2 minute read
Western society at large is at this interesting place regarding psychotherapy and mental health. On the one hand, there are a whole lot of people who still pejoratively and dismissively refer to licensed therapists as “shrinks.” They’re often in positions of power, too. For them the stigma against mental health issues is self-evident and nearly as professionally disastrous as ever. On the other hand, there are many who feel therapy is normal as visiting a doctor or dentist. It’s a routine practice of holistic medicine. And, of course, the majority probably fit somewhere in-between.
Set against that larger cultural backdrop lies the Christians. This is no monolithic community. There are various idiosyncratic sub-cultures representing a vast diversity of perspectives on these issues. What makes them… special… is the spiritualized, dogmatic rigor they each bring to the table. I’ve known pastors who fought for therapy funding in the church budget and prominently displayed business cards for specialized therapists on their desks. Meanwhile, I’ve known other ministers who seriously said, “Therapists are the devil!” like Bobby Boucher’s beloved mama.
Christian culture is bizarre in a great many ways, but high on that list has to be navigating mental health. “You don’t love God if you’re not overflowing with the Christ’s joy!” “Evidently you don’t understand the neurochemistry of anxiety and depression.” “Yes to therapy, but only trustworthy Christian therapists.” “For more piety and guilt trips? I already have religious trauma! No thanks.” “What we really need is more qualified pastoral care.” “Forget that. Your pastors, friends, family, and mentors are unqualified. This should only be discussed with a qualified expert.” Just ugh.
This may appear to be an area where there’s no middle ground available, but I beg to differ. To be clear, I oppose any insinuation of guilt or shame about therapy. Likewise, I think anyone who sees mental health as less real than physical health is an ignorant wackjob. I’m overtly pro-therapy and have benefited greatly from countless sessions over two decades. At the same time (not “But”), I’m deeply troubled by how many Jesus followers have shallow relationships because they habitually outsource virtually all of their most important interpersonal conversations to these professionals.
The original beatniks were around before modern therapy really hit its stride. For example, we take for granted the success of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, but in the 1950s they’d left the first wave of behavior therapy and were in the second way of cognitive therapy before the two merged in the third wave. The Beat Generation didn’t have contemporary therapeutic practices. Yet what they treasured, and what Christians need to rediscover, is the importance of deep conversations within close relationships. It’s a human need to just hang out. Where’s the front porch anymore?
