Jonathan Pageau on Trauma, Memory & the Symbolic Path to Healing

Lion Counseling Podcast

🎙️ Episode 14 – Jonathan Pageau on Trauma, Memory & the Symbolic Path to Healing

In this profound conversation, Mark Odland (Certified EMDR Therapist & founder of Lion Counseling) is joined by renowned Orthodox Christian artist and cultural commentator Jonathan Pageau (The Symbolic World) to explore a topic rarely covered in Pageau’s public work: trauma, memory, and personal transformation.

With approximately 250,000 subscribers, Jonathan is known globally for helping people rediscover the symbolic patterns that shape reality—in scripture, culture, art, and personal life. In this episode, he and Mark dive into how trauma and memory shape identity, and how both psychological healing and spiritual hierarchy can help men reorder their lives.

🔍 In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Why trauma is like a symbolic vortex that tries to consume identity
How EMDR therapy helps reorient painful memories and restore wholeness
Jonathan’s reflections on symbolism, ritual, and the modern man’s identity crisis
The hidden symbolic structure of trauma and healing
What happens when your trauma becomes the “sacred center” of your story—and how to replace it
Why men need hierarchy, tradition, and myth to make sense of suffering
How ritual, memory, and imagination were meant to ground and heal us
The relationship between Protestantism, secularism, and the loss of meaning
What Jonathan learned about story, masculinity, and spiritual resilience from his own journey
A surprising dialogue between symbolic theology and modern trauma therapy
How to leave a legacy that restores rather than fragments

💥 Whether you found Jonathan through Jordan Peterson, are drawn to deep theology, or you're simply a man trying to make sense of pain, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Learn more about Jonathan Pageau at thesymbolicworld.com

About the Show:
The Lion Counseling Podcast helps men escape the cages that hold them back and become the lions they were created to be. Hosted by Mark Odland and Zack Carter, we explore real topics like trauma, masculinity, anxiety, identity, purpose, and spiritual growth—blending faith, psychology, and personal transformation.

Click here to watch a video of this episode.’
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👉 Want help overcoming trauma or rediscovering meaning? Visit www.escapethecagenow.com to book a free consultation.

➡️ What part of this conversation with Jonathan Pageau resonated with you most?