God and Mental Health: Should Christians Seek Therapy?
Mental health is often seen as a taboo topic in the church. This blog post dispels some of the myths around mental health and Christianity, and asks the question: should Christians seek therapy?
As a licensed professional counselor by trade, I wanted to share what I’ve learned over the years regarding God and our mental health. And here is what I will cover:
Myths Concerning Mental Health in the Church
A Small History Lesson
What Therapy Really Is
Christians and Mental Health; And Why It’s a Big Movement Currently.
Practical Steps to Take
Myths Concerning Mental Health in the Church:
Here are some common myths I’ve heard in the church regarding mental health -
Mental illness doesn’t exist
Depression is a sign of weak faith
All mental health issues can be prayed away
It’s a crisis of faith and one just needs to develop more faith.
It’s best not to talk about it
Hopefully I can shed some light on why these are myths.
A Small History Lesson
Generations (meaning all who are alive at one time) gain more knowledge as time goes on in history. Scientific knowledge is cumulative. Meaning knowledge builds on top of knowledge over time and through research and new discoveries. As humans we have to grow in our knowledge and what we know is heavily relied on when we are born and that pertains to that specific generation.
Thankfully, Jesus, the Anointed One, is always the same—yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 TPT)
God’s knowledge is not cumulative, so we can trust him, and that’s why the Bible and its truths can apply to every generation across time. However, there is a cultural context in the Bible that needs to be understood. Our own personal knowledge of God and his character is cumulative as well.
Dark Ages
The Dark Age was a time in history, approximately 1000 years, where scientific progress became stagnant. It has been rumored that the Catholic Church had a part in this, in that they controlled the universities at the time, and the fear of being determined a heretic and superstition-spreader won out. In that time the medical practice of leaching and cupping was common. For example, I’ve watched a movie that was set in the Dark Ages where a king falls sick and the priest tells the king’s servants to bring in the leeches. In my head, I thought, “oh he is surely going to die now”.
Thankfully, after the Dark Ages came the scientific revolution, where science was propelled forward. Interestingly, the work was done in universities, strongly supported by the church. Science has come a long way since the Dark Ages, and
it might be safe to say that most elementary students know more about germs and viruses now than they did, especially after living through the current pandemic.
Dinosaurs
Did you know people in the 1700’s and before that period didn’t know what a dinosaur was? Dinosaurs were officially discovered and named in 1842, by Richard Owen, a British Scientist. Before that period, fossils, bones and teeth were found or dug up on farmland. But no one had the proper equipment, excavation know-how, or scientific knowledge to be able to piece all of it together since dinosaurs and extinct animals didn’t roam the Earth anymore. Whereas now, dinosaurs are common knowledge to most toddlers.
Psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts.
Psychology is a fairly new scientific study in the grand scheme of how long we’ve been around.
The first research lab dedicated to psychology was first established in 1879, by Wihelm Wudt, in Germany. In 1986, Sigmond Freud was the first to develop the idea of therapy where a patient comes to a psychoanalyst for help. Since then, psychology has expanded with great research and behavioral therapy was especially in demand in the 1940s as a response to veterans returning from WWII. There was a need for effective mental health treatment, for what we now know as PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety and depression. Behavioral therapy is the idea that behaviors can be measured, trained, and eventually changed.
All this history lesson confirms is that we just don’t know what we don’t know.
God put so much on this Earth and created humans with such complexity, and yet, we are still discovering His design. He is the one who created nature and knows all the creatures we have yet to discover. He is the one who created the ligaments in our knees and thankfully we live in a time where we know how to fix broken bones and strained ligaments.
God also designed how we think, what we perceive, and how we feel.
There is real science and a pattern behind it. And again, thankfully, our generation possesses enough knowledge to help us fix those unhealthy thinking patterns. Being able to experience new discoveries made on Earth is truly Godsent.
What Therapy Really Is
Now that we have covered a little bit of history, let's look at what a therapist does today. I’ll start off by saying, a therapist isn’t someone just good at giving advice. To become a therapist, one must get a Bachelor’s degree (4 years) then a Masters degree (2-3 years depending on the program) and lastly they need to get licensed which takes about 2-3 additional years. That’s a total of 8-10 years out of high school to begin practicing as a therapist. Among other things, a therapist learns various therapy treatments such as:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of treatment that helps clients learn how to identify and change destructive or unhealthy thought patterns that have a negative impact on behavior and emotions.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) teaches clients useful skills for mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal resolution.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy treatment that is designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories.
Therapy is an excellent way to partner with an unbiased professional to help you through your problems. Therapists use various evidence based research, practical and applied knowledge, and tools to help you feel better.
Mental health problems are real and are prevalent today. 1 in 4 people worldwide will experience mental-health issues. Suicide is the tenth-leading cause of death in the United States and is the fourth-leading cause of death for adolescents ages 15-19 globally. Depression and anxiety rates have been reported to be six times higher in comparison to 2019.
Charles Spurgeon once said, “the mind can descend far lower than the body, for in it there are bottomless pits. The flesh can bear only a certain number of wounds, and no more; but the soul can bleed in ten thousand ways, and die over and over again each hour.”
Mental Health in the Bible:
Elijah
In 1 Kings 19, we read about one of the great Prophets of God, who is out there living up to his calling and doing God’s work. He’s not living in sin, but he gets to a point where he is so hopeless and discouraged that he can’t see any way forward. He literally asks God to kill him.
David
King David the man after God’s heart. We can take a look in Psalms to see the depth of despair that David got to. He wrote out his dark, painful thoughts to God for us to read. He was a king, but also a man who was hunted for death, his best friend died, he lost a child, and another one of his children tried to kill him.
Abraham
Abraham was personally chosen by God to be the father of many nations. God gave him favor and was with him. Even so Abraham struggled with fear and anxiety. On one occasion (Genesis 20) Abraham became so fearful and worried he pretended his wife was his sister and she was given to another king for a period of time. He got stuck on the idea that the worst case scenario was going to happen, which is called, catastrophizing.
These are all great men in the Bible. They weren’t living in sin, did not have a lack of faith and they were close with God. Which leads me to a question about what God may think of mental health.
In the examples above, God didn’t cast out demons (as there were no demons to cast out) or judge them or tell them to pull it together. God met them with love. He took care of them. Provided Elijah with food and rest. He drew close to David and intervened to help Abraham.
God meets you with love. The reality is God deeply cares about our thoughts, emotions and mental health. God cares about every detail of our lives, especially our mental health.
Christians and Mental Health
We were created three in one: mind, body, spirit. All humans are a combination of the three. The mind includes our intellect, emotions and free will. They are separate from our physical body and spirit. Christians often confuse emotions (mind) and spirit as being the same so they seek out only spiritual guidance when mental health problems arise. It’s important for Christians to get their thoughts right, and to get their emotional state in order. You can’t escape emotions or patterns of thinking so don’t ignore them when you are struggling.
God wants us to be mindful of how we are thinking. The root of everything is our thoughts.
I’m here to give you encouragement that you don’t have to be a victim of your thoughts and emotions.
Jesus came so you can have a fulfilling and abundant life with him by his side in heaven.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
What if I pray, won’t God take care of my mental health problems?
It is true that God can do the impossible and work miracles. God also created us for community and has told us to be good stewards with what he has given us. Also he often works in the natural to help us. We wear seat belts when in cars, we take medicine when it’s necessary, and we exercise because it’s good for our bodies. To the best of our ability, we take care of things God has given us, so why should this stop with our mental health?
For example, imagine someone is newly diagnosed with high blood pressure or diabetes. One could take stock of how they are eating and make healthy adjustments and increase their exercise to help. Medicine could also be available to help manage the health problem. There are treatments out there and with some help and readjustments can cure or lessen the condition. It would be irresponsible to receive that diagnosis and then take no action. You wouldn’t be a good steward of the body God has given you. Yes, God can heal and perform miracles, but he also works in the natural and you’ve got to do the work and sometimes take radical action in the right direction.
The same principles pertain to mental health. We must do all we can to manage our minds, including taking stock of our unhealthy thought habits, and to seek out effective treatment and medication if necessary. God isn’t there to magically fix everything because you refuse to take the necessary steps in order to improve your life and well-being.
Here are some practical steps to take:
Turn to God. He is the ultimate counselor and cares about every detail.
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isiah 9:6
He already knows all of your thoughts. You don’t have to hide from him. He wants you to go to him even with the most difficult and ugly issues. And he’ll meet you there in love. God should know your most vulnerable side. You have to be able to trust him with your heart and be the most vulnerable with God.
Get therapy. You don’t have to suffer in silence.
Make sure you are also taking care of your physical and spiritual health because everything is connected. If you aren’t feeling your best physically or you aren’t taking care of yourself, you’ll probably not be your emotional or mental best either.