Psychology of Religion and Mental Health

"Thank God for psychologists and Lexapro. Without them, I might be dead today."

--Jonathan Merritt (2018, February 16)

Jonathan Merritt's body vibrated. Then he had difficulty breathing. He grips us with his story of a panic attack.

Then he shares his story of faith and psychology. Friends diagnosed a spiritual problem. A professor advised against a professional therapist saying, "you already have a wonderful counselor in Jesus."

Merritt has more to say about Christian beliefs and mental health so, I suggest reading his post. I now move to related thoughts on Christianity and psychology.

*****

I was sitting in a church pew one Sunday evening when a pastor launched into a rant against psychology. I left and never went back. At the time, I was in the process of earning a master's degree in Counseling at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Since those days, I find that my profession is still unwelcome in many conservative churches and Christian organizations.

At about the time I left that conservative congregation, I learned that a group of psychologists were working on ways to integrate Christian faith and psychological science (www.caps.net). Although, most of the integrationists focus on ways to integrate faith and clinical practice, rather than other areas of psychological science.

At some point, a number of Christian universities began to offer graduate degrees in psychology, counseling, or both. Today, there are a variety of approaches available to Christians who want to remain loyal to their Christian beliefs and find evidence-based interventions to eliminate or control distressing conditions like panic attacks, depression, anxiety, relationship struggles, sex and gender-related distress, and more.

*****

Merritt’s story is a reminder that divisions between faith and science persist. I suspect there will always be religious people who are so skeptical of science that they will not consider help that does not come from their religious leaders. However, I think the percentage of people opposed to scientific interventions is dwindling along with the social values conservative Christians used to teach and practice only a few decades ago.

Merritt’s story explains one reason many Christians no longer consider psychologists as enemies—psychotherapy works. And sometimes, psychotherapy plus medication is the best available approach.

In fairness, I should add that many people improve when they share their concerns in the context of a warm and caring relationship. People also improve when their expectations are raised such as when beginning an organized course of treatment (placebo effect). And, unfortunately, some people who attend professional counseling do not improve. So, I support the inclusion of "lay counseling" as a Christian ministry, provided that they participate in an educational program.

I write about Christian cultures and social-moral values.

Here’s a recent book: A House Divided

Discussions of A House Divided have been well-received in conservative and liberal settings--in churches, universities, and a seminary.  The book is free to professors as an exam copy from PICKWICK. The publisher - PICKWICK- also offers group discounts.

A low cost Discussion Guide can be found on AMAZON.

Buy an eBook on AMAZON and at other bookstores.

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