How I've Worked with Secular Therapies
Why you can't stop being discerning
One of my first concerns when I began pursuing treatment for OCD 18 years ago (or so) was that the secular assumptions of the treatment might ask me to do things or believe things that contradicted my faith. In listening to many stories of other Christian OCD sufferers, my fear was not unusual. And I suspect that it’s not an unusual fear for those with other conditions as well. The reality is that many people designing psychological treatments make assumptions about the human person, our teleology and the nature of truth, and some of those assumptions are wrong and can lead to problems in treatment. It’s also the case, in my experience, that traditional therapy can be highly effective and move people toward recovery and healing, even in Christian terms. I’m not about to wade directly into the “biblical counseling” versus “secular counseling” wars, and all the shades in between, but I do want to consider what my experience has been and how I have generally been able to navigate some of the ideas and practices of secular therapy. Specifically, I want to look at three concepts: “Workability,” “Thoughts are Just Thoughts,” and “You are a Good Person.” In my opinion, for most conditions, secular therapy can largely be beneficial so long as you remain as discerning as you should be in any other area of your life.
For a wider treatment of the challenges of modern psychology as a whole, I highly recommend Resisting Therapy Culture: The Dangers of Pop Psychology and How the Church Can Respond, written by my good friend Matthew Loftus. It releases tomorrow and I was honored to write the foreword to it. I highly recommend it.
