is there no God in psychiatry?

[markn902]

Hi I recently went to see a psychiatrist as I have issues. Anyway it was the first time I actually went to see a  shrink and during a two hour questioning period we went over countless things..substance abuse..physical abuse..how I am feeling all that sort of stuff. But she never asked me about God or even what religious upbringing I had. I thought that was odd because wouldn't that have some sort of importance in the way people think? What if I had been raised in a apocalyptic isolationist sect? ( oh wait I was lol )

But seriously no mention at all I would have volunteered the info but I have a rule about not talking about God unless someone asks me. Keeps me from speaking out of my own vanity. And no one ever asks me except one time I was talking to a pastor about something else and she did ask but that is a story worthy of it's own post.

I figured people here at BT may have some experience at some point or another with this sort of thing and I was just wondering if that is normal. Do psychiatrists just disregard this? or is this just her? It doesn't really matter it wouldn't have effected the outcome I don't think..anyway any input on this would be greatly appreciated thanks in advance

Mark

[Duane]

After my stroke, I talked to a number of psychiatrists and psycholgists and religion never got mentioned.  They were more interested in the mental illness that runs though our family tree.  Anytime they gave me pschotropic drugs of any kind they totally screwed up my mind and mental processes.  You will soon learn that there is a real problem between medical doctors and psychiatrists.  You will
find that no matter WHAT drugs a doctor has you on a psychiatrists will find reason to change them ALL (wasting thousands of dollars of drugs) because they feel their advanced degrees make them SUPERIOR to whatever doctors prescribe or diagnose you.

Having dealt with a number of psychiatrists personally and professionally, I find them to be doctors who haven't resolved their own personal demons so they went on to further study hoping to resolve their OWN problems with the hope of eventually helping others.

As far as surgeons, I held the hand of the surgeon while saying a prayer for wisdom for him in the surgery.  He seemed to appreciate it. 

My two cents about speaking out for the Lord to all is "the Great Commission".  I don't worry about self-pride when Speaking out for
God or B-T.  I figure I am going to run right into flack but who cares?  After all, someone "chanced" talking to ME!
   

[arion]

A psychiatrist has two tools in the box, drugs and feelings.  They can medicate people which in most cases just papers over the underlaying problems or they can muddle around in the soulish area by analyzing your feelings about certain things but does any of that actually get to the root of the problem?  Contemporary psychiatry as promolgulated by Freud and Jung does nothing about the root issues as these are beyond the scope of man to deal with.  Indeed Freud, Jung and others were nuttier than fruitcakes themselves (IMO) and these men are the bedrock that modern psychiatry came from.  As an example this is from the wiki on Freud and this was Freud's view of God;

'Freud regarded the monotheistic god as an illusion based upon the infantile emotional need for a powerful, supernatural pater familias. He maintained that religion — once necessary to restrain man's violent nature in the early stages of civilization — in modern times, can be set aside in favor of reason and science.[93] "Obsessive Actions and Religious Practices" (1907) notes the likeness between faith (religious belief) and neurotic obsession.[94] Totem and Taboo (1913) proposes that society and religion begin with the patricide and eating of the powerful paternal figure, who then becomes a revered collective memory.[95] In Civilization and its Discontents (1930), he describes religion as an "oceanic sensation" he never experienced, (despite being a self-identified cultural Jew).[96] Moses and Monotheism (1937) proposes that Moses was the tribal pater familias, killed by the Jews, who psychologically coped with the patricide with a reaction formation conducive to their establishing monotheist Judaism;[97] analogously, he described the Roman Catholic rite of Holy Communion as cultural evidence of the killing and devouring of the sacred father.[98] Moreover, he perceived religion, with its suppression of violence, as mediator of the societal and personal, the public and the private, conflicts between Eros and Thanatos, the forces of life and death.[99] Later works indicate Freud's pessimism about the future of civilization, which he noted in the 1931 edition of Civilization and its Discontents.[100]'


I as well have some issues and modern psychology would place a label of a schizoid personality disorder on me (similar to schizophrenia without the delusional aspects) but how can we understand anything about ourselves from so called professionals whose whole life view relegates even the notion of 'God' to fantasy?  I wouldn't make a grand sweeping statement that there is nothing that such people might do to help you understand yourself but I certainly wouldn't look to them for any anwers.  How can a discipline that rejects God at the heart of it do much to assist us in understand exactly what God is accomplishing in our lives?  The Lord knows the issues we are dealing with and He has the answers for us alone.  Unfortunately some things in life we just have to muddle through the best we can and trust that the Lord will indeed provide a light to our path even in the midst of our stumbling and frail steps.

[judith collier]

Dear Mark, I made the mistake once of mentioning God to a psychiatrist and they kept me in the hospital for 2 more weeks thinking i was delusional.
BUT, I have one now for medication purposes and he asked me what my spirituality consisted of. I told him some of my background and he said "that isn't what i asked you" I had to stop and think but finally said "love". He seemed very much to like this answer and said that was "beautiful". This man is Hindu and REALLY listens to me. He is a sweetheart and a very outstanding dct. in the community. So, you can't judge them all by a few or even several. If a Dct. has understanding of a spiritual nature you will sense it. My family Dct. blew me away once when i told him "there seemed to be no end to me and my problems" He said, "that's why we need a Savior!
judy

[markn902]

Thank you all for your responses I am really seeing this doctor for medication I thought I would be completely honest with a doctor for once and see what they had to say. I just found it odd that there was no questions about religion as I would think that was important. But then again im not a Dr 

That was some good insight into the roots of modern psychology Arion I did not know that. Sometimes I wonder if science/technology/psychology will be the idol that everyone turns to sometime in the future. As we become more advanced and mainstream religion has so many flaws I wonder if, in the future, people will turn away from God altogether and renounce religion as myth and the cause of wars and such. Thereby making themselves (man) as God. Maybe not anytime soon but who knows what humanity will have advanced to in 100 years. It seems to fall in line with my understanding of revelations anyway. I mean I know revelations is a process that is happening now for many people but there will be an end to this age at some point and I wonder if that is where we are headed?

Just wild speculation on my part but it is conceivable. There will always be those called and truth will remain I believe right till the end but it will be isolated kinda like now but worse. Anyway I am bipolar if anyone was wondering and just looking for some sort of stabilizer. The thing is in the 2 months it took to get the appt I have felt great! So we'll see thanks again for your responses they are helpful.

Mark

[lilitalienboi16]

Science is the study of the natural world. God is considered a super natural being, as in He cannot be measured or observed by anything we currently have in science today. Claiming the beauty and complexity you see around you is proof and measure of God doesn't fly in science. It doesn't work that way.

Psychology and anything taught scholarly in our secular world today is based around science, the study of the natural world.

Therefor, psychologists will not evoke the idea of God when dealing with people because it was not what there studies were based around. If you go to a special psychologist whom comes from a private religious school with a legitimate degree, then you might find much more faith centered therapy, but not in the secular world.

As a student actively involved in our every day scientific world, i can say that the notion of God is non existent. God is not even there in our schools today and in science. The idea, the possibility is never even whispered.

Thats just my two cents on the whole thing.

[space.ace.jase]

Having been to a couple of psychologist I personally see them as a great help. I sometimes get so caught up with my own thoughts that they drive me insane and having that person help me stop and see where I am going wrong has had a massive benefit for me. I was also put on anxiety medication which transformed my life.

Having said that God is the one who has given me the strength to get by day by day and shown me some wisdom of why we are here and what this life is all about.

I think psychology is more about helping you find your own answers rather than them telling you the answers hence why they would not really mention anything about God. I believe that they also have ethical guidelines which they cannot cross eg. trying to push a religion or belief on someone who is in a vulnerable state of mind.

[G. Driggs]

When I was a teenager I was put into an psychiatric jail for suicidal thoughts. The psychiatrist who put me in there said I was schizophrenic.

I talked with another psychiatrist in the that jail and went into great lengths about my belief in "the antichrist" and how all Roman Catholics and the Pope are in on it. Not too long after this talk, they decided I wasn't schizophrenic and released me. Funny they didn't think this belief in "the antichrist" was crazy. Looking back this was one of the craziest things I believed, I mean I was really sick.

Personally, I think Jesus the Physician can heal someone through doctors, naturalists, psychologists and psychiatrists just as easily He can do it by speaking it, no limits. It seems lately more often than not He uses doctors to do just that.

Good to see you feeling better Mark .

G.Driggs

[Duane]

As many of you know, and some experienced, psychologists TALK and psychiatrists MEDICATE.  Both have a function but talking doesn't "fix" a chemical imbalance in the brain that causes many mental illnesses but some pyschiatrists try to fix "talking" situations with medications.
In my case, medicine was administered when not needed and it altered my thinking making me really "screwed up" and it wasn't until AFTER I got off the drugs that I returned to "normal".  BUT, I got a couple of "wake-ups" when I put dry cat food in my cereal bowl with milk and sugar!  Yuck!  I also disassembled our floor lamp in the middle of the floor during a nightly adventure.  These things stopped when my medication wore off but DON'T THINK the shrink would own up to his part in messing me up!
Hope this guides someone to the "right" help.  Duane

[noeleena]

Hi,

I dont have a lot of time for Psychs  because of as said they have more detail going on they cant work through of then selfs.  so how can they help others.

With in our community im involved with we know far more than they ever will because they are not us & have no real idear were we are coming from. yet they the A ,P .A ,   really have no clues ,yet wont to tell us what to do . & even now are trying  to change things to suit them selfs . as to them haveing accsess to meds is not good . iv seen what can happen .

& haveing said that , there are some good people with in there ranks . tho not many.

...noeleena...

[markn902]

Hi everyone I want to thank everyone for their input again and update you all. I did get some meds one in the morning and one at night. The night one was supposed to help me sleep as well as (I guess) help with other things. However it did not help me sleep it actually made it harder to sleep and when I woke up in the morning I felt like I was coming out of a coma lol. So I stopped taking those and the morning one is working I guess I don't really feel different but I don't feel bad.

So that being said I have faith in God that what will happen will happen and I will see the reason later. I have dealt with stuff since I was little. As I know many of us here have. I'm just gonna keep on keeping on and be happy with the family I am blessed with now. 

[cjwood]

bloom where you are planted...

claudia