I think Martyn Lloyd-Jones gets it right when he tells his readers (Spiritual Depression, pp 20-21) to take charge of their thinking by talking back to their feelings rather than passively listening to their own feelings. In many respects, this is what the author of Psalm 42/3 is doing. This is good medicine, if taken on one’s own. Probably not so good if forced down the throat of another… Continue reading
More losses
We lost a wonderful husband, father, pastor, and Old Testament scholar last night. Prof. Al Groves of Westminster Theological Seminary died of complications from Melanoma. I had the pleasure of taking Hebrew from him. I’m not a great language person but I have to say it was a pleasure. He knew how to make it enjoyable.
He and his family have been very open about the dying process. If you want to see a picture of faith and strength in the midst of hardship, check out their blog, www.algroves.info. Make sure you read his wife’s entry on 1/30/07.
I must confess I have a harder time sharing in their joy over his rest and peace. I think I might if I had been so close to his suffering as they have been. But, I am overwhelmed with the vivid reminder that this life is full of pain and heartache and death. This is not the way it was supposed to be. So, I hang on to Ps 121 which tells us that God hangs on to our very soul and I pray Hab. 3: that I will rejoice though there are no cattle in the stall…and no figs on the trees.
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Filed under suffering
Getting the experience of depression right
While the Puritans thought the cause of depression was the result of an overabundance of black bile, many divines got the experience right. We can learn from their example and do our best to understand the pain and suffering of depression/despair that most struggle to put words to. Here’s one such description from Thomas Brooks (Works, v. 4,p. 260, 1867/1978) Continue reading
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Filed under Depression, Despair
Science Monday: Shocking treatment for depression
I will be teaching on depression (types, causes, treatments) and despair in class today. In light of that I want to highlight two medical treatments that try to shock the brain into a better mood state. Will follow with more posts on depression through the week. Continue reading
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Filed under counseling science, Depression, Despair
Connections between desires and anxiety
In the past I have written on the topic of desire and how our cultivation of it shapes our entire view of self, other and the expression of our will. Here’s a thought: Is anxiety anything more than the will responding to the perception of a desired object just out of reach, something that appears graspable but just beyond the fingertips of control? We want something and so our focus is on protecting it, grasping it, maintaining it, gaining it (coupled with the deep concern that if we do not maintain our vigilance, we will not be able to fulfill that desire).
Yesterday, Diane Langberg sent me this quote of one of her favorite dead theologians, John MacDuff, that illustrates how life orbits around central desires:
There is a gravitation in the moral as in the physical world. When love to God is habitually in the ascendant or occupying place of the will, it gathers round it all the other desires of the soul as satellites, and whirls them along with it in its orbit round the center of attraction [the core desire].
Quotation used by John MacDuff from Hewitson’s Life as found in The Mind of Jesus, p. 62. For a link to full texts of some of MacDuff’s devotional work, see here.
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Filed under Desires, Meditations
Good vs. bad guilt
In light of this week’s focus on anxiety, I am also thinking about how anxiety and guilt are often tied together. However, like a bad cough, guilt is not always productive. It may leave us helpless, passive, and further into despair. This is not a guilt from God that leads to conviction and action. It is from either ourselves (breaking rules we thought we never would, not doing what we always thought we would, having a demand but knowing we ought not), culturally accepted guilt (if you don’t serve someone who asks, you feel guilty because you were taught to always say yes), or the Accuser (intended to defeat us).
Does your guilt cause you to cling more tightly to the cross and to rehearse God’s promises for you and for his people? Or does it cause you to slink away into a far corner? If the latter, get up and do one little thing that shows your submission to God’s story of your life.
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Filed under Anxiety
Tag, you’re it
A couple’ of weeks ago, I was “tagged” by Cavman (see my blogroll) with these chain-mail questions. I promised to answer so am now.
1. What’s the most fun work you’ve ever done and why?
Forensic psychological examinations of potentially violent individuals. Why? Its fun to explore another person to see what makes them do the things they do (and how they get to the place where they are comfortable with psychopathy).
2. Name one thing you did in the past, but no longer do, but wish you did?
Sports (running and basketball)
3. Name one thing you’ve always wanted to do, but keep putting it off?
Scubadiving; learn to play the guitar
4. Name two things you’d like to learn or be better at?
Learn to play the guitar; speak a foreign language fluently
5. Name one person, living or dead, you’d like to learn from and why?
hard to choose just one…MLK, Richard Sibbes, CS Lewis (dead guys). Person whose ideas interest me now is my friend, Bruce Cushna, a retired Rogerian psychologist who always has interesting takes on the world and is a master at loving the unlovely.
6. 3 Words that family and friends use to describe you
distractible, talks to understand (a nice way of saying he’s confusing), cafaholic
7. 2 Words you wished described you
excellent writer, organized
8. Top 3 passions (besides my faith and family)
Exchanging ideas, Red Sox, Gardening
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Filed under Uncategorized
Fighting anxiety on 3 fronts
Anxiety (panic, OCD, PTSD, Generalized, phobias, etc.) is a multidetermined event. Any attempt to simplify down to either physiology or spiritual will be problematic. It is always a bodily event (everything we do is mediated through the cells), and it is always a spiritual event (nothing we do is neutral, everything either glorifies God or self). Multidetermined problems need multifaceted attacks. I think we do best to challenge our anxiety on these three fronts. Each front requires both body and soul so be careful not to think that one of the fronts is spiritual, one psychological, and one physical. All are involved in each front. Continue reading
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Filed under Anxiety, biblical counseling, christian psychology
Anxiety after successful ministry
Been musing this am on a couple of biblical passages where God’s children fell to anxiety and fear after wildly successful ministry. Consider Elijah’s experience on Mt. Carmel and then his running to the desert in fear of his life. Consider Peter’s proximity to a number of miracles only to fall back to fear and self-focus. Consider the passage of Luke 10-12. The 72 were sent out and performed amazing miracles; even the demons submitted to them (10:17). I’m sure the stories of God’s power spread quickly among Jesus’ followers. I’ll bet many were riding high. Now notice how then end of chapter 10 through 12 the number times Jesus addresses the worries of his followers: Continue reading
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Filed under Anxiety
Science Monday: The physiology of fear
Am teaching on anxiety, panic, and OCD tonight. Definition of anxiety: Responding to ambiguous stimuli (life situations) by reading them in the worst possible light. The Scriptures teach us that fear and worry are not good things. Time and time again God tells his people not to be afraid. We see that God wants us to see life through a different set of eyes, much as Elisha wanted his servant to see the army of angels instead of their enemies (2 Kings 6). But given the numerous encouragements to not give in to fear, we must admit it is a common struggle for every human being. Some struggle more than others.
What is going on with those whose lives are filled with worry and fear? Are they less spiritual? More sinful? It is easy to say, “buck up” to folks who are anxious–and entirely unhelpful to most. Logical challenges may help some in the moment, but usually don’t get to the root of the matter. Jesus encourages fearful people by pointing them to seeing life from 40,000 feet. He doesn’t deny risk and suffering but encourages folks to keep their eyes on him. And with Peter, he reaches out to grab ahold of him even when he does start looking at the waves.
But what of the physiology of anxiety? What do we know and how does the christian counselor make use of the data. First, what do we know? Continue reading
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Filed under Anxiety, counseling science
Musings on Faith and Psychology 