Cary Brown, PhD

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

02/18/2026

There is one question that I’m perpetually asking whenever I’m listening to a client: What makes this make sense?

Instead of asking what is wrong with someone, I’ve learned to ask what is happening in the context of their life that would make their response understandable. Often, the answer is simple: they are trying to navigate the present using an outdated map.

We all carry internal maps around with us. They expectations about how our lives should play out. But a map, no matter how good , is never the terrain itself. When the landscape of our life changes but our map stays the same, we don't just feel "off." We feel lost, like we’ve lost our bearings.

I just posted a deep dive on this concept over on Substack. I share a story about a man whose "map" literally ran out of road at age sixty, and why so many of us experience anxiety and depression not as a "brokenness," but as a navigational error.

You can read the full piece on my substack. Link in the first comment and bio.

P.S. I’ve been working on a significant project for a long time that grows out of this idea. I'm excited to share a first look at that work with you in early March. Stay tuned.

02/14/2026

I just posted my first “real” Substack piece: By Desire or Disaster.

Big thank you to everyone who has liked the page, reshared, and subscribed so far. I was going to wait until next week, but I’m excited and decided to go ahead and share it.

It’s a reflection on facing the present honestly and finding something good there. The link is in my first comment

If you haven’t subscribed yet, I’d really appreciate it. It helps more than you know. When you subscribe, new posts are delivered straight to your inbox (if you’re into that sort of thing).

02/11/2026

I’ve been quiet on here for a while.

For the last year, I’ve been focused on building my practice, limiting my perspective to the four walls of my office. It’s been a great, but I’ve realized I can’t help as many people as I want to if I stay exclusively in one-on-one sessions.

So, I’m making some changes. I’m moving the conversation to the intersection of things that don't always get to talk to each other: therapy, theology, and the crazy world we live in.

I’ve started a Substack to share the insights I’ve gathered from two decades of listening. I’ll be posting intermittently rather than a rigid schedule, but this is the beginning of a new way for me to help people find their bearings.

If you’ve been feeling a little lost or disoriented lately, I hope this space helps you feel more free, more loved, and more like yourself. My first post, "Moving the Office," is live now.
Click the link to read and subscribe. https://substack.com/?r=5ohi4f&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile&shareImageVariant=image

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

02/13/2025

After an extended holiday break, I’m excited to have my co-therapist back in the office today. She’s a good listener.