Embracing Wholeness: The Synergy of Faith and Therapy in Healing

Let’s face it, life is hard!! The highs are awesome but the lows ….. Ah, those lows. Lows are hard to deal with, no matter how severe they are. And guess what else? Levels of severity are personal. Your level of severe may be and probably is different from mine. Nonetheless, it’s all a form of trauma, whether we want to admit it or not. 

Trauma is defined as a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. It comes in 3 forms; acute (a single experience), chronic (repetitive exposure to prolonged and overwhelming experiences), and complex (the result of multiple chronic and prolonged experiences). Far too often in many Christian homes and churches, trauma is swept under the rug and covered. “What goes in this house (church) stays in this house (church).” And we go along because, after all, it’s no one else’s business that dysfunction exists in our home. After a while, that dysfunction becomes normal. It just is what it is and those people are just how they are. In the meantime and all the while, we’re not ok. The end product is generations upon generations of cyclical trauma that ends up being repeated because it’s the history that no one failed to learn from. 

We go to medical doctors and dentists like clockwork, but when it comes to our mental health, we run in the opposite direction. However, did you know that your mental state plays a huge part in your physical health at times? For example, anxiety can cause you to feel chest pains, shortness of breath, or headaches, and because it closely resembles asthma, you can be misdiagnosed. The converse is also true, sometimes your physical health produces issues for your mental health. For example, those who are diagnosed with cancer and/or HIV/AIDS, even in church, sometimes fall into depression. We are triune beings, made up of spirit, soul, and body. When your soul and body are impaired, it will stunt the growth of your spirit. God intends for us to be healthy in all areas of our being. 

As Christians, what are we supposed to do? Do we deny faith and seek the help of a professional? Or do we continue to claim Christ, fast, pray, and in some cases suffer? Whoever said we can’t have Jesus and visit a therapist?? God gives gifts to us all. What is often overlooked in our Christian communities is that God has gifted people to be able to counsel us through the inner workings of our minds. They are specially trained to help us unravel what has been bound. Having or even wanting to see a professional about your mental state does not mean that you lack faith. It’s actually quite the opposite. It’s putting that faith into action. Remember, faith without works is dead (James 2:17). We must do the work. Also in Proverbs, it tells us there is safety in a multitude of counsel. That doesn’t mean only talking to the people where you are or who have the same affliction. Gain wisdom, advice, and encouragement from those who have been specifically trained to help you get through it. Sometimes what we feel could be due to a chemical imbalance, which is a medical issue, however, therapists are trained to see the signs of that to direct us to the appropriate medical doctor for assistance. 

There are three things that we must keep in mind on this journey to keep our being well.

1. Everything starts with a thought. There are 3 main places in the brain affected by the effects of trauma: the prefrontal cortex (the thinking center), the anterior cingulate cortex (the emotion regulation center), and the amygdala (the fear center). The trauma we’ve endured manifests itself in the things that we think. We constantly pray for the renewing of our minds but we should also monitor our thoughts. If we are having more thoughts that are AGAINST everything we know God has called us to be (sidenote, familiarize yourself with God’s promises, it’ll bless you!), it may be time to go run that by someone else to get to the root of where those thoughts come from.

2. Demons can’t be counseled, and dysfunction can’t be delivered. Some mental health concerns may be the by-product of a demonic force, either directly within you or as the result of one present in someone else. However, once deliverance takes place and the root has been severed, you have to learn how to live after that thing has been lifted. By all means, have the elders pray for you. After prayer, contact someone from the church office to find out if the church has counseling services available, and if not, ask them if they can refer you to a Christian counseling service to further your deliverance.

3. Growth requires grace. Give yourself the grace to grow and heal. It will not happen overnight. Accept that you will need time to heal and give yourself space and time to do that. Surround yourself with those who are in support of your healing. And again, this is where the mental health professionals are waiting. They can become a part of your support system to return to positive mental health. Allow it to take as long as it needs but do not be stagnant, remember James 2:17, you have to do the work.

It is time for us, as the body of Christ, to stop accepting dysfunction as the norm. It is time that we walk in the healing that Jesus paid for on the cross. It is time for us to stop the stigma that therapy is for crazy people. It’s not; it’s for the sane. People who are diagnosably “crazy” don’t realize that they need help and therefore won’t seek it. 

If you noticed, the title of this article is Jesus THROUGH Therapy, that’s not a typo! For years, I would say that either I or someone else needed “Jesus and therapy.” But here’s the thing. Jesus doesn’t need help. Being a wordsmith and is a conjunction, (conjunction junction what’s your function…Sorry Schoolhouse Rock flashback!). Back to the point. And denotes that there is a joining or combined things that operate together. Jesus doesn’t need a therapist to work. He can heal any of us at any given moment with something as light as the breeze of a summer day. However, when we’re in traumatic situations, we may not see Him the way He needs us to or the way we need to. This is where the therapist comes in. Each of us is to show the light of Jesus in all that we do. A trained therapist knows the way to help you do the work of renewing your mind. In those moments, He is working through the therapist. 

We are going to be the generation that walks in complete wholeness. The only way to completion is through Jesus Christ. Remember Kingdom Entrepreneur, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns,” Philippians 1:6 (NLT).