Psychology and fundamentalism best opponents were gracious. In recent history, say 50 years, the opposition has become vigorous and often less than friendly. Many churches like Calvary, completely avoid all mental health professionals (whether social workers, psychiatrists or counselors) and they firmly hold that all healing comes directly from God or prayer, and everything you need to develop and maintain good mental health can be found in Scripture or a prayer meeting.
This rejection of psychotherapy may be a reaction to the “I’m OK, you’re OK” generation of therapists who have done little to most people, except to calm anxieties and narcissistic sociopaths saying “if it feels good It is good. “In the eyes of Christians and Orthodox Jews, the field of humanistic psychology program took all the giant step self-improvement too far, putting people at the center of the universe, especially yours.
Their objections were not wrong. And I say this as a holistic psychotherapist with over 25 years experience in the field.
I’ve seen too many well-intentioned therapists do little more for their patients who feel better to be sick. They are reluctant to challenge or face a negative behavior or thinking unhealthy because they fear to be considered essential. Because of its provisional relationship with the truth, they fail in their relationships with patients. They see what needs to be cured if the patient is left unhealed. It’s really a disservice to the patient, because what is ultimately feed pathology and starve the essence of the person.
I think that everything good and true healing comes from the same source which means you can not have an alliance and large communities between the Bible and Mental Health. But only if we have an understanding of our requirements and we are currently looking for the same results.
What is healthy? This is not healthy?
According to Samuel Hahnemann, MD, after dozens of medical schools around the world have been named, physical health is presented with a very clear picture that is eternally from a healthy spiritual state.
“In healthy human state, the strength of the spirit of life as (autocracy) which animates the material organism as dynamis, governs without restriction and keeps all parts of the organism in admirable, harmonious operation of vital importance, as regards both feelings and functions, so that our home, the rational mind can not take advantage of this free life, healthy instrument for the higher purposes of our existence. “
He continues:
“The material organism, without thinking of the life force, is capable of no sensation, no activity, no self-preservation. Drift all sensibility and produces its functions of life solely by means of intangible wesen (the principle of life, the life force) which animates the material body health and disease. “
So … health depends on a wesen health or life force or spirit. This is a process which comes from the top down, backwards. It is also the philosophical basis of adequate and psychotherapy developed all Scripture about the proper articulation of holistic health.
Biblical healing
Start with the basics. What was the Bible says about health (whether mental, emotional or physical) for the last thousands of years? Here is a small sample of references:
“Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear and admonition of the Lord and shun evil because you will be treated to your body and nourishment to your bones.”. Proverbs 3:7-8
“Hope deferred makes the heart disease but when hopes are realized at last, there is life and joy.” Proverbs 1:12 p.m.
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them and not worth much more than them.?” Matthew 6:26
“This is what the Lord says: ‘Your wound is incurable, beyond healing your wound There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sore, no healing for your allies forgot they care nothing for you …. But .. will restore and heal your wounds … “Jeremiah 30:12-14, 17
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you, I do not give to you as the world gives, do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid …” John 14:27
Even in this superficial reading, it is easy to see that the biblical concepts of health are the same as those that graduate students are taught in tips: hope, faith and acceptance of reality, understanding that we are not the center of the universe, peace of heart (declaration of interest), generosity, service, humility, joy and love. I’m sure there are more, but I think it’s a good core to start.
Clinical cure
I worked with individuals, families, couples and adolescents for almost 25 years. Both were mandated to me under duress and crawled desperately for help. I saw quite a few people to ask some direct questions and hopefully seen enough of recovery and healing to offer some observations.
The first question: What are the things that lead to health problems, physical or mental / emotional?
In my experience, are the same things that the Bible warns us again and again and again, pride, sloth, greed, gluttony, envy, lust and anger.
Almost all patients that I was doing battle with pride somehow. Some were engaged in battle with almost all of them at once. And openly admit that almost all the pain I suffered had something to do with at least one of these sins or as some call it, “character flaws.”
A woman we’ll call Sonia came to my office about 15 years ago. She was addicted to painkillers. She had physical symptoms, but they were not the reason for the prescription or the solution to the pain she needed to heal. He complained to his mother, if she had not spoken to her in years and was very angry (a mixture of pride and anger) about how he had been treated unfairly. As he talked about all the things her mother had done for her, she gritted her teeth and hands.
When, later in the treatment offered the possibility that his continued rage (anger) in what has been done for many years has been just wrong and maybe it was time for her to accept the fact that his mother had missed him and begin to consider forgiveness, indignant (pride). In his mind, accepting the reality of her mother’s weaknesses (without making your own) was unthinkable. Her mother had to prove he was right and who was wrong. Sonia assimilated excuse acceptance and could not, would not see otherwise. The end result? He was in pain and addiction to painkillers. His pride would have no other way. When the choice between being “good” or happy was presented to her, she chose to be straight.
The second and perhaps more relevant question: How can we address these issues in the modern world? What is a psychotherapist to see if the real goal is to facilitate healing and he or she is not a priest, pastor or rabbi? We are not preachers. Our work is a little different and the people who come to us are not always ready to (or necessarily interested) a change of extreme spiritual image. People may not be ready to go to a church or synagogue may need someone just to listen and hear objective suffering for. Many people have to speak before learning to pray. And the therapeutic relationship, if handled properly, can be the training ground for other relationships, including one with God.
There is a difference between preaching and demonstrating. It is good to inspire others with great thoughts about God. It is also good to demonstrate the love of God through the presence and compassion. Sometimes a patient may be too angry against God, to hear someone say, “God loves you”, but not too angry to have the love of God demonstrated in the silence, the patience, understanding and honest integrity. And this is perhaps the first time he or she lived.
In my experience, what we must do to be curative in psychotherapy is not so different from writing recipe, even if it is presented and packaged a little differently.
After working with these patients for 20 years, I have broken into five segments or not, which I believe are biblically supported even if none of them depend on faith or particular point of view. The Seven Deadly Sins (or character defects) can be addressed individually or collectively, at any point along these five steps. These steps are only clinical observations and rules not and should not be treated legalistic.
I: Hope
All recovery either drug, depravity, despair or fear begins with a promise of hope, that there is “another way” to be, to live, to feel, to love and be loved. This hope comes in different ways by different people, but I think it is better received by my patients, in the form of personal stories of redemption and true (mine or others), examples of other recovery people, their emotional, mental and spiritual well-being saved.
When you see the pain of the struggles of the other person, you feel the roller coaster of his temptations and difficulties will identify frustrations and desires, and then attend his release and the release … we can begin to hope. If it happened to them, maybe it can happen to me …? All you need is a good therapist can be a good job and at least can begin.
Most of my early work with patients is an injection of hope. Some are so accustomed to pain, pain, loss, deprivation, they simply can not imagine anything but the way they have always been. “But you’re here in my office, so there must be a small ember still burns,” I said. But many need some tender care-a very careful to fan the flames begin recording. So on them. (Stimulation (* 1) is a clinical term that means that I walk with the patient instead of running ahead or lagging behind him.)
II: Surrender
Surrender is a word that gives modern chills. What we have said that we want for ourselves, it is the power and control. We carefully and consistently taught in graduate school to encourage our patients in their “empowerment” and instilling in them a sense of control. This can be very important and necessary doses, especially when a person has been abused and even the most personal checks were denied. But you can go too far and be gifted too freely.
Even some evangelicals did with “prosperity gospel.” In this philosophy, we can say that a person is spiritually by what you have and how you do your career. Ask and you remind us. But rather focus on the spiritual has become a modern media manipulation on the doctrine of predestination and the elect: How do we know that thou hast found favor with God? Because you are successful. How can we succeed? Please God. Thus, the objective is the acquisition of wealth, prestige and power. At some point, even ministers have forgotten, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
At the beginning of my rebirth in mental health, the idea of ​​surrender terrified me. I know from my own experience that it comes at least an uncomfortable concept for most people. And some are provisional only concerns they panic, it’s just because they have not yet learned to trust that the universe has a purpose, creatively and constructively. (For me, it is God and, once again, my resignation was only when I came to believe that God really loved me.) For many who are just in therapy, the universe so often meaningless, chaotic, hurtful place unfair. We can not give in to the abyss, a great darkness, a deist blob that do not care whether or not exist in a world without love or meaning. Of course, I can not imagine doing. And I did not. I could not. So I put in the way it was successfully presented to me with great care and in small steps: initial delivery means accepting reality. That’s it. Not like or excuse. Only accept as real.
Acceptance of reality is something that people can consider, even if the reality is difficult, even when they are scared, hurt, or confused. Accept the reality is the basis of mental health. Denial is the basis of all the madness. When delivery is first introduced in this way, it becomes manageable.
So what can go to? I keep things simple. They can go on the fact that their lives are not working, or living with his unhappiness at home, or how they feel and make other people feel when they drink. Delivered to the facts first.
Why? We realize the reality because first, as we said, “The truth will set you free us.
And take responsibility for them, sweet baby steps is what makes us strong enough to make fuller, more gentle delivery, making the leap to love, human and divine, is say, as CS Lewis and Peter Kreeft called the deepest desire of our hearts.
III: Honesty
If the truth is that we need, so honesty is what we have to give. Why does not my life? Why my husband always angry? Why am I so easily offended? Why do I not want to leave home? What do I feel? What do I need? What I run into me again and again and again?
This is a purge coming-esteem, an admission of fault, an error confession and a map of wrong turns. It’s called Alcoholics Anonymous fourth step, the Church calls an accruals or moral consideration, and the Jews “Tikun” or correct. And it is absolutely necessary if one is an alcoholic or not, if you are in a 12 step program or not, if you belong to a religion or not.
It is a bold move that. It takes courage to say “I really loused this relationship,” or “I’m a coward when it comes to my career,” or “I was so violent as she said it was.”
Interestingly, it is at this point that the need for the return of hope. It is very painful to watch what we did wrong and terribly difficult to imagine ever may be different. In my work, this is a good time to remind someone of what is possible, go back to the stories-true stories of redemption and the view from the top of the mountain.
Some ways back, I met a young woman (details disguised to protect identity), which was seen by many therapists. She had been diagnosed with PTSD, bipolar disorder and borderline personality. She was medicated, treated with a dozen techniques to cut content, and finally rejected as useless.
We talked about his life, past and present. After about a month to put the pieces of its history, which landed on the subject of abortion she had when she was 15 years old had been so afraid. The boy who had father had abandoned the child, his parents were busy with work and social life of a very high standard, and it had no older or wiser than the guide brothers. His life with the family of the church had been turned off before because they had all been too busy to worry about it. (She was baptized and raised Catholic.) Ultimately their support and leadership from the media and information available at the school.
I asked to abortion and what she thought of him. She responded with sincere curiosity, “Why do you ask?”
“Because it’s a great event, especially for a girl,” I said.
“Nobody seemed to think.”
“What do you mean?”
“Everyone seemed to think it was a big problem. You just go and do it.”
“You have not seen that much?” I asked.
She began to cry.
It took time and a lot of tears, but she was not required, bipolar, or hope. It was guilt, not my accountant, but his. In an effort to be what I thought of his surrounding culture that was supposed to be, had to lie about what he felt, what he wanted, and what I really need. Telling the truth was his first step to eliminate pain and pathology.
This responsibility is a way to own our mistakes so that we can proceed with the possession of our achievements. If everything is the fault of everyone, then we are the victims of chance and really no hope. People are very nervous about accountability because they were humiliated and blamed excess, but this is not the shame. This is the yellow brick road to freedom.
IV: Service
What does it do better once we know what we have done wrong?
This is actually more controversial than we can imagine, because according to many in the field must always focus on the positive. And by a large number, make a compelling item. Realizing what often works works. For some patients, I am the first in his life to say “I see you. See what is good in you. Let’s see what else is good and needs to be improved.”
However, I think it goes completely in both directions, focusing only on the positive and just focus on all the evil this is a mistake. There must be a balance, recognition of two or inclinations aspects of our nature. As the first story of Adam and Eve illustrates, we are not entirely good or entirely bad. We have the capacity in both directions and becomes good or remain good, effort and knowledge both conscious inclinations. We feed the hungry and the other.
How is it better?
Firstly, through service and good works, even if we feel like it. There is nothing better for someone full of pity and hypochondria go out and volunteer. There was a young woman in a voluntary nursing home. It was another in a soup kitchen. No matter how much we give, but to grow, we have to start somewhere.
Through humility, even when we feel boastful or proud, anger or indignation. We have to do for others, like saying sorry, even if we deepen our heels.
With patience and generosity, even when we feel helpless and anxious.
Serving others is regarded by many as a remedy of a higher order, so that it is later in the 12 steps of AA, we can not offer what we have learned or acquired. “If you want to keep [reprise], give it away,” drug addicts and alcoholics are said. The meaning is not clear, you must first give.
But there is another side to this, however. Some of us call “as if” and argue that we learn what we teach and only get what we give you. I think it works both ways and is even good clinical team (ie, the patient and therapist) to determine when and how to go about it. I am not Solomon. What I do know, however, is that the service at any time, it seems possible and right is beneficial to the mind, heart, body and soul.
V: Forgiveness
Without forgiveness, we are trapped in the wrong and we do not get ahead in our new life. My feeling is that pride is usually obstruction in this area. We do not forgive because we are right, dammit! And we want to be called more than they want to be free or happy.
Forgiveness does not deny evil (Romans 3:10,23). But forgive the actor, who do not know better or are too sick to ever see the difference clearly.
Forgiveness does not mean that we must open the door to thieves. We did ask to be fools. The irony is that less is forgiven, the most ruthless, vengeful and furious becomes, at least one is able to see the truth of any kind. Hatred not only reject the joy, who rejects the truth and can not recognize a real threat when you are there.
Forgiveness is often the last step in this small scale to emotional and spiritual freedom.
As Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian woman who survived a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust, said: “Forgiveness is a prisoner, and to realize the prisoner was you.”
One of the best examples of forgiveness is the story of Joseph and his brothers, who had betrayed him and left him for dead because of their own collective greed and envy. He crawled to survive, and was enslaved and imprisoned. Many years passed. But when his brothers came to Egypt, many years later, not only pardoned after seeing that they had changed (and showed true repentance), rejoices in them.
Suffering: Is it necessary?
There is one last point that I will briefly discuss the notion of suffering. I have not assigned their own recovery phase because it involves everyone.
The worst of modern psychotherapy is that it allows the existence of suffering. It focuses on happiness as a human “right” and encourages continued open-necked with everyone in the media and entertainment. It is the separation means between what is ordinary psychotherapy (and even those who preach the prosperity gospel I mentioned earlier who believe they can make a request to God for material goods or emotional rewards they want, citing “Ask and receive” as if offering proof of God as the Great Pez dispenser) and a holistic therapy based on traditional biblical values.
Part of the problem is that the modern era of psychotherapists see the happiness which is defined as achieving some desired goal, the ultimate goal of healing.
Orthodox Jews and Christians have a different opinion on this subject. Although it is considered normal to want to be happy, be healthy, even for material comfort is not considered the end of our existence. It is not even considered very important. It is considered much more important to be good for you [think you] want. Happy is good. Kindness and determination and joy, which are much better and reach the deepest point.
What is even more disturbing to me is that I see people who want the reward of happiness without any sacrifice. Americans in particular think it is their “right”. He was repeatedly told by the media and psychologists, and even a whole generation of preachers “hip.” Do what makes you happy. That’s all that matters.
The ultimate philosophical thought is this theology of the New Age, where diseases, injuries and self-inflicted tragedies are defined as primary manifestations of bad programming. Epistemology, Mystery is abolished and we are responsible for everything that happens to us and around us. If the abundant health and wealth and beauty are our birthright, while suffering means that we have done, whether it be something wrong to deserve or bad writing scripts for our lives.
Given the mental and emotional that we planted mulch, it is not surprising that we are so preoccupied with our bodies, our bank accounts and our images. We care about face lifts over us whether we have a neighbor who needs our help because she was bedridden for a week.
Deny suffering has a price that is incomprehensible huge. Because when we deny the pain (which, as stated by the Buddha is inevitable in this life), we must also deny death. And deny death, we deny life.
Why should be included in psychotherapy, though? Should not we want to banish forever? Why do not we want to avoid completely? What is there for us, anyway?
This is the answer I came up with: Being present in suffering, we are present in all life, the integrity of another person. And the reward is nothing less than the ability to love and be loved-full. We suffer because we love and want to continue to love. It is a poignant irony, I think. In our attempt to avoid suffering, we separate ourselves from everything that can mitigate yes.
Judith Acosta, LISW, is a licensed psychotherapist, crisis counselor and classical homeopath in private practice in New Mexico. She is co-author of the worst is over: What to say when every moment counts, hailed as the “bible of crisis communications” verbal and First Aid (Penguin, 2010), the new book on communication therapy with children. She lectures throughout the country verbal first aid, trauma, stress and animal assisted therapy.
A Reconciliation – The Bible and Holistic Psychotherapy
A Reconciliation – The Bible and Holistic Psychotherapy
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