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"I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world." John 16:33
The Take Courage Blog
Finding meaning and joy in the modern world
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What is PTSD? How Trauma-Focused Therapy Helps Us Heal
In Part I of our series, we looked at how PTSD is largely a disorder of non-recovery. Human beings have an innate recovery process when faced with trauma, otherwise we as a species would have faded from existence long ago. That being said, trauma can sometimes overwhelm that process.
Through fear conditioning the internal alarm system remains turned on long after an active threat has passed. This system stays acutely attuned to the environment for potential threats. It remai
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
Sep 5
What Is PTSD? Understanding Trauma, Recovery, and Healing
Viktor Frankl, after surviving the hell of a Nazi concentration camp, wrote in his memoir, “an abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior.” Behind rolls of barbed wire, he, and so many others, witnessed the apotheosis of man’s cruelty. Firing squads, gas chambers, experimental surgeries. Things that exist only in nightmares. Things that defy our ability to grasp. Trauma has a way of revealing the limits of human reason.
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
Jul 13
How to Calm the Nervous System: 6 Ways to Quiet the Temple of the Holy Spirit
Imagine being hooked up to the most sensitive and sophisticated alarm system in the world. Perfectly calibrated to detect even the slightest threat to your well-being. That system is your nervous system.
It is a remarkable gift. Like a smoke alarm, it exists to protect us. You want one in your home to tell you when there is a fire. But imagine if it went off every time a loud car rumbled past outside. It would be hard to think, work, pray, or live peacefully in such an en
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
May 13
Humor and Resilience in Hard Times: The Spiritual Meaning of Humor (Part II)
Humor, as we discussed last time in Part I of this series, is a powerful weapon in the face of adversity. It allows us to take perspective and engage in creative problem solving. Like a knight’s shield, humor helps us absorb the blows of life while still moving toward what matters.
We also investigated how humor is a powerful tool in developing tragic optimism, the heroic stance one takes towards life. Far from being witty, humor in this light, is something we uncover tha
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
Mar 9
Humor and Resilience in Hard Times: The Psychology of Humor (Part I)
The Marine Corps does two things really well – suffering and humor. My time at The Basic School, the last step before young lieutenants begin leading Marines, was filled with both.
One of the evaluative events, night land navigation, was a particularly challenging time of stepping through (depending on the season) the bramble filled or snow-covered forests and hills of Quantico. Interspersed with wide streams that, if you weren’t careful, became a night-time swim.
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
Feb 23
Anchored in Him: A Christian Practice for Anxiety, Anger, and Overwhelm
No matter how hard you hit, life hits harder. How many times have you had days where it feels like life is falling apart? Everything that can go wrong does - and your mind starts echoing, “This is too much, you’re drowning.”
Or, you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, get lost in your thoughts and just so happen to run into every rude and inconsiderate person - then end up taking out that frustration on the people you love. Does this sound familiar?
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
Jan 12
Feeling Good vs. Living Well (Part I): The Cost of Chasing Happiness
Modern culture is saturated with the promise of happiness. From advertising to self-help, the message is clear: if we buy the right product or manage our emotions correctly, we’ll finally feel good. Yet experience tells a different story—once we buy that product or follow that prescription we are left wanting more.
Like trying to cram every ounce of fun into a vacation, the more we seek happiness, as an end, the less we have it. We usually end up exhausted at best and mise
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
Dec 16, 2025
The One You Feed: The Meaning of the Two Wolves Story and Life’s Choice Points
There’s an old story I've heard many times, and often share with my patients. It goes like this:
“An old Cherokee Chief is walking along with his grandson one day through the woods. As they reach a ravine the chief pauses and looks intently at the young brave and says, ‘my son there is a battle going inside of me. There are two wolves: one is evil, full of pride, anger, jealousy and greed. The other is good: he is loving, humble, compassionate and grateful. These two wolv
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
Nov 17, 2025
7 Common Sleep Myths (and the Truths That Actually Help You Rest)
If you’ve ever googled sleep tips at 2:17 a.m., you’ve met the internet’s confidence. But just because it’s on the internet doesn’t mean it’s correct. Below are seven common myths I see in therapy, why they keep us stuck, and the research-backed truths that help us rest. As we say in ACT, notice the story, then choose what serves your values. And as Christians, we can offer even our sleepless nights to God—letting go of control while practicing wise action.
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
Nov 3, 2025
The Warrior's Return: Leaving the Temple of Mars
I remember at FOB Nolay, where my platoon was between missions in the Sangin District of Helmand Province in Afghanistan there was a beautiful mural, painted by the Royal Army and Royal Marines who originally occupied the post before the US Marines took over. It depicted the names of all their fallen. And on it were the words, from another famous memorial from WWII “when you return home; tell them of us and say, for their tomorrow we gave our today.”
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
Sep 6, 2025
This Is the Way? (Until It’s Not): Fusion vs. Defusion
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...there was a group of elite bounty hunters who lived and died by their code. A code rooted in a commitment to each other, and their way of life. These are the Mandalorians and “this is the way.”
This powerful phrase serves as a greeting and salute but so much more. Their code provides a structure, and a source of meaning in a chaotic universe.
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
Aug 25, 2025
Finding Gratitude in Hard Times: How Thankfulness Transforms Suffering
We’ve all met people who radiate calm and even joy amid hardship. They aren’t untouched by pain, but somehow, they carry it differently—like Marcus Aurelius’ rock at sea, standing firm despite the waves, or like bamboo, bending but never breaking. What gives these individuals their strength? More often than not, it’s gratitude. Not a shallow kind of gratitude for ease or comfort, but a deeper thankfulness
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
Aug 9, 2025
Why Can’t I Sleep Even When I’m Tired? (What Science, Psychology, and Faith Reveal)
What we are going to do here is look at what happens when we sleep: why we sleep and why we don’t. Specifically we are going to explore:
- The science and mechanics of how we sleep
-What gets in the way of good sleep, --How to restore peaceful nights using psychological principles and behavioral change
-When they do happen, how we can use sleepless nights as an opportunity to reconnect to the sacred
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
Aug 2, 2025
Don't Believe Everything You Think: Choosing Meaning Over Mental Chatter
Have you ever had a song stuck in your head? Maybe it’s a catchy pop tune with a great beat, or, if you’re a parent, perhaps it’s a children
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
Jul 19, 2025
Belief vs. Believing: The Psychology of Pascal's Wager and the Ultimate Poker Game
Have you ever watched a high-stakes poker game? There’s that moment when a player pushes their chips to the center of the table
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
Jul 12, 2025
Take Courage: Loving Deeply and Finding Meaning in the Midst of Suffering
There’s a moment in Man’s Search for Meaning—one of those moments that marks the soul—when Viktor Frankl, imprisoned in Auschwitz, trudged through the cold before dawn on a bitter day of forced labor. Sick, starved, and surrounded by despair, he wrote that he suddenly saw, with piercing clarity, the face of his wife. In that moment, he realized something astonishing: “Love is the ultimate and highest goal to which man can aspire.”
Bobby Jakucs, Psy.D.
Jun 18, 2025
AT THE INTERSECTION OF FAITH, PSYCHOLOGY & WISDOM
It was Viktor Frankl, psychiatrist and concentration camp survivor who coined the term "Tragic Optimism." An attitude of taking meaningful action and finding purpose despite whatever the very real circumstances of life. While most of us in the modern Western World do not face specter of death in a concentration camp, so many of us face a second, more subtle problem Frankl identified - a profound sense of meaninglessness. This blog is meant to be an antidote to that problem, or better yet a series of signposts on the Way. It is an intersection of the treasures of the Catholic faith, the wisdom of the classical philosophical tradition and the latest in sound behavioral science. 80% of these concepts will apply to anyone, religious and non-religious alike.
That said, I hope it will spark an interest in non-believers, or reignite the passion of those for whom the fire of belief has grown cold, to take a deeper look at what the profound truth of the Cross really means. That is two things:
1. You are infinitely Loved
2. Your life is worth living.
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