I've just read this small book (85 pages) and it gave me some GREAT food for thought:



I would LOVE to have a discussion on this book if anyone is interested.

You can order it from your nearest ABC.

Anyone interested in psychology? Counselling? What the Bible has to say on modern secular methods?

Please say yes!! :)

What is on your mind Sister?

My husband is in his master's program to become a licensed professional counselor. He is going to be a Christian counselor. Discuss away. :)

Should we go ahead without having first read the book?

I have not read the book yet, but my guess is that the danger this book sees in secular psychology is that it teaches us that there is no sin, that all values are relative. It tries to relieve us of guilt without getting rid of the reason for the guilt. It encourages us to discard the word of God as any kind of authority. Is that pretty close to what the book is saying?

Not quite. Well, so much for waiting to read the book first!

First it goes into the history of clinical psychology and then focuses on these areas:

-The need to understand childhood
-God and others must love me unconditionally
-Meeting needs attracts and keeps church members
-Emotions
-I'm a Christian, do I need psychology?
-Christian psychology

It's one thing to say this or that based on what we think, but this doctor IS a psychologist. That's what made me interested in her viewpoint.

In June my daughter will have her first degree in Psychology. She is receiving her training in a Christian university, so I wonder if her training will be different. I plan to let her have a look at the book and see what she thinks, but I will wait until she finishes her studies for the year.

Okay, I'll tell you a point that the book brings up about "self".

I know from my studies that the Bible tells us that self is a problem, and that I are to deny myself, die daily, etc. IOW, "self" is the problem: our love of self and desire to exalt self.

Today's trend is to focus on self. We are to dig into our pasts, recount our pain and our hurt and nurture the "self". Self-esteem is to be focused on, as if lack of it causes our problems. Our schools have focused on nurturing self-esteem in our children until we have a generation who seems to feel that their needs come first, an attitude that the world "owes" them.

Now, I've lived long enough to know that real life is not always kind. Just because one has a need does not mean that circumstances are going to turn around and minister to that. Focusing on my needs does not guarantee that they will be met, in the world that I live in.

I think that what I wonder is, How does this heal the wounds that I have?

From my experience, I've learned that God is the One who heals. He is the One who provided food for my family through various ways when we needed it. He provided money, helping friends, and insight in His Word gave me courage (and self-worth, BTW) that has helped me when traditional therapy only went so far (I was in therapy for about 10 years long ago).

This is starting to get lengthy, so even though I have more I could say, I'll stop.

Thoughts?

I agree with those thoughts. My experience is that the most effective way to be "healed" of our hurts is to concentrate on ministering to the needs of others, not to ourselves. I think that keeping our minds centered on the self only exacerbates the problems.

Well, I haven't read this book. And my husband went to a secular college and got his B.A. in Psychology, and now he is in a Christian college for his Master's. I just wanted to be a little more clear.

I am in no way, size or form an expert. The following is just my observations.

People are funny creatures, and no two are alike, what will work for one won't work for someone else. There is no cookie cutter answer. However, for every secular type of therapy there is a Christian counter-part. It really depends on what our problems are, that will be the basis for the type of therapy that they need.

Just telling someone to get out there and start helping someone else who may be worse off than you, really diminishes their own hurts and pain--which would be revictimizing them. Helping others may very well be part of their treatment plan, but only after they have dealt with their own hurt and started the forgiveness process.