I was inspired to re-publish this (edited) after reading Should Counselors Have to Use Empirically Supported Techniques in Treatment by Jacqueline Bethune. This is a very important issue in my life and many who read the first version found it helpful. I encourage discussion from both sides on this, and encourage you to also read Jacqueline's article.
Mental Illness: Medical Treatment or Give it to God?
I have suffered from mental illness all my life. I have what I have chosen to accept as a medically diagnosed illness called Bi-polar II. I can go for months or even years with no or few problems, then I will cycle down and get into a deep depression. I can also have periods of mild mania that include mind racing, insomnia, talking a mile a minute, spending too much money, restless legs, and much more. I have found myself in the midst of a dip into depression recently, and mainly what has been hurting me most is the lack of understanding by family and even fellow Christians.
I have seen that there is a common debate out there: Is mental Illness a treatable medical condition that should be dealt with through prayer, medications, and therapy, or is it a weakness in the relationship with God, truly treatable only through prayer and meditation to develop a stronger relationship with God?
I personally believe there is scientific proof to back up that mental illness is a physiological imbalance of chemicals that needs to be treated medically, therapeutically, and can be aided through prayer. This is why I felt the need to write this commentary today; to try to provide understanding about mental illness from a personal perspective, to the Christian community and those suffering from mental illness.
So many people see mental illness as a weakness, or a lack of closeness to God. I laugh at that, because I am never as close or praying as much as when I am in the midst of a depressive episode! My husband and I both have mental illnesses and have thought of going into ministry. We feel that the experiences we have had with our mental illness can help us be empathetic and helpful to others and bring them closer to God. He uses me when I am in group therapy to be able to discuss Him when people ask about God. I feel He leads me to go about it gently and let Him show me who to talk to, rather than forcefully trying to convert everyone I meet. I think He uses me to show people that Christians suffer too, but they can have the comfort of a loving God who carries them through the difficult times.
I do believe that there are parts of mental illness that can be cured through a relationship with God, but also think that it is a illness just like any other. You would not try to get closer to God instead of taking insulin for Diabetes, or forego chemotherapy to cure cancer . . . Miracle healing from God can happen in all of these situations, and often they are part of a plan to help us be "pruned" to produce good fruits in the future (see my post called "A Visit with the Vinekeeper" for more explanation on this), however, that does not mean you should forego medical treatment and therapy.
If your son was in a wreck and was told that with therapy he could walk again, would you say, "Son, don't get therapy, just pray every day and then one day you will walk." NO!!! You would say "get the therapy and pray while you do it and God will make you walk again." Mental illness is no different.
It has been scientifically proven that mental illnesses arise from chemical imbalances in the brain. A PET scan of the brain of an average person compared to a person with mental illness would show that certain areas of the brain lack chemical activity required to maintain mental health. The PET scan is not done on every person who comes in for mental illness treatment because of the cost and the fact that there are known questions that can be asked to determine which mental illness the person has without doing the scan (I don't necessarily agree with this practice and would love to tell a person on the insurance board "Yeah, you may have strep throat or it could be cancer. We'll just do chemo-therapy in case because it sounds like cancer." I don't think that would fly!).
So, we know that mental illness is not a weakness, a shortcoming in relationship with God, or because of laziness. Does that mean that God can't or won't help in the cure for the illness? NO!!!! As I stated before, I do believe that many of the things that arise in the life of a person with mental illness can be helped by further developing a relationship with God and understanding their purpose in life. It also helps a great deal to have a strong relationship with God because certain torturous aspects of the illness can go away with the close relationship with God.
I can say for myself, that when I really got close to God and began to rely on Him to carry me through the hard times of depression, I stopped having suicidal thoughts. Suicidal thoughts are torturous because it is never what you really want to do, and they become like an obsession from which you feel you need to try to run and hide.
My relationship with God is not perfect, it is not where I want it to be, and it has not taken away all of the pains of my life. It does give me great comfort, however, and I trust that in time I will be able to be well without the help of medicine and through the help of God. I don't think God gave me my mental illness, but I think He can use me through it, and He can help me through it, but He also put doctors on this earth to learn how to defeat these things. People think because this deals with the mind that it is a weakness that can simply be "gotten over" -- I wish it were that simple! Because I have been through what I have been through, I am closer to God than I may have been otherwise, and I can be more compassionate to those that suffer like me.
I actually had a preacher tell me he would give me financial assistance when my husband lost his job, but that they specifically would not pay for my visits to a psychiatrist or therapist or for mental medications. However, if I were a diabetic, they would have had no problem assisting with doctor visits and medications for the diabetes. Now, not all churches are like this, thank God!
When I posted this on another board, a person wrote that when her son died after a pre-mature birth, a deacon advised them that they needed to look at their life and see what sin they had that allowed God to take their son. What kind of thing is that to say? That goes against the God I know of from the bible - He doesn't take our children from us because of our sin. The God of the bible loved us so much He sent His only Son to die for our sins -- all of the sins not just a select few sins.
I write this commentary to give comfort to those Christians who are suffering from mental illness: know what you are going through is an illness, and that seeking medical treatment and therapy is what needs to be done to help you be healed. Also know, however, that the illness can be made better while you have it; you can find comfort, love and acceptance through God who loves you even though you have this condition. Be aware that your best hope for a full cure of this condition lies in seeking a deeper relationship with God. He is The Great Physician, and has trained physicians here on earth for a reason, just as He has trained those in ministry -- seek help from all of these aspects and you will be made whole!
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Comments: 46
I have tried to fix the spacing between paragraphs with no luck. Sorry for the problem. I'll keep working on it.
As you make abundantly clear, mental illness is as much a biological/physiological phenomenon as cancer or diabetes or any other physical ailment. But owing to the very nature of mental illness, the consequences of mingling faith and psychological practise could be very, very dire for the patient, regardless of whether or not the patient actually proscribes to any particular faith.
Prayer is never a solution. Prayer is a control mechanism that for many people is very comforting, but when applied to a situation as serious as the treatment of a mental illness, it could be devastating when it does not yield the desired results.
My faith is the center of my life and is very important, so having someone to help me through life's issues that shares the same faith is important to me. I should always have the right to seek that type of treatment. What is helpful to one person may be damning to another. Each person needs to seek out the type of help they need.
As to your statements on prayer - this is a great example of why having a Christian therapist who understands prayer is truly important. Prayer is not about making a wish and having things come out the way you want them to, it is about seeking guidance.
When prayers are not answered in the way one hopes, it is necessary to look at the situation and find out what the answer is - it could be a different direction or it could simply be to wait and continue praying. If all prayers were answered the way they were prayed, we'd have a billion people sharing the lottery winnings, for example.
Often prayer also requires action - if the paralized man never tries to walk, he will never walk. That is where therapy comes in. Often prayers are answered through learning along the way and changing directions based on those learnings.
If a Christian were told by a therapist that praying was pointless and having faith was going to make him/her worse, it could be incredibly devastating. I personally would know that their statements were not true and would find a different therapist, but some would have their conditions worsened and feel belittled and confused. A worst case scenario is that the person loses all faith and feels there is nothing wrong with just ending their life, and then chooses suicide as an answer. Not being open minded to issues of faith, in my opinion, is far more devastating than any Christian therapy given to a Christian seeking help.
I agree with what you say here, Mon. Despite the fact that God can clearly create perfection whenever He chooses, it wasn't in his plan to perfect the world or man, yet.
Mental illness is just another challenge set before us to test our metal. As so many have pointed out, it is irony that those who are closest to God have always been perceived as "crazy" or "deranged" or a whole host of other words. How many of the prophets have been seen by their listeners as "nuts?"
I'm not a Christian, nor am I particularly religious in the traditional sense, but even I can see that, regardless of the state of the organic material we "live" in, faith and hope can only help with maintaining balance in life.
Thanks for writing this. I hope that at least one person will read this and find themselves relieved and renewed in their resolve to to get help and put the silliness of labels aside.
You have an illness...but it is how you choose to live with it, and deal with it that is important. You make a choice to seek help, to take the proper medications and to try and keep a positive outlook on things. You have a right to be able to choose a therapist who is also a Christian, and that is something that is sometimes difficult to find. Praying in all situations and through all things is what's important. You are learning to live with your illness and by doing so, you are able to reach out to others and show them the compassion that they might need.
You have an amazing outlook on life Monica despite your illness, and you are doing all the things that are important for you to be able to deal with it. Take care of yourself and hold fast to your faith no matter where you find yourself, and don't ever stop praying. As you said....miracles can and do happen every day. In the meantime, just do the very best that you can to look after YOU.
I also deal with depression, and find it difficult to understand how people can tell you to 'just get over it' or 'just change your attitude and you'll be fine'. I don't know if they think we desire to be depressed or what, but I do know that it's not as easy as just changing your attitude and getting over it. It is a medical condition, and often medication is needed to help a person to deal with it, and to get out of the depression. In the meantime, no matter what we are going through, it is important for 'us' to try and keep praying. I don't know about you, but when I get into a real bout of depression, there are times when I can't hardly even pray or pull myself out of it without medication. I do NOT enjoy feeling that way, and I can't just pull myself out of it, so I do understand how difficult it can be to live with it. Being able to pray, and having faith in God is what often gives us the added encouragement and help that we as Christians need.
I speak as both a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Christian. From this article, I see that you and I are champion of the same cause. I have worked in the areas of mental health and addiction. I have worked according to the popular therapeutic models of the time. For those who follow their treatment plans and take medication if it is indicated, some relief can be had. Yet, I became more and more convinced that these "techniques" were band-aids, assuaging a bit of the pain. While the "cure" is elsewhere.
According to the ethics covering my state license to practice, I am never to speak of "spirituality issues" unless the question is first addressed by the client. Even then, according to my state's ethical standards, I am never allowed to discuss my own spiritual beliefs with a client. I feel very strongly...no, I believe in Jesus Christ, therefore, for me to discuss any other form of "spirituality" with a client would be a lie, because I am one of those so-called "intolerant fundies." Being such placed me in a fundamental personal delimma. Do I continue ignoring the voice inside that knew of the way to wholeness or continue to provide band-aids that, in some cases, anesthetise the pain that would have lead the individual to search for a spiritual answer.
The decision was made. Though I am still a LCSW, I am not currently practicing counselor. I am currently pursuing my licensure in Therapon Belief Therapy which is the only nationally recognized faith-based therapeutic model in the United States.
The Holy Bible is most definitely, among many other things, the first book of psychology. We do not reject any type of psychological or medical treatment unless it is clearly unscriptural. In fact, the Belief Therapy Model was adapted by Dr. Paul Carlin, from Dr. Albert Ellis' Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy. The significant change is where Ellis' model sought to change thinking patterns to alter feelings and thus reactions, Belief Therapy seeks to alter beliefs, which by definition will lead to changes in thinking patterns. REBT seeks to alter thinking that occurs AFTER an event. BT is a change in belief which is always steady and in place before any event occurs. The underlying maxim of Belief Therapy is: People do what they do because they believe what they believe.
Sorry for running on....but thanks for providing the forum.
Perhaps the problem is this: I do admit and apologize that I omitted that no Belief Therapist would ever attempt to counsel anyone who does not believe in those same scriptures of which I speak. To even attempt such would be harmful to both. The model of which I speak is a therapeutic model for Christians which does not throw the psychological baby out with the unscriptural bathwater.
I believe most models of therapy these days work to build on the strengths already held by the client. This simply does the same as it seeks to integrate a Christian's spirituality. It actually agress with REBT that man is a Human Trichotomy of body, soul, and spirit. No one, not even a Christian will ever be hand-cuffed, drug kicking and screaming into this type of therapy.
As for what you term as "YOUR spirituality," I never made the claim to invent the spiritual tenets in which I believe. You speak as if I wrote "The Book." However, I do believe in the Christ to which the book testifies and, therefore, I believe He is the CURE in our eternal destinies. There are no absolute promises made by Christ, contrary to popular "especially televangelist" that all will be healed and made hole in this temporal world, In fact it promises that we will be persecuted for what we believe.
It also seems to proceed that in stating, "It is evil to suggest...." that you agree some things are evil, and by reason, soom are good. From whence did you gain the difference between good and evil, or do you determine these things for yourself? What ever the case may be, you obviously have a belife system of your own and have proceeded to judge my thought/behavior within its context.
I had not heard of Therapon Belief Therapy. Thanks for the education on it. Can I go to a website for this and find counselors who practice this therapy and learn more about it? Are these therapists recognized by insurance or is it considered strictly a "church thing." Perhaps you should write a more in depth artilce about this and post a link here. I know I would like to learn more about it and am sure others would appreciate it as well.
Love, Uncle Joe
Yes, we need to pray for healing, but we also need to pray for the doctors who treat us, and for the scientist who discover new treatments. There is never any shame in needing medical help.
We live in a fallen world and bad things are going to happen. God gives us the strength, wisdom, and grace to get through.
Sorry I have taken so long to return to these comments to address your questions. There are many so-called "faith-based" therapies. As everything else to do with religion, we must be very careful, as the Bereans, to be sure that what one espouses is in one accord with Scripture.
Yes, the Therapon Insititute does have a website. Rather than linking you to the homepage, I will give the tag to "About Therapon" which explains its origins and development. You can reach the home page from there.
www.therapon.org/about.html
As far as insurance payments, the answer is -- it all depends. First and foremost, it depends on the coverage any single insurer provides. Some insures do go as far as asking their contracted providers their religious affiliation in order to offer options to customers who express a preference. That does not mean these providers "practice" any special type of therapy.
Some practitioners with professional counselor training (licensed professional counselors, social workers, addiction counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists) do practice "faith-based" therapies. Payment by an insurance company is usually based on a provider's professional designation and not a particular therapy. The only way to be sure is to pre-qualify treatment with the insurance company.
As far as Therapon, it is usually practiced as lay ministry. An individual does not have to have prior counselor training to become a Certified Belief Therapist, but must be supervised for 500 hours of counseling before moving to Board Certification. There are strict limits to what those practicing as a lay ministry can and cannot do in that role. However, as noted, there are many who hold different levels of licensure who have earned BT Certification and/or Licensure.
As you may know, many counselors with educational and professional designations are blocked by the laws of their state or licensing body from discussing their own spiritual beliefs, even if they clearly communicate their method of therapy prior to entering a therapeutic relationship with a client.
I hope I answered some of your questions...........
Jacqueline - I left you a comment on your article - so glad you have not deleted it dear!
Lynn - Yep, that's it!
Robb - Thanks for the information. I still think you should write your own article on Gather about this. I'll let you know if I have more questions!
When, as a spiritual healer, I come across someone who has had their energy field taken-over by such an entity, I know there are several techniques available to get this incorrect energy detached from its host. I also know that, if it has been with the host for a long while, it has changed the host's body chemistry and mood cycles to suit itself....So there's usually going to be some physical response by the host, to the clearing of the parasites. Nausea, diarrhea, fevers etc are not uncommon as the cleared energy field and physical body of the host work to correct the parasite-caused imbalances.
Just knowing that there are more reasons for mental-field imbalances than the western medical community has been able to explore with drugs, may be of some help. Always use caution and trust your own intuition first - but there are spiritual healers in this world well-trained in helping people clear themselves of such parasites. And there are those people who are healing themselves, who call on beings like Jesus, Mary, Archangel Raphael, St. Francis, and so forth - and who are directly healed in this way. And there are others who pray for a "healing dream," and they are healed in that way. Each soul has its own unique way of healing itself.
Thanx for posting this article and I am sure it will help someone ro God wouldn't have inspired you to write it. Miracles DO HAPPEN every day! I have witnessed many. Yes, with the help of others (humans) & withthe help of God.!!!
It takes two, YES! It all started with Adam & Eve, It Takes TWO!!!! IN everything, IT TAKES TWO!!!!!!!!!!
GOd is Love! & God will not let his children hurt! Everyone has aa right to beleive and live as they choose, this is what makes it all interesting when the end does come. I pray everyone is ready, but it won't be so. GOD HAS A PLAN! Simple words, so many missunderstand.
You are my sister in Christ. I loved your honesty and your truthful walk with God. I agree 1000% with everything you have written. A lot of us are born with disabilities and illness not by choice but by generation of sinful behavior that got transmitted down the line and may manifest in us. God understands us and has given us science, chemical compounds and medical professionals to help deal with these problems. Unfortunately the devil lurks in the Christian community that can show judgmental attitudes.
You say - "He uses me when I am in group therapy to be able to discuss Him when people ask about God. I feel He leads me to go about it gently and let Him show me who to talk to, rather than forcefully trying to convert everyone I meet. I think He uses me to show people that Christians suffer too, but they can have the comfort of a loving God who carries them through the difficult times"
Amen – He is indeed using you to spread His message and through your writing I see it very clearly. I thank God for His ways and His Grace – never ceases to amaze me. Have faith and be strong, He will carry you in your weakness – His hand is upon you.
Your brother in Christ
Excellent article. Being both a Christian and one who suffers from panic/anxiety disorder, as well as MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivities) and depression, I've never found an anti-depressant that I wasn't extremely sensitive to - therefore, I cannot take them. I try to maintain a positive attitude, and my husband suffers from depression and bipolar disease.
We both go to counseling. We both take meds, and we both pray. We also believe that God gave us psychiatrists to help us, to presribe what is needed, to help us talk things out and then to also be able to pray about things.
I also feel that being depressed and also having panic attacks has made me a more sensitive person to others who also have them --- sometimes they will talk to me about things, where they won't talk to a Dr., and other times, I can convince them to go to a Dr., and get help. When someone knows you're about in the same place as they are, they're more apt to listen to you, knowing that you're there too and care about them, then another who's never experienced anything like this.
Marilyn
I am not christian and do not belive in any higher power. I love the fact that you advocate seeking scientific help and therapy. I have seen many people with strong religious beliefs try to "pray it away" and end up in dire circumstances.
Thank you Monica.
I just got your add off of Google. Didn't know this site exsisted. I want you to know that i appreciate you sharing with us. We have so much in common! It makes me feel like a normal bipolar...lol I have been bipolar just about all my life. My meds have been working off and on alll my llife and they have gone bonkers again! I'm so depressed and reading your article about God made me feel better. I don't know how ANYBODY can say leave prayer out of it. One day God will say leave that person out of Heaven. I couldn't bear to see me bipolar for eternity!!!!! There is no way i could make it throught the day without prayer and God in my life!! I also wanted to know if you don't mind tellin me what kind of church you go to. thanks for your time!!!