science of that last part, because what happens in the brain during that process actually has a name.

And once you understand it, you won't forget it.

This whole thing that many are now calling neuroplasticity or that, people have actual language for Yeah maybe 40 years ago, the language maybe was there, maybe it wasn't, but the practice and the concept was real. 

[00:31:00] And it's built into God's economy. It's built into- Absolutely ... the way He's designed us and what's possible. Well, and the work that came out, really in right around 2000, on reconsolidation and that window that- integration window, it's so amazing because, just to give you a little insight on what happens there.

So, after the process and the rewiring and the framework has b- gone through, and as the integration is occurring, there's this six-hour window after that happens where the brain and the proteins start to synthesize within the brain. It literally is forming new neural networks. Wow. I love to picture little root systems in a plant when they're, you know- Mm-hmm wiggling around and they're starting to grow, and they're looking for the sun. It's like that. But one thing also, that I'd like to make mention of with that is there is some misnomers out there, some mislabeling around what's happening with those root systems.

[00:32:00] It's not that there's a root cause to some of those memories.  It's actually more like a linchpin holding it in place. So, when this process is all going on and that linchpin is pulled, the integration is occurring, the whole body nervous system, because neurotransmitters float throughout the entire body. They are not just in the brain. They're everywhere. As that begins to update and the integration occurs, there are memories that someone could re-access.

They're like, "Huh, I do recall," you know, that scene with the bully, let's say. Right. But then there's no emotional charge- That's right ... left- That's right ... at all because it's been literally processed and- Yeah ... metabolized in the body. It's been- Yeah ... reconsolidated into long-term storage. It's the truth now that- That's right - has been set free. And it's just amazing to me, and it does not have to take forever. No. That's- And that's, I went to counseling. So, another resource or approach, right, 

[00:33:00] another methodology is called EMDR. Mm-hmm. That's another type of approach to a similar thing, and I remember my counselor who I went to said, you know, basically there are certain experiences that your brain never filed properly.

And the recent research shows that those of us who are taught that the storage is like a filing cabinet is actually not the case. Really? It's like a blender with the lid off. It's literally pulling in information and pieces from all areas of the mind and the environment- So for example, they've discovered, consonants and vowels are stored in different areas of the brain.

Wow. And when we consider a word, it's pulling it all back together and creating that. So, part of the wonderfulness of this is that what was once seeming solid and stuck is now pulled apart. And yeah, everything is coming in like literally a blender with the lid off. So, if you can imagine all of this coming in, rewiring, it's fantastic.

[00:34:00] And so to sum up what we just talked about, your brain has the ability to change.

Yep. And at that point when an old image or memory is reactivated- Mm ... it's right there that- there's flexibility. We call that the- Yeah ... reconsolidation window. And it's right there that with God's help rewiring can happen, and we can- override the old and new imagery can show up and update, all of it.

Yeah. We- That's how I understand it ... yeah, the current way it's stuck, has been now wonderfully dominated by the new- Yes ... thought or experience that bringing in. It collapses that old representation, that inner representation- Yeah ... and brings in a brand new one, which is- Yeah ... just, it's so wonderful.

 My prayer is that everyone gets to experience it at some point. Yeah.

[00:35:00] Well, I wanna bring all of this home for the people who are here specifically because they're exhausted from perfectionism. 

What would you say to somebody struggling with perfectionism? Mm-hmm. How has that shown up What have you experienced with those- Yeah ... types of belief systems? I'll go with me first.

I had so much perfectionism running rampant, and really it was rooted in shame. It was connected to shame, and shame and guilt, as we've probably discussed somewhere along the lines here, are very different. Shame itself is usually put on us, right? Like, shame on you.

Okay. And I had so much shame around my identity that I would hide, and I would eat a lot too. Food was my favorite drug of choice for a long time 'cause it was accessible as a child, and I was looking for ways to 

[00:36:00] stop that pain, right? It- And food feels good. 

Yeah, it's a drug. It's a drug. It's literally- Yeah ... it's literally a drug, and we don't know that as children. Unconsciously we just gravitate toward, we get a little hit of that feeling good, et cetera. That perfectionism would take over and I would literally freeze and procrastinate and not put something out there because I was operating out of a filter of shame, and just could not let the world see the imperfectness of me. And what's different now is every now and then, daily, that, that old perfectionist tries to sneak in and be like, "Oh, I don't know.

The T's aren't crossed and the I's aren't dotted well." I have learned to embrace talking to that little teeny voice that hangs out occasionally around, the perfectionism and letting it know that everything's okay. Yeah. And that we've got it, and that we're gonna put some things out there that some people might not like- Yeah

[00:37:00] some people might judge. But you know what? I'm operating for an audience of one right now. Yeah. Yeah. I am doing what the Lord tells me to do, so that keeps the perfectionistic tendencies at a low roar because I know I am doing what I'm asked to do.

Yeah. And He puts it out in front of who needs to see it, et cetera. Yeah. I think that it's layers of an onion. And, ultimately, I believe, this is my belief- Yeah ... God dictates the timing- Yes ... of what gets delivered when. I can't speed up the process.

 I can't do this in my own strength. I can't go to Him and say, "I believe I have this issue, and I'm gonna muster up all of this striving to fix- Mm. Mm ... this part of me." I used to try to perfect my perfectionism. I used to try- Yeah. Amen ... to deliver myself from my perfectionism. There are so many- Yeahways that it shows up. 

[00:38:00] But what does work is coming with an open heart and a desire, and a willingness- Amen ... and an invitation to say, "Lord, what would you have me lay down now? Where do you wanna- Yeah ... come in and heal? And then just wait and listen. and so that's part of the important message here too is, He is going to protect you by not taking you into the land all at once. Yes ... it would destroy us if He did that. I love that. And one thing I've seen- cross cases, we'll say, is when people stay present and in the presence. Okay? Stay present in the Presence, 

They're not tripping forward or running behind, looking back at the past or projecting the past into the future. They're literally here and now, fresh and new with the presence of the Lord. The perfectionist filter just starts to drop off.

Mm-hmm. He just shows step by step the process that 

[00:39:00] we're in, where we're going, and then we can say, "Oh, look, I found a dust bunny in the corner here." Mm-hmm. And he, "Please give it to me." And then we're in that constant conversation of laying it down, picking up what he has for us, that great exchange, and I find it so incredibly refreshing.

It, it's the fastest thing to get me out of perfectionism is to stay present with what's in front of me. That's right. and not go too far out ahead, and never, as to the best of my ability, not run ahead of Him. Yeah. I agree. I think that we had years of belief systems forming.

Absolutely. There's going to be residue from that. There's gonna be- I'll call it muscle memory sometimes, right? Yeah. But now we have the tools- Yeah ... to feed the new- Yeah ... and make it strong. and I know for me, there are some 

[00:40:00] things that the residue is now gone because I've practiced the truth so much- Yeah and I've practiced taking captive the thought and making it obedient. Oh, it's so good. Yes. It's so good, and right, this is gonna be a partnership. This isn't a one and done. It, it- No ... But I can look back on trauma and shameful things I did in my past, and I don't feel the shame anymore.

No, no. And I have this now ability to be kind to that younger version of me. I get to talk to her differently. I get to have compassion on her. It’s cool. It's just, it's so real, and it's so biblical, and it's- Yeah ... the intersection of the natural realm that He created, with the spiritual realm, Yeah.

Yeah ... and with His Holy Spirit and so- Good ... so yeah, Raven, what do you want the listeners to really walk away with today, would you say? Well, my prayer, my heart is that they 

[00:41:00] find themselves at the feet of Jesus- Letting go of any of that shame or perfectionism in the sense of that it's no surprise to Him that they've experienced trouble with that and/or, less than optimal experiences, and that they can know that it's safe to begin to lay that down and that He will truly replace it.

And if they're stuck in the mire with it, if they're literally stuck in the mire, that they can just reach out either to us or to a professional that can assist them. But it's okay to come to that point of surrender, that today is the perfect day for that to occur, and that is where the perfectionism comes in.

So, He can perfect us. Perfect love casts out all fear. Mm-hmm. And when we can metabolize and accept His perfect love, literally bring it in and dislodge anything that would've been blocking that coming in, then we're good. Then we're good. 

[00:42:00] So you're about to offer a training. You wanna talk a little bit about that? Yes. for a little over 15 years, I've been certifying coaches and wellness practitioners, specifically in neuroplasticity work.

We call it neurocoaching. It's a 12-week certification that runs through a biblical worldview so, it's scripturally based and grounded in neuroscience and God, obviously, so that they can learn how to facilitate the work with others. So, if they're already a coach or a healer or have a pastoral role, they can apply to come through this training and learn the tools so that they can enhance and take their work further and help more people.

 So that's coming up beginning Monday, June 29th 5:00 to 8:00 PM Eastern for 12 weeks on Mondays  Everything is experiential. You learn it and and 

[00:43:00] practice it real time, and then I'm there to course-correct and to finesse what's happening so everybody leaves very fully equipped- and in setting themselves free at another level, and helping others be set free if that's their call.

And if you let her know that you heard about it through the Redeemed Perfectionist podcast, you get an automatic $400 scholarship.

And we're gonna have links in the show notes, and obviously you can either get ahold of me or get ahold of Raven directly.

 Raven, just for clarity, what is the name of your business and your offering?

The Lord renamed my business about a year ago. He gave me the download Kumi Collective, and Kumi is the Hebrew word for awaken, rise up. Like when Jesus went to Jairus's daughter and said to leave the Kumi, and brought her out of the sleep she was in.

[00:44:00] And that is what He told me to call my business Okay. How do you spell it? Is it K-U-M-I? K-U-M-I so it's K-U-M-I and then C-O-L-L-E-C-T-I-V-E, right? Kumi Collective. Yes. Kumi Collective. And under the Kumi Collective umbrella, we train in the neuroplasticity coaching, and then we also train prophetic art facilitators because the Lord loves to work with image, Holy Spirit loves to bring image, using image to rewire and get the dust off the souls.

It's a way to take it a step further into really experiencing what's happening in the nervous system out in front of them in a two-dimensional visual art experience. So, it all is under the umbrella of transformation, and those are the two worlds we play in, the nervous system and the healing with the art.

And I will say I have sat now through two of your prophetic art sessions. Yeah. 

[00:45:00] So I'm getting ready to go through the certification on the coaching side. But those art sessions, I was one of the people, full transparency, in the past- Yeah ... that kind of poo-pooed that. I was like, "Eh," and I'm an artistic person, but I was just like, "I don't think that's my thing."

But then we had it at one of our retreats, and I can't believe what happened for me. And one of the things that I think is powerful about a picture, and you don't have to be a painter, an artist in any way, shape, or form. No. Yes. There's so many ways this shows up. But for me, having that picture in front of me kept the story alive.

Mm-hmm. as God was giving to me and I was pouring into the picture, the picture was giving back to me Yeah. Yep. Yep ... because I kept looking at it. Yeah. and now I still have it, and I keep referring back to it when I need to. 

So, we go from using our imagination and our inner world experience with images and 

[00:46:00] pictures and that non-verbal processing, into a space where it can be expressed as well. So, it's just- Yeah ... a beautiful marriage of neuroscience and prophetic art, and I love it. Yeah. Yes. Raven, I appreciate the work you're doing for the kingdom.

I thank you for being here. Would you be open and comfortable with, no pressure, to pray us out? Yes. I'm happy to. 

Oh, Father, thank you. Thank you for bringing us together on the playground of life. Thank you for infusing us with your love and, um, and all that you've done for us.

Thank you for this conversation being able to get out to the people who you know you want to have hear it. Father, we just ask that we can constantly surrender, um, the things that we don't have to carry around, that we can literally lay them at your feet, and that we can be set free by your, you, the truth.

[00:47:00] Um, and we are just so incredibly grateful that we were able to spend this time together and we just ask that we continue to be your hands and feet here as best we can, that you use us in the way you see fit, and that your body continues to become well and equipped for the work at hand in these days, and we offer this in the mighty name of King Jesus.

Amen. Amen. Well, sis, what we talked about today, it's real. The patterns that feel stuck, the beliefs that loop no matter how many times you've surrendered them, the places where scripture hasn't seemed to reach, that is not a faith failure. That is a wiring issue. And the God who designed your brain already made a way through it.

You're not too far gone, and you're not too complicated. You are exactly the kind of 

[00:48:00] person He had in mind when He said, "I will restore to you the years the cankerworm has eaten." I want you to walk away from today knowing this: healing doesn't have to be dramatic, and it doesn't have to take forever. It just has to be surrendered.

So, if something is stirred in you today, that's not an accident. It's an invitation. 

Let me recap the next steps that you can take and I wanna keep this as simple as possible. 

If you're a coach, a counselor, a minister, or somebody who works with others and you want to be equipped in this framework, Raven's Kingdom Neuro Coaching Certification begins Monday, June 29th.

Mention The Redeemed Perfectionist and you will receive a $400 scholarship automatically. Again, all the links are in the show notes. And if you're somebody who wants to receive this kind of work for yourself, I am currently training to be certified in the framework. 

[00:49:00] Now, I have been doing similar work for many years, but I really want to formalize it.

And then I will begin offering both individual and likely small group sessions once I am. If that's you, I would love to hold a spot for you. Just send me an email at lenee@leneepezzano.com, like I mentioned before, and put the word waitlist in the subject line. That's it. I'll take it from there.

Until next time, remember this: you were never meant to carry what God already conquered. Let's go live free, sis.