Did you know?

[Knowledge3]

That your Spiritual Father or Orthodox Priest is also your spiritual counselor and psychotherapist?

[Tsarina]

Yeap. I know because my Priest has to deal with all my craziness in my head, lols.

[EmperorConstantine]

Nope, but it doesn't surprise me.

[MichaelArchangelos]

My girlfriend was feeling really down last year. The psychiatrist she went to ended up causing more problems, but when she talked to Fr. Ilyan, he got to the core of her problem in about 2 minutes.

[EmperorConstantine]

Priests are more people persons than psychiatrists and actually care about the people and don't do things just for the money.

[Happy Orthodox]

more importantly, they're guided by the Holy Spirit and by the wealth of knowledge of the human soul found in the Patristic writings... basic stuff

[Akathist]

That your Spiritual Father or Orthodox Priest is also your spiritual counselor and psychotherapist?

K3,

You need to know that many people do not go to their Priest for Spiritual direction but have either a different Priest or maybe a Nun or Monk that has been approved to be their Spiritual Director.

Also, almost no Priest is qualified to be a psychotherapist, espeically not for major mental health issues such as schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, etc etc.

There are of course exceptions to this as some Priests are in fact trained to help with mental health problems and might even do that for their employment outside of being a Priest.

Christ is in our midst!

Xenia

[choirfiend]

Priests routinely send people to receive professional care from psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, MDs, etc. They are typically NOT the only resource you need--they deal with spiritual illnesses, and many/most illnesses are NOT solely comprised of a spiritual aspect, but many times a biological one, an emotional one, and/or a personality one, or any combination. Most priests and spiritual directors would never claim to be the best or only source for many of a person's problems.

[Knowledge3]

source:The Illness and Cure of the Soul in the Orthodox Tradition. by Metropolitan Nafpaktos Heirothos.

<excerpt>I acknowledge, certainly, that genuine Christianity is indentical to the Orthdox Church.<excerpt>

:priest:

[OrthoCanuck]

That your Spiritual Father or Orthodox Priest is also your spiritual counselor and psychotherapist?
Yes, but it does not mean that one should avoid seeing a psychological professional if necessary.


Peace.

[Knowledge3]

Yes, but it does not mean that one should avoid seeing a psychological professional if necessary.


Peace.

Of course.

Father Anthony informed me that the nearest Orthodox psychiatrist was in Tulsa,OK.

Common sense is practical.

Please pray, K3

[Shubunkin]

That your Spiritual Father or Orthodox Priest is also your spiritual counselor and psychotherapist?
That sounds good to me. I'll never step foot in a psychologist or psychiatrist's office in my life time, not as a patient, anyway.

[cassc]

I read in a book at one point (and I apologize that I can't recall where) that Orthodox should not see psychiatrists and instead visit with their spiritual father so I guess there are some groups that believe this, but I have always taken exception to that idea. I think the concern is that there are some things in life that should not be rationalized, additionally we know that there are times when we as Orthodox are being attacked by spiritual demons that might be misconstrued as mental demons but to say that Orthodox should not pursue qualified mental help ever is VERY DANGEROUS!! I suppose the safest thing to do speak with you Spiritual Father about your need to visit a qualified therapist and make sure that you find someone who understands your faith and does not try to convince you that faith is a mental weakness (I have been told that this is very common in some psychiatric schools of thought!) I don't care what Anyone says when in need ask for :help:

[Knowledge3]

I read in a book at one point (and I apologize that I can't recall where) that Orthodox should not see psychiatrists and instead visit with their spiritual father so I guess there are some groups that believe this, but I have always taken exception to that idea. I think the concern is that there are some things in life that should not be rationalized, additionally we know that there are times when we as Orthodox are being attacked by spiritual demons that might be misconstrued as mental demons but to say that Orthodox should not pursue qualified mental help ever is VERY DANGEROUS!! I suppose the safest thing to do speak with you Spiritual Father about your need to visit a qualified therapist and make sure that you find someone who understands your faith and does not try to convince you that faith is a mental weakness (I have been told that this is very common in some psychiatric schools of thought!) I don't care what Anyone says when in need ask for :help:

That is what I was told during my stay at Millwood hospital in Arlington, Texas.

The pyschiatrist's personal assistance told me that I was "too infatuated with religions objects."

I managed to carry a catholic crucifix and my rosary into a psychiatric hospital.

Who knows?

[Photios]

I think that part of the reason that some religious, not just Orthodox, people avoid such professionals is that it's entirely possible to get someone with a worldview that is a radical departture from their own. Can you imagine a hardcore Freudian trying to analyze an Orthodox Christian? What about the school of thought ( I forget the name) that holds that all mental problems are purely physical (it's sort of a psychological materialism)?

[Knowledge3]

I think that part of the reason that some religious, not just Orthodox, people avoid such professionals is that it's entirely possible to get someone with a worldview that is a radical departture from their own. Can you imagine a hardcore Freudian trying to analyze an Orthodox Christian? What about the school of thought ( I forget the name) that holds that all mental problems are purely physical (it's sort of a psychological materialism)?

That is anthroprocentric systemic analysis of sacred Christian psychology.

The two systems are incompatible.

One does not understand the other.