Catholic Therapy
In its simplest form, Catholic therapy allows the client to express their deeply held worldview freely. Rather than keeping spiritual or religious views silent, a Catholic model welcomes a person’s religion into the therapy session. Additionally, it is unashamed to address how such a view may or may not participate in distress and the potential to help in the healing process. Catholic therapy is not imparting a religious code onto the client but rather enjoining the client’s worldview into treatment.
The Catholic counselor respects the dignity of every person as an individual made in the image and likeness of God with purpose. Therefore it is welcoming of all religious or non-religious views. The Catholic model offers a historical understanding of man for the client to view their life. That is why I believe sound advice does not ignore the spiritual realm but instead embraces it.
History of Catholic Therapy and Counseling
Before the advent of modern psychology, humans sought counsel from religious leaders and teachers. Whether it be the Indian who turned to the Shaman the Jew who sought the wise man’s advice or the Christian who faced the Priest, people have sought counsel throughout the recorded history of humanity (McNeill). Modern psychology has largely rejected the idea of the soul, which left people’s views of values subjective. Ironically, the very word psychotherapy is derived from the word “psyche, ” which means soul.
The Soul
In his classic work, De Anima (On the Soul), Aristotle views psychology as a branch of science investigating the soul. The traditional understanding of man espoused by Aristotle and countless others recognizes that people are both body and soul. Humans can rise above their emotional state of the body because they are more than bodily beings; they are physical-spiritual beings. An irreplaceable fact of the Catholic understanding of man is that the mind is an immaterial substance and guarantees human freedom.
The Catholic therapy model finds its roots in the study of man (anthropology) of the Ancient Greek philosophers such as Aristotle (384-322 BC), who also greatly influenced Judeo-Islamic philosophies. Aristotle was a student of Plato and Socrates, who saw himself as a healer of the soul (McNeill). Medieval Muslim scholars hailed Aristotle as the first teacher, and the great medieval Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas refers to Aristotle simply as “The philosopher.”
Natural Law
Aristotle is also considered the father of natural law, the idea that everything in nature has a purpose, including humans. According to natural law, we aim to live a good, happy life. Therefore, actions that work against that purpose — that is, actions that would hinder us from living a good, happy life— are considered unnatural. Psychologists refer to them as maladaptive, which means not providing adequate or appropriate adjustment to the environment or situation.
By the nature of man’s intrinsic nature, some things are objectively wrong despite man’s law, which may be contrary. Human beings have an innate sense of right and wrong. For example, when a child cries, “That’s not fair,” they appeal some law outside of themselves. The Catholic perspective moves the appeal to justice from a subjective gut feeling to a concrete meta-physic grounded in natural law. Put simply— there is something outside of ourselves that tells us when something is not right.
The Benefit of Catholic Therapy
The rejection of the soul and the negation of the spiritual realm reduces man to a purely physical being. By turning psychology into purely physical science, one whose concern is with only what can be measured, it has inadvertently turned man into a robot. Moreover, it leaves the question of what mental health is entirely subjective and rudderless. Unfortunately, this leaves the client with no idea what they should aim for.
The underlying problem is how we can believe something is not operating properly without understanding how it should operate. For example, if I say my car is not running right, I must first know how my car is supposed to operate. If we are going to say something with a person is not right, we need a comprehensive idea of what a person would look like if they were right.
For psychology to be effective, it must have a conception of the human person that accurately describes the nature of the relationship between body and soul and that humans have natural desires.
Therefore a complete understanding of man is found in his knowledge of people grounded in the idea that people are unique and made in the image and likeness of God. They are worthy of dignity, have a purpose, and are more than animals. They have a rational and purposeful human soul. The word psychoanalysis is derived from two Greek words, psyche and analysis. Psyche refers to the human soul, encompassing all of a person’s emotions and humanness. The analysis is the scientific examination of that phenomenon. Even though Freud did not believe in God, he nonetheless recognized that the soul is the essence of a person.
Catholic Therapy For Everyone
You do not need to be Catholic to benefit from a Catholic approach to therapy and counseling. Sigmund Freud, a committed atheist and the father of psychoanalysis developed his theory based on his observations that many people were not being helped by the traditional methods of his time.
Although people said they wanted to change, many could not have lasting change. Troubled by this, Freud discovered the “psyche’s unconscious resistance to change and coined the term psychoanalysis.
In the same way, today, many people are not benefiting from modern approaches to therapy which often ignore the soul. In a recent article for Scientific American titled “Psychiatry Needs to Get Right with God“, Dr. Dvid H Rosmarin put it this way:
By not making more of an effort to incorporate spirituality in treatment, we are doing a disservice to patients
Scientism is the view that all we can know comes from the physical sciences. This view reduces human experience to material explanations believing behaviors are part of biological structures and brain processes (New College University of Toronto). Introspection plays little to no role in the healing process. Ironically, Freud feared this might happen when his ideas came to America. Freud observed that many were focused on the analysis and lost the spirit of his idea, which was the focus and introspection of the soul.
Research and Catholic Therapy
Catholic therapy and counseling open the door to the spiritual world and acknowledge man’s soul. To a varying degree, much of today’s research supports the Catholic understanding of humans. For example,
studies have found that individuals who incorporate spirituality into their therapy experience positive outcomes, such as reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression. Catholic therapy emphasizes the integration of faith and psychological principles, recognizing the importance of addressing spiritual concerns alongside psychological well-being. This approach acknowledges the existence of the soul and its impact on an individual’s overall health and healing process. By incorporating spirituality, Catholic therapy aims to provide a holistic approach to mental and emotional well-being, considering both the psychological and spiritual aspects of a person’s life.
- Positive Psychology has shown virtues to be a critical function of people’s well-being. Aristotle and the early fathers of the church and current Catholic Church teaching recognize virtues such as wisdom, justice, prudence, and temperance as crucial to human character.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy is perhaps the most well-established psychological intervention today. CBT helps people whose thoughts do not match reality. The Catholic position is that humans can ascertain truth by using their intellect and changing their behavior through their will.
- Attachment theory and research have been of significant relevance when it comes to understanding interpersonal relationships. Early attachment lays the foundation for adult relationships and expressions of love. The purely scientific and Catholic understanding of man holds that humans need intact, healthy interpersonal relationships and connections to flourish.
- Forgiveness, both of others and self, a central theme of Catholic teaching, is strongly supported in alleviating mental and psychological ailments and overall well-being. The power of forgiveness is well documented in psychological literature. This video discusses the healing power of forgiveness click here.
- Neuroscience is continuing to discover the brain’s plasticity and ability to adapt and grow during adversity. The carrying of one’s cross is another theme found in Catholicism and most other strains of Christianity. Learning and new experiences cause new neural pathways to strengthen, whereas neural pathways infrequently used become weak and eventually die. This process is called synaptic pruning. Read more about the science of neuroplasticity by clicking here.
References
Buddhist Psychology New College University of Toronto
Forgiveness Psychology Today
McNeill, J.T. (1951). A history of the cure of souls. New York, NY: Harper and Row, Publishers Incorporated.