Denver, Colo., Oct 10, 2017 / 02:17 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Maria had been struggling with some depressive and anxious thoughts for a while, although at the time, she didn’t recognize them as such. Probably because she was 14 years old.
When she shared her struggles with someone in her Catholic community, the woman told Maria that she was worried that “the devil was working his ways” in her, and used that to pressure her into going on a week-long retreat out of state.
“Sure, retreats are great,” Maria told CNA. “But pretty sure I just needed a therapist at that point in my life. And pretty sure I had already given valid reasons for why I wasn’t interested in buying a plane ticket for a retreat.”
When Catholics experience spiritual problems, the solutions seem obvious – talk to a priest, go to confession, pray, seek guidance from a spiritual director. But the line between the spiritual and the psychological can be very blurry, so much so that some Catholics and psychologists wonder if people are too often told to “pray away” their problems that may also require psychological treatment.
When body and soul are seen as unrelated
Dr. Gregory Bottaro is a Catholic clinical psychologist with the CatholicPsych Institute. He said that he has found the over-spiritualization of psychological issues to be a persistent problem, particularly among devout Catholics.
“Over-spiritualization in our time is usually a direct consequence of Cartesian Dualism,” Bottaro told CNA in an e-mail interview.
“Decartes is the philosopher who said: ‘I think therefore I am.’ He separated his thinking self from his bodily self, and planted the seed that eventually grew into our current thinking that the body and spirit are separate things. Acting as if the body doesn’t matter when considering our human experience is just as distorted as acting like the spirit doesn’t matter,” he said.
Because of this prevalent misconception about the separation of our body and soul, people both in and out of the Catholic Church often feel a stigma in seeking mental help that isn’t there when they need to seek physical help, he said.
“We shouldn’t think any less of getting help for mental health than we do for physical health. There are fields of expertise for a reason, and just as we can’t fix every one of our own physical wounds, we can’t always fix every one of our own mental wounds. It is virtuous to recognize our need for help,” Dr. Bottaro said.
Virtuous, but not always easy.
Just pray
Michele is a young Catholic 20-something who was used to being social and involved in various ministries within the Church. But a move to a new city left her usually-bubbly self feeling lonely and isolated.
“I felt like a failure spiritually because shouldn’t my relationship with God be enough? But, I would come home from work and cry and just lay in my bed. It was hard for me to motivate myself to do anything,” she told CNA.
When a friend, also involved in ministry, called to catch up, Michele saw it as a chance to reach out and share some of the feelings that had been concerning her.
“I don’t remember exactly what I said, but she told me what I was feeling was sinful. I shut down and said I was exaggerating and made up some story about how everything was fine,” she said.
Michele waited several more months before seeking help through Catholic Charities, where she was connected to a therapist. She found out that she had attachment disorder, which, left untreated for longer, could have turned into major, long term depression.
Derek is also a young 20-something Catholic who was also told to pray away his problems. He was suffering from depressive episodes, where he wouldn’t eat and would sleep for 15 hours a day. His friends’ advice was to pray. It wasn’t until he attempted suicide that he got serious about seeking psychotherapy.
Sarah, also a young Catholic and a former FOCUS missionary, had a similar experience. For months, she confessed suicidal thoughts to her pastor and spiritual director, who gave her advice based on the discernment of spirits from St. Ignatius of Loyola. But eventually the thoughts became so intense and prevalent that Sarah called every mandatory reporter she knew, and was admitted to the hospital on suicide watch.
“I think part of it is – if someone is trained in something, that’s how they want to fix it,” Sarah told CNA.
“If you’re trained in spirituality then you want to use spirituality to fix it. And you absolutely should include spirituality. However, you can’t just pray it away. These are real problems and real medical things. There are events in people’s lives that have happened, and they need to work through that both spiritually and psychologically, and a priest or youth minister can’t do both. They need to get you to someone who’s able to help,” she said.
The negative stigma attached to seeking mental help is magnified in the Church because of the “pray it away” mentality, Sarah added. Once prayer doesn’t work, people can feel like spiritual failures, and many people in the Church will distance themselves from someone who is mentally ill.
“I can’t be a fully functional young woman who’s working through something and needs help with it,” she said. “It’s either – I’m ok or I’m not.”
A Catholic psychologist’s perspective
Dr. Jim Langley, a Catholic licensed clinical psychologist with St. Raphael’s counseling in Denver, said he tends to see opposite ends of the spectrum in his patients in about equal numbers – those who over-spiritualize their problems, and those who under-spiritualize them.
“Part of the problem is that in our culture, we have such a medically-oriented, science-oriented culture that we’ve sort of gotten away from spirituality, which causes a lot of problems,” he said.
As human beings, our minds and our souls are what set us apart from other created things, Langley added, making those aspects of our being most vulnerable to evil attacks.
“I know a priest who would explain it like this: Evil is like a germ, and it wants to get in just like bacteria does in our body. And where does bacteria get in? It gets in through our wounds. So if we have a cut on our hand, that’s where bacteria wants to get in and infect us. On the spiritual side, it’s the same thing. Where we have the most sensitive wounds tend to be in our sense of self and our psychology, and so that’s where evil wants to get in at us.”
People who tend to ignore the spiritual aspect of their psychological problems cut themselves off from the most holistic approach of healing, Langley added.
“The main reason is because it really is God who heals, and almost any psychological issue you’re dealing with is going to have some sort of a spiritual component connected to it, because it has to do with our dignity as a human person.”
And while it can be challenging to make people see the spiritual component of their problems, it can also be a challenge to help other people recognize that their spiritual issues might also have a psychological component, he said.
Some devout Catholics see it as preferable to say they are suffering from something like the dark night of the soul, rather than to admit that they have depression and may need medication and counseling, he said.
“In some ways in our Catholic community, it’s cooler to have a spiritual problem than it is to have a psychological problem,” he said. “The problem with over-spiritualizing is that you cut yourself from so many tools that psychology and even your faith could have to help you to be happy.”
Many of the things psychologists do to help their patients includes teaching them “recipes” for happiness, Langley said – re-training their thought patterns, providing practical tools to use when anxiety or depression kick in.
But a person who doesn’t recognize an issue as also having a psychological component may be resistant to these methods entirely, including spiritual methods, he said.
Catholics who are concerned about seeking psychological help should seek a Catholic psychologist or psychiatrist who can talk about both the spiritual and psychological aspects of healing, Langley said.
“People who don’t practice from a Catholic or spiritual perspective can do a pretty good job, but it’s like they’re doing therapy with their hand tied behind their back, because they’re missing out on a whole array of things you can do to help a person.”
Therapists who aren’t practicing from a Catholic perspective could also do some unintended harm in their practice, Langley noted. For example, men who are addicted to pornography may be told by a secular therapist that pornography is a healthy release, or couples struggling in their marriage may sometimes be encouraged by secular practitioners to divorce.
It’s really a false dichotomy, Langley added, to categorize problems as strictly spiritual or psychological, because oftentimes they are both, and require both psychological and spiritual treatment.
“So much of good therapy is helping a person get back in touch with their sense of dignity that God created them with…and as they get more in touch with it, they are actually just more open to God’s love and they’re more open to making changes in their life that might be helpful.”
What needs to change?
The Catholic experience of mental illness varies. Some found their experience of a mental illness diagnosis in the Church very isolating, while others said it was a great source of healing and support.
Langley said that for the most part, he has a great relationship with the clergy in his area.
“Most of our referrals come from priests,” he said. “I hardly ever see a priest that is overly convinced that something is spiritual. I think priests really do a pretty good job of saying when something is more psychological.”
Some of Langley’s favorite clients are those who are seeking spiritual direction at the same time as therapy, he said, because between therapy and spiritual direction, the person seeking help is usually able to find the right balance of psychological and spiritual strategies that work.
Others said they felt the relationship between psychologists and Catholic clergy or other leaders could be stronger.
A licensed marriage and family therapist in California, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said that priests and mental health professionals should be working together to support those struggling with mental illness, to make them feel more welcome, and to let them know what resources are available.
“The faith community hasn’t done a great job reaching out for support for those within the community with mental illness, and the mental health community hasn’t done a good enough job making itself available to the faith community,” he said.
Several Catholics who have had mental illness also said they wished that it were something that was discussed more openly in the Church.
“I have thirsted for greater support in the Church,” said Erin, who has depression and anxiety.
“That is my biggest struggle as a Catholic with mental illness: not necessarily focusing too much on the spiritual aspects, but people not knowing how to address any other aspect.”
She had some suggestions for Catholics who find out their friend has a mental illness.
“As Christ would do, and as Job’s friends failed to do, please, please just walk with me. And if I bring up something spiritual, feel free to talk about it. If you think I’m shutting you out, ask. If I randomly start crying, hold my hand,” she said.
“Finding support in my one friend (who also has a mental illness) has done worlds of good for me. Imagine what could happen if Christians became more vulnerable about their mental illness. What a support system that would be!”
Michele said in sharing her story about seeking therapy, she has been surprised at how many Catholics have gone through similar experiences.
“I try to be very open about it now because a stigma should not exist.”
Catholic psychologists in your area can be found by searching at http://www.catholictherapists.com/ or at https://wellcatholic.com/. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 1-800-273-8255.
Some names in this article have been changed for the protection of privacy.
This article was originally published on CNA July 1, 2016.
[…]
One less katholic mortification to shoulder…how many more to go?
Shocking! Who could have possibly seen this coming? Maybe Kamala will pick Michelle Obama as a VP, get 8, then Michelle can get 8. That would be 30 years for the Obama’s controlling the White House. Not too shabby…
They might do better with Michelle at the top of the ticket! Whatever the outcome this election will probably be a loss for Christians and democracy.
I would love to see how much communication goes from the administration of the 46th President to the 44th President. It’s not like Obama never evaded the restrictions of his authority before (DACA, etc) before, so why should the 22nd Amendment get in the way?
It’s sayonara time for the meat puppet! Joe Robinette Biden has FINALLY bit the dust; and he won’t be back and he WON”T be missed. Ain’t it amazing? That Biden lasted as long as he did with all the baggage he carried was truly astounding. Reputed to be a serial plagiarist by some pundits and the United State’s most mediocre politician extant by other pundits plus his well-earned reputation as a many-times-over incredible liar-in-chief by many others seem to have done him in. And then his cultivated (by him) reputation as a “Devoted Catholic;” woe, that’s one for the books! Especially that meme about how much he did to deliver the goods for women who desired “healthcare” while Biden worked OVERTIME to legalize abortion for all the pregnant women. GOOD RIDDANCE to Joe B. Now bring in Kamala; Can’t wait for the verbal bloodshed about to ensue @ the hands of Donald J. Trump.God bless all.- RITE_TURN ROGER
I say adios to the weak president. He needs much consoling from us Catholics. After nearly 5 decades in the congress and higher office later he had his time. Hopefully he will now have the time to reflect on his abortion stance wth counceling from his Cardinal.
You say “his well-earned reputation as a many-times-over incredible liar-in-chief by many others seem to have done him in”. That is seriously out of reality. Trump has the corner of prolific liars. We Catholic politicals seem to cast HATE on anyone in opposition when in decline. Remember, some day we ALL will face our creator.
“Trump has the corner of prolific liars.”
From what you’ve said in other comments, you are in your 70s (or older?). Were you around in the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s, etc.? Biden’s lying, plagiarizing, bullying, and related actions are possibly unequaled in terms of batty craziness and sheer quantity. Anyone who paid attention to his 1988 presidential campaign, or the Bork hearings, or the Thomas hearings, knows that his relationship with truth is somewhere in the “seventh cousin twice removed” category. You can start here for lists of a few hundred of Biden’s lies.
Ok, can reply now. I am not going to defend Biden. I will give some critical lies of major consequence by each.
Factcheck, Associated Press and Forbes:
Biden: he seems to issue exaggerations and embellishments rather than outright lies. “Maybe”.
TRUMP: President Donald Trump told 30,573 false or misleading statements over 4 years. Based on this number, he is clearly a prolific liar.
Trump said there were a small number of “PROPLE” at the Capitol on 1/6. That’s false. The attack on the U.S. Capitol was the deadliest assault on the seat of American power in over 200 years. As thoroughly documented by video, photographs and people who were there, thousands of people descended on Capitol Hill in what became a brutal scene of hand-to-hand combat with police. (also, Trump said “I am your retribution, I will pardon the convicted hostages”.
Trump Charlottesville: After the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017: “I think there are fine people on both sides.”
MILITARY DEATHS
BIDEN: “The truth is, I’m the only president this century that doesn’t have any — this decade — any troops dying anywhere in the world like he did.” FALSE. At least 16 service members have been killed in hostile action since Biden took office in January 2021. On Aug. 26, 2021, 13 died during a suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.
COVID
Science America:
Trump: More than 400,000 Americans died of COVID-19 under Trump’s watch. I don’t remember hearing that number, but I do remember how he acted and what Trump said. “it will just go away. You could inject a houshold cleaner to clear your lungs”.
The border
Trump and Biden: Trump tried to build a wall taking $3 billion from the military budget which was appropriated for improving the the housing for military families. Biden waited until it was too late and had to issue an executive order.
Social Security
Both candidates erred on Social Security, with Biden incorrectly saying that Trump “wants to get rid” of the program, and Trump falsely alleging that Biden will “wipe out” Social Security due to the influx of people at the border.
Given this scenario who could you vote for? VP Harris now seems to be the “ONLY” probable candidate. She knew of such.
https://www.factcheck.org/2024/06/factchecking-the-biden-trump-debate/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidmarkowitz/2021/04/30/who-lied-more-during-their-first-100-days-biden-trump-or-obama/
Donald Trump debating Kamala Harris.
I repeat:
Donald Trump debating Kamala Harris.
Sacre Bleu!!
Debates are about the dumbest inventions ever. They explicate nothing of substance. A poll taken of the Nixon/Kennedy debate on radio gave the majority approval winning the debate to Nixon; those watching on TV gave the majority approval to Kennedy. Says an awful lot about appearances over substance. And, besides, any debate conducted by the Big Media is totally biased. Lastly, voting in this country has been debased by a. Early voting; b. Voting by mail; c. Allowing illegals to vote; d. Not requiring a photo id to vote e. Allowing the dead to cast a ballot.
I agree, Statesmen should not be reduced to showmen.
But better than a duel?
I submit to you, that for all the reason you cited, and the vast amount of people dependent upon the federal government for significant and conspicuous benefits, some in the projects, some on Main Street, some on K Street and Wall Street-all elections are rigged.
Mencken may have been a cynical nihilist; but that dim view of life made him a rather perspicuous expositor of government. His quip about ever election neing an auction in advance of stolen goods seems to have aged well.
I must disagree – the Biden-Trump debate showed the whole world what has been obvious for a few years now but the democrats were trying to hide it – Joe Biden is in advanced cognitive decline and it will not get better – it will only get worse.
I find the fact that he is the President and that Kamala Harris stands in the doorway waiting for the sign frightening.
Pray for our country
The puppet just happened to drop out on National Ice Cream Day. You can’t make this stuff up.
I remember the “what is the ice cream flavor” questions from the press early on – really digging deep
Now if we can only get Pope Francis to resign!
The tables are turned. Now it’s Trump who is too old to be POTUS.
It’s not a question of numerical age. Biden has senile dementia, Trump does not.
I liked how Trump remembered and brought that union guy up on stage in Grand Rapids. This EV thing will help him in MI, I believe.
Organized abortion in the US is the murder of American children killing the Union. Legalized abortion at any stage in pregnancy, is, lying about it using corrupted law.
Now we are in the present looking at the future. Whether or not he gets elected, Trump has taken his place, his turn, managing the baby killing. And telling lies. Later he might want to be the “hero who moderately came back in pro-life” and brought others along too; when everything else will supposed to have been water under the bridge.
I think that Trump will still win, but Harris will be more competitive. Look for Trump to win, but by a smaller margin. Interestingly, Trump is now the “old one.”
He’ll have to get up at the debate and say” I will not use my opponent’s youth and inexperience…” (who already used that line in another debate?)
The tables are turned. Now it’s Trump who’s too old to be POTUS.
Listen up Democrats! Forget the President like he has forgotten you. It’s over. Put on your masks, take another vaccine and get behind Harris! Stop acting like you voted for someone else! Honestly, enough! The big donors amd media have spoken. Please do what you are told – it’s for your own good.
Athanasius: Your 3:12 a.m. – “You can’t make this stuff up.”
Sorry, but I gotta disagree – and it’s gonna get worse.
BTW – my favorite Ice Cream is vanilla w/specks and just a tad of maple syrup.
Yummm!!
Yes, that’s my fear, but I will try to remain hopeful. Maybe we can all go where we haven’t been unburdened by what has been 🙄.
Even though it sounds benign, vanity for the new is the definition of evil.
Try sprinkling a few salted peanuts on that vanilla ice cream & maple syrup Mr. Terrence. (It’s good with cane syrup, too.)
Will do
Russel. Trump may still convince his MAGA bunch that he is mentally sound. We can’t forget the sinking electric boat and the shark at a campaign stop in Detroit. He could not remember his WH doctor’s name. Randy Johnson in stead of Ronnie Jackson. More importantly, he lied profusly.
Some Factchecks:
Immigration
Immigrants are “coming from prisons, they’re coming from jails, they’re coming from mental institutions and insane asylums.” False!
The jobs that are created under Biden, “107 percent of those jobs are taken by illegal aliens.” Mostly false.
Economy
During my presidency, we had “the best economy in the history of our country, in the history of the world … We had no inflation, soaring incomes.”
False.
Crime
“Our crime rate is going up.” Mostly False. Violent crimes are down markedly.
Taxes, Social Security and Medicare
The Biden administration is “the only administration that said we’re going to raise your taxes by four times what you’re paying now.”
False.
Electric vehicles
Trump: “They spent $9 billion on eight chargers.”
False. “drill baby, drill”.
He is truly unfit for office. Just ask our Catholic clergy!!
With the belated announcement that Kamala Harris will be the new candidate, our options are few.
God save the union.
Sorry for my misspelling, Russell.
Your choice of facts about DT is very selective. Trump reversed Roe V Wade. How many thousands of children are alive because of him. Compare with lying Joe and his partial birth abortion position. Biden is a congenital liar! Jan. 6 Trump did not try to control the military or the communication system both necessary for a coup. From his first day of Presidency he was accused of being a Russia spy. False of course AND WHAT A LIE! They have tried to murder him. Does not count I guess. Stop watching MSNBC and CNN. You will think more clearly
Even though it sounds benign, vanity for the new is the definition of evil.
I don’t think Kamala Harris will beat Donald Trump–unless Christians throw away their votes for an unknown “Christan Candidate” who has no chance of winning. VP Harris has no record of accomplishments, and her main platform seems to be greater abortion availability on the taxpayers’ dime. She is making a big deal out of being black, even though she is also half Indian (her mom is from India). NBC News (secular news) this morning (7/22) included a discussion of her failure to accomplish anything when she was assigned to do something about the massive influx of immigrants flooding the southern border. There’s really nothing that VP Harris can take credit for during her tenure as VP other than really pushing hard for abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. She has no notable accomplishments as a Senator and only served a very short term before Pres. Biden selected her for his running mate. She was an Attorney General in California and had some accomplishments that would be acceptable to many Christians. I know a lot of Christians are mad at Pres. Trump for what they called backsliding on the abortion issue (he has stated that abortion should be legal for rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother), and they disapprove of his past affairs with women, but to reject him for this and throw away the vote for some 3rd party candidate who will be lucky to get a few thousand votes–that’s just foolishness, especially when Pres. Trump has shown himself to be a good father by raising several respectable and accomplished children. As for his sexual sins–all we know is what his enemies and the media have told us. I personally think that Pres. Biden’s and VP Harris’ sins of calling for virtually-unrestricted abortion rights are much greater than “fooling around.” Don’t be a dreamer–be wise when you vote this November. And remember to vote for local and state candidates who will be friendly towards the life issues.
Now that Biden is out of the race, Americans can now rightly focus on Trump’s equally problematic age given the state of his mental health (bizarrely talking about sharks, electrocution, or Hannibal Lecter) which many simply did not give attention to earlier. No wonder some of Trump’s sychopants now want Biden to stay on the ballot.
For all Trump’s and Biden’s gaffes, Trump has so far not lost his mental ability to logically sequence. So far, at least, Trump’s talk about sharks has not led to an auntie killing; recall Joe claiming to have killed Medicare. Neither has Trump yet claimed that a cannibal has eaten a relative.
Biden’s “age” was raised by many as a POLITE and civil and decent way of saying Biden had lost his ability to parse an idea out of his addled brain and into his mouth, tongue, and lips in order to communicate a basic sensible thought.
Mrs. Whitlock above – Yes, how is Kamala Harris Black? I’d say she’s half-Black or of mixed race (ditto Obama, BTW). This seems to me to be a throwback to “the bad old days” when a person who had six drops- or was it sixteen? – of Black blood was considered Coloured or Negro or whatever the word was back then. I find it rather tiresome, maybe racist even.
Cleo;
I remember when she dropped out of the presidential race in 2020 – one of the things she said was “America is not ready for a woman of color to be president”. That was the first time I knew that she was a ‘woman of color’ – when she played the race/gender guilt card.
There was a movie about 25-26 years back entitled ‘The American President’. The part was played by Michael Douglas and at the end he gave a speech in which he intoned the phrase “We have serious problems and we need serious people to solve them” – he said it twice.
There is a recent video with Michael Douglas saying that he strongly believes that Joe Biden is fully capable and “all there” as the saying goes.
There are multiple videos of Kamala Harris laughing in her unique way.
I think the old rule was “one drop” and that really applied more in Anglo society.
Mrs. Harris has ancestry from at least 3 continents.
Many of us in the US & former colonies have a similar complex ancestry but can fly under the radar more easily than Kamala Harris can.
Democrats across the country whose right to vote in primary elections has essentially been taken from them should be incensed at this turn of events. This isn’t something that just happened– anyone could have seen it coming, and one can only wonder if the whole process has been orchestrated by party bosses– or who knows who else? The only thing that would have been more obvious would have been if Biden had actually run, been re-elected, and resigned a month or two after his inauguration. I’ve been saying that this was a massive game of chicken, and the Democrats finally blinked.
What’s circulating on X -:
“Adam Parkhomenko on X: Biden calls into campaign HG”
https://x.com/AdamParkhomenko/status/1815506424094462027
Said to be the real thing.
There are other slices of the event, posted on YOUTUBE, with VP Harris, etc.
Trump will likely win in November and occupy the White House in January. That said, he will be facing some serious problems, such Hamas in Gaza, Russia in Ukraine, and of course China. Trump will be Commander-in-Chief and in charge. He will not be able to blame other people for things going wrong. Blaming Biden will not suffice as an excuse.
All the bombastic horse manure he shovels will not solve any real problems. It might impress the rubes in Alabama, but it will not impress the Chinese who are smart and tough. Time to get serious and knock off the bombastic rhetoric and get to work.
Were you unconscious during the Trump administration? He NEVER blamed anyone else for the decisions he needed to make. One of my favorite Trump moments was when he sent our bombers to destroy the Syrian air force after they had gassed to death their own Kurdish citizens. Nor did he ever shy away from controversy, as when he told critics to take a hike and FINALLY moved the US embassy to Jerusalem. As for his bombastic style, I dont mind it. He was forced to deal with dictators and thugs on the world stage and toughness is something they both respect and fear.Do you think they didnt notice he took a shot to the head and rose up to tell his voters to “Fight”??? Let me tell you, they NOTICED. The US is not Switzerland, you know? Better someone bombastic who can take care of business than someone who is senile, or an idiot. For me , I will vote for someone who is strong and unafraid and puts America first. A president who acts like Miss Manners I can live without. Trump in 2024!
The Swiss may practice neutrality but they’re not pacifists.
I agree though that President Trump knows how to deal with unpleasant people and he does that without starting wars.
You seem to think that Trump is some junior varsity messiah, keep drinking the Kool Aid.
More tax cuts for the rich. That’s the real deal. I personally may benefit from him, as my portfolio may increase. But I do not support him.