Jesus + meds + therapy can equal healing: break the stigma around therapy and meds in the church

 

    Therapy wasn't talked about very much when I was growing up. If you heard someone was in therapy it was extremely rare. Especially among Christians. Therapy was for people pre-marriage, who were struggling in their marriage or for someone who was struggling in life to detrimetal levels. I only heard about it in these terms of these circumstances. I never heard about it any other times. And meds? Those were only for the "crazy" people. These 2 things were not seen as helpful to someone's overall well-being and brain functioning nor talked about as so. There was a "hush, hush, let's not talk about it" around these topics. 

    The first time I was exposed to counselling as a positive was my freshman year in college in one of the psychology courses I had to take to fulfill my requirements as a Social Work major. It was in this class, that I heard that all sorts of people are in counselling. Not just the engaged, the married and the severely depressed. I was taken aback. It still wasn't nearly as common as today but I heard that people would go for various reasons and not just if they were at the end of their rope which was something I rarely heard about before, if ever. 

    The first time I was exposed to the idea of taking medicine to help brain functioning was at the end of my freshman year of college. See, I struggled with focusing in classes all growing up to a degree that diminished my grades significantly. I was exhausted constantly, always prone to take naps because it took me longer to study and get things done so I would be up later than others trying to study or write research papers. I struggled to focus in conversations with others at times because though I was quieter, my brain was constantly thinking of a million different things all at once making it hard for me to be present with others to an extent that hurt friendships and left people feeling unheard, unseen and me feeling bad. 

    Most of my life, I felt present but not fully present as if there was always this strip of cling film wrapped around my brain, making things blurry when I would try to recall events and conversations. One of my mom's friends was sharing about her daughter and how she had similar struggles in school and she told her about a medicine that she put her on to help her focus better and stay more organized. The summer before my sophomore year of college, I paid a visit to my doctor and started that same medicine. And honestly, it was life changing. I felt more present with others, like I was able to actually stay focused on academic tasks without taking so many breaks and less exhausted as it didn't take me as long to practice memorizing things for tests. It was like the cling film was lifted from my brain. 

    I know of other friends that struggle with anxiety and depression that have found so much relief from taking medicine versus just trying natural things and coping mechanism to help them cope with these things. It really is incredible how God designed our brains but how some of our brains are missing something because we're imperfect due to generational trauma or other things that may have shaped our brains but that He has gifted people in pharmaceutical science to meet us in that and create things that help brain functioning to improve a person's overall well-being. It really is such a gift! 

    By the same token, friends and myself have found therapy to be really beneficial as well. Therapy has helped myself and others find healthy ways to process things, cope with things and grow overall as a person. I don't doubt that God has gifted people in the counselling field as well. Just like we have different passions, talents and life purposes, so do those that go into counselling fields and seek to help others. So it bothers me after how far we've come over the years, that there are still Christians out there who will seek to blame anxiety, depression and other things on someone "not having enough faith".  Yes, there is ultimate healing in Jesus yes he is the only way to new life and eternal life in Heaven but, the world is fallen and I truly believe that solely praying for Jesus to take away anxiety and depression isn't always the answer. A writer I love called Hannah Brencher wrote a lot about this topic in one of her earlier books, "Fighting Forward". I recommend checking it out if you ever get the chance. She does a great job at explaining her journey with depression and going on medicine and how she learned that God was in that and that it wasn’t about “just having more faith”. 

     In Jesus, there is ultimate soul and heart healing but the world is fallen and full of sin so because of that I truly believe that that means that we will have things that we will always battle but in his grace, he provides people to help us battle these things, whether that's by means of medication, therapy or both. I think that he provides peace in the midst of dealing with mental health struggles (that's what I've found in my surrendering throughout facing these things, peace in the midst of the struggle and work to help deal with it) but I don't think he fully takes them away if we "just have more faith".  

Here are 3 reasons based on the Bible why I disagree with that standpoint:

1.) We are called to seek wisdom from others and therapists can offer the counsel/wisdom we need

Proverbs 11:14 (NIV) states, "For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers"

Psalm 32:8 (NIV) states, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you."

    King Solomon wrote Proverbs as a book to be a book of wisdom. I believe that while he uses the word "nation" in Proverbs 11:14, he is talking to people general as individuals and that he's using how nations can collapse as an example for how people can collapse if not given proper advice. We need others' counsel, we cannot rely on ourselves alone and sometimes those "other people" will include trained therapists. 

    David wrote the Psalms as a way to express praise, laments and share his reflections from his personal walk with the Lord. In them, we see how close David was to God and that as he chatted with Him about literally everything and expressed his feelings about things happening in his life to Him. He learned how to approach life the more he prayed and stayed in touch with God. I believe that what David is pointing us to in Psalm 32:8 is that God will nudge us to do things as He teaches and guides us. One of those things may include going to therapy so if someone is a believer and feels drawn to go to counselling then I believe that is the Holy Spirit prodding them and that they should seek therapy to be the place where they can receive more counsel. 

2.) God provided medical care for us which includes caring for our mental health, not just physical

    In the same way, God provided us with doctors to help us when we catch a disease, get a broken bone or need a surgery; God also provided us with scientists, psychologists and counselors that can help us when our brains aren't functioning as they are meant to.

1 Corinthians 12: 4-11 (NIV) says, 

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines." 

    What Paul is talking about is how once one accepts Christ they receive the Holy Spirit, when one receives the Holy Spirit, then they receive different gifts. I believe that when he talks about the gift of healing and a message of wisdom if you apply it to today's world, he's referring to those gifted in medicine and counselling. God gave certain people these gifts and He wants others to seek them for help if needed and allow them to use their gifts. You can have faith and a strong faith at that, and still feel the need to seek therapy or be put on medicine for anxiety and depression if your brain is missing those chemicals and needs some extra assistance. It doesn't make you any less of a Christian to wrestle with these things and seek help as needed. 

3.) We weren't promised a suffering free life

Jesus states in  Matthew 16:33 (NIV),  "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

    Because this world is fallen, we were not promised a pain-free life. We just simply aren't. God won't restore and heal everything on this earth but He will one day defeat all evil and destruction and create a New Heaven and New Earth. In the meantime though, we will suffer. Whether that's through physical ailments, struggles with mental health or both. However, he does promise that he will give us peace when we seek him which is why we can struggle with these things and not be fully healed but continue to have an inexplicable peace. 

    I've felt deep deep pain in this life at times but despite the pain I felt, couldn't help but feel peace when I would seek God. The deep pain would even lessen overtime, the more I sought God. Even while there was hurt, I felt like someone was holding me through the hurt. I can't explain it, I know it sounds weird.  I also have felt nudged to go to therapy to deal with things and through it found wisdom on things I can do to heal. Wisdom, I wouldn't have had I not gone because I am limited in dealing with the problem on my own. 

    I could probably say more on this topic but I think for now, I'll leave it at that. I hope that today you found what I had to say encouraging or insightful in some way. Know that if you are a Christian who is being shamed for taking medicine or being in therapy to help you deal with your mental health, don't let those comments get to you. What you're doing isn't against the Bible or doesn't mean you're lacking faith. You are a human who wasn't promised a perfect life on this earth and so depression, anxiety or mental struggles may be a part of that for you. It's brave of you to seek help when you know it will benefit you as a whole. 

Hope you have a great weekend/week!

-Amy