tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post5238701043980876005..comments2024-03-26T16:24:34.218+00:00Comments on Meeting The Masters: Psychologising the SpiritualWilliam Wildbloodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231219533755925897noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post-91044342539505959632018-02-07T20:50:22.413+00:002018-02-07T20:50:22.413+00:00My therapist friend's therapy roots are in the...My therapist friend's therapy roots are in the theory of Carl Rogers.<br /><br />Rogers' unconditonal positive regard v. conditional positive regard has always struck me as how we are told God and Christ see us. They always have positive regard for us, even when we do wrong. They allow us to experiment, get things wrong, and learn, but the love still flows towards us. There is nothing conditional about their regard. At the same time, they never condone our sin, but make it clear that they love us still, even though we have been bad. This is unlike our experiences with human beings. The best experiences are those where we behave badly, and the other person loves us no matter what, just like God. But very commonly in people's lives, love is withheld if the giver of love does not like or approve our behaviour. This is conditional regard. The best parents always give unconditional regard - the child always knows that he is loved, even if he knows that his parent is disappointed in his behaviour. <br /><br />Here is a link to a short piece on Carl Rogers' theory if it is of interest:<br /><br />https://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-rogers.html<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post-36105418775634766442018-02-07T20:26:32.368+00:002018-02-07T20:26:32.368+00:00And her comment following your last,
"I agre...And her comment following your last,<br /><br />"I agree. Therapists tend to see people in a spiritual crisis or facing an emerging one (maybe outside their awareness). Generally those on a more established spiritual path will not turn to therapy and have suitable alternative support available. It is not unusual for a client to become more spiritually aware during therapy and then they may well source some sort of spiritual guidance eg a retreat etc. Of course, as you have said before, some therapists maybe do not attend to the spiritual dimension, probably a reflection of where they are in their own spiritual journey. I certainly use therapy for a progressive spiritual dialogue and reflective space, however, I know the therapists that can offer me this."<br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post-83026679244381342012018-02-07T14:34:50.286+00:002018-02-07T14:34:50.286+00:00That's true. I think it would be wise to regar...That's true. I think it would be wise to regard psychology/ therapy and spirituality as belonging to two quite different areas of life. I also wonder how much a normal person would need the former if they truthfully followed the latter. Hardly at all I would say.William Wildbloodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13231219533755925897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post-59693539471986831022018-02-07T14:01:19.781+00:002018-02-07T14:01:19.781+00:00My therapist friend said,
"A priest could on...My therapist friend said,<br /><br />"A priest could only be a therapist if he / she suspended their spiritual belief whilst providing therapy, otherwise it is not therapy, but, spiritual guidance! And not all priests are great spiritual leaders, some are too entrenched in dogma, not providing an enlightened view!"<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post-25021809332885893192018-02-07T07:56:51.024+00:002018-02-07T07:56:51.024+00:00A bit of Jungian synchronicity perhaps!A bit of Jungian synchronicity perhaps!William Wildbloodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13231219533755925897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post-18427951858982157042018-02-06T23:15:13.393+00:002018-02-06T23:15:13.393+00:00This post was super timely for me because I just s...This post was super timely for me because I just started re-reading a book that I hadn't looked at for some time by Stephan Hoeller entitled "The Gnostic Jung and the Seven Sermons of the Dead". Here is a quote from that book, "Gnosticism pursues the inner way; its authority is not external but internal- a living personal experience -but without denying the outer world...."<br /><br />I think, perhaps, that the views of the Traditionalist School a la Guenon/Schuon can be helpful here. Some years ago, I was very much in the Jung/Campbell/Wilber/Watts camp- it was the arguments of the Perennialist writers that persuaded me of the importance of spirituality within the protective/saving framework of Tradition (Capital T). So (from a Perennialist perspective) the critical issue is not <i>theism</i> (or not), but <i>Tradition</i> as opposed to formless personal "spirituality". <br /><br /><br /><br />Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04865413665629644313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post-79821145595387111792018-02-06T22:38:10.777+00:002018-02-06T22:38:10.777+00:00My therapist friend asked me what I thought. I sa...My therapist friend asked me what I thought. I said,<br /><br />"I think that the psychological and the spiritual are different. God is central to the spiritual. Without a God, and an afterlife, then 'spiritual' is meaningless. I remember telling my therapist [a different therapist] that I saw things of the mind/mental issues could only be resolved properly by acknowledgement that God was at the centre of everything, both as creator and sustainer of the universe. Without God, material reality is just a cruel joke with a nasty ending for every living thing. Unbearable. I also said that therapists were on a lower rung of the 'ladder of knowing' than theists in all their forms, and so their power to help, although real, was not as powerful as that of theists. I would qualify that now (I think), by saying that those therapists who are also theists, and theists first, are possibly likely to be able to help clients a lot. A priest trained in therapy would be better. Again, because theism comes first, as is clear from the priest's job description."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post-74435080239036751342018-02-06T17:11:17.426+00:002018-02-06T17:11:17.426+00:00That seems fair enough to me. What I am against is...That seems fair enough to me. What I am against is reducing the spiritual to the psychological or trying to raise the psychological to the spiritual but the lines of demarcation are not absolute.William Wildbloodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13231219533755925897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post-64598520961839342352018-02-06T16:58:47.140+00:002018-02-06T16:58:47.140+00:00My psychotherapist friend has read this blog, and ...My psychotherapist friend has read this blog, and I have her permission to quote her,<br /><br />"I see the role of a therapist is to provide a reflective space to enable or extend a person’s spiritual process. This may unfold into a belief, or strengthening a belief, in god or may not, it is not a therapist’s role to direct. That would be the realms more of a spiritual guide or leader".<br /><br />Do you have a view on this position? Both she and I would like to hear it if you do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com