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Over the past year I’ve been predominantly using a therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or (’ACT’, pronounced as a word) on my clients. It’s a newer form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which focuses on helping people with the mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, etc by developing their awareness of unhelpful thoughts and feelings, and not to give into them; but instead to act on the things that give them a richer, fuller and meaningful life. It involves a technique called ‘Mindfulness’ which just means ‘Consciously bringing awareness to your here-and-now experience with openness, interest and receptiveness.’

Interestingly, mindfulness is a type of meditation practised in Buddhism. I had the opportunity to learn more about Buddhism a couple of weeks ago when our holiday small group listened to a couple of talks from Ps Jamie Rasmussen of MarketplaceBibleStudy.com (http://www.marketplacebiblestudy.com/2011/05/index.html) as they explored different world religions. We also had the privilege of having Clement and Jeff’s Buddhist friend come along to the group and clarify some of the Buddhist concepts for us.

From what I have gleaned from the past few weeks, the main idea behind Buddhism is that craving / attachment leads to suffering and therefore in order to avoid suffering then, one needs to cease craving. The way to do that is to follow the Noble Eight-fold Path, of which right ‘mindfulness’ is a part. When people practice mindfulness, they’ll be able to be more aware of their thoughts and realise how they can get ‘caught up’ or ‘attached’ to these thoughts. They can then recognise unhelpful thought patterns and unhelpful reactions. This can then lead to positive changes.

For example, for a client who has social anxiety problems, getting ‘caught up’ in thoughts like, ‘what if they don’t like me’ or ‘I don’t have anything interesting to say’ can lead to a lot of anxiety, worry, avoidance and distress. But, if they can learn how to just ’sit with’ the anxious thoughts and feelings (instead of being ‘attached’ to the thought) and not act in line with it (e.g. by staying at home, or drinking a lot of alcohol) that can lead to much more helpful behaviours. In the long-term, this person will be less dependent on alcohol as ‘liquid confidence’, get out more, and be able to stay in social situations despite feeling anxious. They might even realise that those situations are not as bad as they predict and eventually not have a problem with social anxiety anymore.

Despite its buddhist roots, I have not had an issue as a Christian teaching and practising ACT; and I think that that mindfulness and ACT is beneficial for anyone. Practising awareness of the present moment, identifying unhelpful thought patterns and identifying unhelpful reactions (that come about from getting ‘caught up’ with these thoughts) can free one up to make wiser decisions in life.

I have found that the points at which ACT does not fit well with Christianity do not occur at the surface level of techniques and practices, it occurs more at the philosophical level. Practising the mindfulness as part of the Noble Eight-fold Path as a Buddhist is ultimately supposed to be a way of ridding yourself of suffering. From what I understand, you would need to do it for a long time, and perfectly, before reaching Nirvana, which is the ultimate reality one is hoping to reach. Also, I am not sure that mosts Buddhists reach Nirvana.

From a Christian point of view, this is ‘works-based’ and assumes that humans can get there with human effort. Christianity instead says that no matter what humans do we can never get to the ‘ultimate reality’ (i.e. for a Christian - a relationship with God) on our own. It’s a ‘grace-based’ system where we’re able to get to God by trusting in Jesus, not by our ‘good works’. Whoever believes that Jesus is their Saviour and Lord can already reach ultimate reality. They receive it as a gift rather than earn it, so therefore they don’t have to keep trying for their whole lives.

Also, the idea that attachment leading to suffering is quite different to the Christian assumption. In Christianity, it is not our attachment to things that cause suffering; rather, suffering is a result of sin, a rebellion against God which is part of the human nature. From this perspective, mental control, wisdom and right living is not enough. It would be like treating the symptoms but not the disease. Even if I were to live perfectly from now on, my past sins have not been taken care of. Even if I was able to detach myself from my thoughts and live rightly now, it doesn’t guarantee that I won’t be struggling with it again in the future because the ‘disease’ is still there, causing the symptoms to surface every now and again.

So it needs to be said that despite all the really useful therapies out there, whether it be ACT or CBT, or even self-help books, diets,…or whatever it is you do to take your life problems away; even if you can successfully finish the therapy, control all your thoughts, treat other people nicely… the biggest problem in life still has not been addressed, which is sin and the need for a relationship with God. As Christians, we can look to Jesus and be thankful for God’s grace. We can have full certainty that we are saved because it is not based on our merit, but what He has done. Although we will still face life problems, we can have true peace, knowing that our biggest problem has been solved and we don’t have to keep on working towards bettering ourselves to be ‘good enough’.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see a therapist if you think it would help! If you have a problem that modern psychology can help you with, by all means do see a psychologist and make an appointment!

I haven’t blogged in years (if I consider what I did years ago as blogging!) and have decided to give it another go in 2012. I hope to encourage healthy discussion about the interaction between Christianity and psychology, and later on, my other interest, the Chinese people! So here goes…

As a clinical psychologist who is also a Christian, I get asked a lot by friends for a recommendation for a Christian psychologist. Given that I am not doing private practice at this point in time (I work for a public hospital clinic) and that even if I were I can’t have as a client anyone that I know (that would be a ‘dual relationship’ which can impair objectivity and/or judgement of the psychologist), I try and find someone for them to refer to (although I don’t know a great deal of psychologists who are Christian so let me know if you are one!). Though technically, all clinical psychologists should be sensitive to a clients’ religious background and it shouldn’t matter that much whether they are Christian or not. Besides, the clinician’s particular branch of ‘Christianity’ may differ to yours.

Whether or not someone is seen by a Christian or non-Christian psychologist, I think the important thing is that one is able to understand how their particular problem affects, or is contributed to by, one’s religious beliefs - whether a clinician helps in that process, or you piece together the connections yourself (through talking with your pastor, friends, family). What matters is that therapy is delivered in a religiously sensitive way. It may contribute a lot or none at all. Of course, if you have a sense that your particular problem is intricately linked to your attitudes towards ‘grace’ or some other Christian doctrine or idea, then it’s probably a good idea to speak to someone who knows what you’re talking about.

If you’re thinking about seeking help, also remember…

1. Psychological therapy is not a substitute for God

Just because a Christian goes to see a psychologist, does not mean that they stop trusting in God. Going to see a psychologist doesn’t mean you’ve given up on the ’spiritual’ and traded it for the ’secular’. Like other physical problems such as having the flu, chronic health problems, or cancer, where God works through doctors, medications to heal a person physically, God can work through counsellors / psychologists to heal a person emotionally / psychologically. We can trust God AND actively seek help. Like any other stressor in life, such as having upcoming exams where we can ask God for a favourable outcome but also study hard at the same time, we can pray for emotional healing but also put into practice what the psychologist has taught in each session.

2. Struggling with a psychological problem does not mean you are a ‘weak’ Christian

Some well meaning people can advise those with emotional problems such as depression and anxiety to ‘pray more’ and ‘trust in God more’, which can come across as implying that those who are struggling don’t do it enough (they may well be). Those struggling with these issues may feel like they are not as strong as others who on the surface, seem to be happy all the time.

The predominant explanation behind ‘why you feel the way you do’ is that unhelpful beliefs and attitudes triggered off by current events and developed throughout the years (particularly when you were a child) are responsible for why you are feeling the way you do. You’ve also learnt various ways of dealing with problems, and over the years have learnt ways to cope (can be positive or negative). For example, you might have a deep seated belief that ‘I’m not good enough as a person’ which makes you feel down, and you cope with that belief by working really hard to achieve in life. A friend of yours may have a similar belief and emotion, but cope with it by consuming alcohol.

We all have different beliefs and attitudes with varying levels of ‘helpfulness’, but for some, under certain circumstances, unhelpful beliefs have been triggered and have led to their current problem. These problems can feel like a ‘test’ for your faith, as it questions the things that you know about God, yourself, the world, others; and what you experience in the world can seem to contradict what you have read in the bible. So, this does not mean you are a weak Christian, put simply, a normal person going through a hard time and struggling to cope with it due to what kinds of beliefs and coping strategies and predominated so far in life.

I hope to write more again soon, so let me know if there is anything you want me to write about!