Psychology Your Thoughts

redblue22 said:

What do you think of psychology? More specifically, therapy and counseling?

Click to expand...

Much is unchristian and I don't trust it at all. Jung was into satanic stuff.
I had inner healing counselling for a week in Canada and although it was great they mixed psychology through it and before I knew it they were promoting psychiaters and I almost died so I actually personally hate it. I posted a nasty comment on that christian psychiater ' s website which he removed lol.
God knows everything and can fix everything since He made me.

redblue22 said:

What do you think of psychology? More specifically, therapy and counseling?

Click to expand...

It's a crucial element of our health, and is often overlooked by far too many people. I've learned a lot both from my sister who's beginning a Masters program in psychology, and from my own experiences in post-divorce counseling. I can't stress enough how effective it is, and how vital it is for people with any sort of issue to undertake.

Men frequently shrug it off because they like to pretend they're a tough guy, as if seeing a counselor revokes ones man card. I would argue the opposite is true. Women sometimes do this to a lesser degree, although it's less out of a desire to appear tough and more a fear of being labeled as "crazy".

Every car needs a tune up and an oil change now and then, it's just sensible maintenance. We should treat our hearts and minds the same way, then there's less risk of a total breakdown; leading to us lugging ourselves into the counselors office but in a much worse condition.

biblical counselling is fine but all that psychology mumbo jumbo and theories don't wash with me. It preys on the weak and gets them dependent on a psychiatrist as a life long guru. I studied psychology at university. Its all theory. Interesting, but only man's wisdom. We are meant to cast all our cares upon Him, not a mere man or woman. If we find we can't pray or don't know how, a christian would call for elders to pray for the sick. Also, we don't need to pay for this expensive counselling. If you have a bible, God can teach you His wisdom through it. PRAY, don't pay.

Jesus is the lover of our souls. Take the wounds to Him for healing.

The only therapy that worked for me was gardening.
For others I might suggest beauty, or retail..but gardening is all good.

If someone is going through something major in their life it can be really beneficial for them to talk to someone who can help them through it. Good mental health is important. If one is depressed for example, that can cause physical symptoms as well.

redblue22 said:

What do you think of psychology? More specifically, therapy and counseling?

Click to expand...

Psychology is actually a very broad subject/field. When I was working on my BA, I was a Psych major. I was considering pursuing Forensic Psychology but then I switched out and changed majors. In terms of therapy/counseling I think sure. To me it's a tool that God can and does use. I'm not so big on “Christian Counseling” as much as I like Christians who are counselors because they have that inside tract to The Counselor as well as the academics to back them up. I also like the fact that they are ethically and legally bound by confidentiality for the most part. Pastors/ministers are not. I also don't believe because someone is a Pastor/minister that means they also know how to counsel people. So while God will always be Counselor, I don't see a conflict in utilizing therapy/counseling if you need it. I think it's all just a matter of finding a good fit and God does have His people out there...

quietpraiyze said:

I'm not so big on “Christian Counseling” as much as I like Christians who are counselors because they have that inside tract to The Counselor as well as the academics to back them up. I also like the fact that they are ethically and legally bound by confidentiality for the most part. Pastors/ministers are not. I also don't believe because someone is a Pastor/minister that means they also know how to counsel people. So while God will always be Counselor, I don't see a conflict in utilizing therapy/counseling if you need it. I think it's all just a matter of finding a good fit and God does have His people out there...

Click to expand...

It's true. A lot of Christians who offer alternative avenues of counseling are not qualified in any way shape or form. A perfect example was my ex-MIL, she had an Associates Degree in Psychology from community college so that she could work at a DUI counseling center. She grossly overstepped her authority though because she would offer to counsel friends and family "on the side". I've witnessed just how horrible her ethics were. That and her approach to analysis were utterly deplorable.

Anyone who's going to provide the kind of care that comes from counseling and therapy need to have the credentials to back it up. I don't care what anyone says, nobody would let someone touch a TIG welder unless they were certified to handle it, otherwise major damage and injury will occur.

Whether a person is a Christian or not is of little or no consequence to me, I prefer that they are, but if they lack an MFT, MSW and/or LCSW, they can forget about having me as a client.

I will, however, disagree with you about pastors. Some pastors, pastors who are well-educated from a credible and reputable seminary or divinity school, do often have some counseling education incorporated into their program (especially if they're pursuing an M.Div). That being said, the extent of their training is not very deep, and outside of some minor marital or familial issues, an ethical pastor will refer someone to a trained psychologist or counselor. By-and-large, I think their counseling expertise has to do with preparing engaged couples for marriage, maybe starting a healing process over something, or some forms of grief counseling, but generally they will pass you off to a more qualified therapist if it requires something more engaging.

Each person doing treatment is different; so I can't speak in general about all psychology and therapy

Ones have said they have been greatly helped by psychotherapy and counseling; but I am concerned about if a person has been "healed" only to one's own self in an independent personality, or has the person become more and more one with God in His love and how God has us becoming one with other children of God?

At times, I have read about abnormal personalities . . . ones that people have said I had. And I would see things that the Bible clearly says are sin, and I would be saying . . . oops, that sure is describing me. So, I would pray for God to correct me. And God is committed to correcting what is a sin problem.

Darth Bagel said:

I will, however, disagree with you about pastors. Some pastors, pastors who are well-educated from a credible and reputable seminary or divinity school, do often have some counseling education incorporated into their program (especially if they're pursuing an M.Div). That being said, the extent of their training is not very deep, and outside of some minor marital or familial issues, an ethical pastor will refer someone to a trained psychologist or counselor. By-and-large, I think their counseling expertise has to do with preparing engaged couples for marriage, maybe starting a healing process over something, or some forms of grief counseling, but generally they will pass you off to a more qualified therapist if it requires something more engaging.

Click to expand...

While I do understand what you're saying and yes some Pastors are packing academically, I've not seen (in my experience) where some actually do have a “counseling degree”. They may have had some classes or some kind of training but it's not anything near an actual academic degree in that field. Yes I agree many Pastors are limited when it comes to what they do counsel but I've seen people idolize them to the point where they don't really consider other options. The Pastor isn't making the referral or suggestion of professional counseling either. It's sad but they like the sheeple dependent. Some people get minimal counseling (if that), prayer and then dropped. As a matter of fact in some circles/demographics counseling is considered a lack of faith and/or weakness. Culturally for some it's not even an option. It's not on their radar because of tradition and ethics don't even come into play. It's just not the way they do things...

quietpraiyze said:

While I do understand what you're saying and yes some Pastors are packing academically, I've not seen (in my experience) where some actually do have a “counseling degree”. They may have had some classes or some kind of training but it's not anything near an actual academic degree in that field. Yes I agree many Pastors are limited when it comes to what they do counsel but I've seen people idolize them to the point where they don't really consider other options. The Pastor isn't making the referral or suggestion of professional counseling either. It's sad but they like the sheeple dependent. Some people get minimal counseling (if that), prayer and then dropped. As a matter of fact in some circles/demographics counseling is considered a lack of faith and/or weakness. Culturally for some it's not even an option. It's not on their radar because of tradition and ethics don't even come into play. It's just not the way they do things...

Click to expand...

Yes, I've seen the scenario you're describing as well and it's often the case with lightly-educated or entirely uneducated pastors. Pastors like that generally have a large ego, a belief that they are empowered with all the knowledge required to meet everyone's need and "mans knowledge" isn't necessary or outright evil. I detest individuals who think that way, because it's proven to be destructive and untrue.

An educated and self-aware pastor will indeed refer an individual to a professional counselor, generally the pastor's guidance involves getting the person to a point where they realize they need help. If they act beyond that then I doubt they're properly trained to begin with.

Also, some institutions like Duke Divinity School offer joint degree programs for an M.Div and MSW. I'm sure those are quite fruitful.

A wonderful scientific branch. Psychologists, psychiatrists, and professionals that hold therapy sessions have helped me and most people I know identify and learn about our disabilities, and learn to cope with them and be the best people we can be.

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The brain is an organ, and just like any other organ, it can malfunction and/or become sick. Unfortunately, there is a lot of stigma and misunderstandings, as we can tell by this thread alone, about mental illness, it's treatments, and the field of psychology in general. I'll expand more in the morning.

actually psychology uses various models or paradigms.

Current in vogue is the psycho-socio-biological study of behaviour.
Its not just psychology, the reasoning behind behavior, but the social environment and the biological factors all integrated together.

abnormal pyschology is the branch of pyschology that deals with aberrant behaviour. This is written in a book that is always updated called the DSM. If a person's behavour shows symptoms of certain behaviours, a psychiatrist can diagnose this person and label them.

its only categorising behaviours together as many run in a pattern.

A christian can see this diagnosis and recognise the spiritual behind what is causing certain symptomatic behaviours. If its mental illness, often the best thing is for that person to work on renewing their mind with the word of God. But as the first commandment is love the lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and all your strength..its more soul, spirit and body together..it won't work just intellectually, but that is the part people need to concentrate on if they suffer mental illness.

psyche means mind.

an unbeliever cannot see or discern the spiritual behind it all and has no concept of the demonic or any idea of what a person is up against. They will put it down to chemicals in the brain, biology, environment. They cannot pinpoint what is really wrong. Once a person has faith..everything else can and does help, but that is the core, the gift of salvation. A person is lost without this. No matter what you try to do to fix all the other things wrong. if a person does not love Jesus all the psychologising can do more damage.

i have known many people damaged by psychiatrists who just used their wisdom and didn't consult God. And I know many pastors who are lazy and just leave it all to secular mental health professionals as they think its a too hard basket. They don't think maybe to work together as a team for the good of the afflicted person.

They often just think of their pay packets, or a few words here and there.
A guy in church testified on Sunday that he was discharged from mental health services. Everyone had been praying for him and not judging him. If only you knew how cruel mental health services can be to someone you might not understand what it's like to be in a stuck in a godless institution and been given medicine with horrific side effects and no hope that you'll ever get better.

Not every psychological or emotional issue is caused by a spiritual misalignment. Some things are merely the result of bad decisions, bad circumstances, a bad environment, or even a bad diet, to name a few natural causes.

There are times when addressing something from a spiritual perspective is appropriate, but there are other times when it's important to recognize when something else is the case. Calling a severe mental illness demon possession, like they would in ancient times (and some sectarians do today), for example is not always correct.

Goodbook said:

i have known many people damaged by psychiatrists who just used their wisdom and didn't consult God. And I know many pastors who are lazy and just leave it all to secular mental health professionals as they think its a too hard basket. They don't think maybe to work together as a team for the good of the afflicted person.

They often just think of their pay packets, or a few words here and there.
A guy in church testified on Sunday that he was discharged from mental health services. Everyone had been praying for him and not judging him. If only you knew how cruel mental health services can be to someone you might not understand what it's like to be in a stuck in a godless institution and been given medicine with horrific side effects and no hope that you'll ever get better.

Click to expand...

Yes it's just laziness, too much effort, you're a too hard case, it doesn't work immediately, go to a psychiater and get drugs. They almost killed me. I paid thousands for one week of counselling, had to pay off the debt for years, you get some prayer and a bunch of uninformed stupid counsellors who heard from psychiater so and so with the big name that the drugs is a God sent gift to humanity and it will fix everything once the imbalance in your brain is gone. Oh and you can get demon posessed, but we don't believe in that in the West. Hey that's just a side effect of a medicine that you can kill yourself. Eeeeehmm... hmm nice medicine.
If I had gone to T.B. Joshua instead our marriage would have been saved, the church wouldn't have collapsed and I wouldn't have done a suicide attempt so I'd never have gone to that Godless environment.

If someone is religious, then they may find strength from consulting their deity of choice. That is perfectly understandable.

However, prayer will NOT diagnose, address, or treat mental illness. It's as good as trying to pray away diabetes.

I spent way too long thinking I just wasn't "trying hard enough" to get better. Like I didn't suffer enough every day and would do anything to feel relief! It didn't do me a lick of good, in fact it only worsened my depression.

I think some people dont understand that those who are afflicted and want to be free have no qualms that there are demons tormenting them that need to be cast out.

Its only when people deny they even harboruing anything that they soon learn just to live with the horrible demon and drug it into submission, while slowly dying themselves too, cos its just easier that way for everyone else. Actually its not. Its far easier and better to be saved and completely delivered by Jesus!

Praise the Lord!

When demons are confirmed to exist, you might have a point.

Until then, not so much.