The Chaplain’s Blog

Spirituality and wholeness

October 16, 2008 Comment

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In my book, Souls in the Hands of a Tender God, I tell of Morgan, who while recovering from an episode of schizophrenia wrote a letter to his doctor, using language from the Book of Revelation to describe his state of mind: a bottomless pit with smoke rising from it, clouds of locusts that appeared as winged horses with human faces, and so on. Was Morgan becoming delusional again?

At another time, I was talking with a man I’ll call Barry, who had been struggling with mental illness, when he looked into my eyes and said, “I saw my mother last night.” His mother had been dead for two or three months. Was Barry hallucinating, or was this a more-or-less normal bereavement experience?

On yet another occasion, Jessica asked me, “Do you think I’m God?” Jessica was just beginning to pull out of an episode of mania, and I immediately puzzled over whether her question meant her brain was slipping back into sickness or whether the fact that she was checking out the idea with me was a sign of recovery, a “reality check,” so to speak.

Questions of spirituality often arise when persons experience mental illness, and those of us who tend to the spiritual care of others must try to differentiate between a healthy-minded spirituality and the symptoms of illness. A depressed person may be convinced that she has committed an unpardonable sin and has been cut off from God. Someone struggling with bipolar disorder may, in the midst of mania, see himself as a figure of divinity or power—Jesus, perhaps, or the Pope. Schizophrenia may cause a person to believe he or she hears the voice of God giving strange instructions—or sees a figure that looks like the devil, mocking or threatening.

Just as our brain can create bizarre dreams while we sleep, our waking brain, when imbalanced, can conjure up distressing symptoms of a quasi-spiritual or pseudoreligious character.

One of my tasks as a spiritual caregiver is to help people explore and understand the nature of the brain—how it functions and what its vulnerabilities are. We do this together through a dialogue that brings to bear spiritual wisdom. Just as the medical care team provides diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation, a spiritual care provider can help a person explore the spiritual practices, religious resources, and faith community relationships that contribute to healing and wholeness.

Science and psychiatry focus on how religiosity emerges in the brain to cause certain symptoms of brain disorders. Spiritual care focuses on the experience of faith in the midst of mental illness. In recent decades, science and psychiatry have made enormous strides in understanding illnesses of the brain. It is time that we develop programs and professions of spiritual care to meet the needs of psychiatric patients and their families to make the healing process one of a journey to wholeness.

Peace,

Craig

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How can we fix it?

October 07, 2008 Comment

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by Craig Rennebohm and David PaulOctober 3In last week’s blog, we wrote about our broken mental healthcare system, concluding with the fact that ... read on

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Broken systems

September 25, 2008 Comment

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by Craig Rennebohm and David Paul September 25 Our country is now in the midst of a financial crisis so serious, we are told, that it could ... read on

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The perfect storm: a view from the street

September 17, 2008 Comment

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by Craig Rennebohm September 15 Often we are so focused on meeting immediate needs that we have little time to look ahead. What is happening on the ... read on

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Let’s turn the dial to the calm side

September 10, 2008 Comment

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by Craig Rennebohm September 9 I listen occasionally to the wide range of radio news and talk shows, and now and then I tune in to the ... read on

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Hidden from the system

September 05, 2008 Comment

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by Craig Rennebohm September 5 These past couple of weeks I’ve found myself working with several families consisting of older parents who have a mentally ill son ... read on

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Breathing deeply

August 28, 2008 Comment

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by Craig Rennebohm August 28, 2008 I met with a couple who had asked to see me, seeking support for their journey together with mental illness. Mrs. ... read on

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We are not alone

August 13, 2008 Comment

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by David Paul Wednesday, August 13 When people are depressed, it's often the case that they feel quite alone in their sadness, lack of energy, or hopelessness. ... read on

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