How do you reconcile faith in god with therapy?

[Mach123]

This is hard and I understand your question. The church couldn't help me with my repressed memories, my PTSD or CSA? I thought I should forget those things or try and pray them away. I think there are lots of people in the church with mental illness going untreated because they question it, like you. I never hit it off with the people I met in churches after I was married because I didn't get along with anyone, anywhere. My kids went to the little school there and I tried to get involved years ago so they saw enough of us to "get the picture." Sometimes I think to myself, I'd like to tell them. Somehow or other though I have my faith still. God never showed me why I was like that nor did he explain my 2 handicapped daughters. I just always think to myself "this was all his idea." I feel like there is so much to say about this but I want to erase my post so, I'll just leave it at this.

 

[Gs172003]

Do you feel conflicted between trusting in the therapy process and trusting in God? I struggle...

I feel like God places people in our life to help us. Therapists are one of them.

 

[Changing4Best]

My therapist and I discuss sometimes things about prayer or what God would think of something I did or didn't do that I should have. She acknowledges what I say on the subject anyway, rather than really discusses it, I suppose. She will nod or something to let me know that she understands what I am talking about, in terms of my relationship with God. I think that God maybe allows certain things to happen, but he does not cause them, if we are talking about traumas. I believe Satan causes the bad things. I get this opinion from reading the book of Job in the Bible.

I also discuss some therapeutic/ spiritual matters with my pastor. Some areas of my life coincide into both categories. I tell each of them a bit of what I have discussed with the other. It all works out. No problems.

 

[mumstheword]

I think everyone is God's vessel if they are committed to loving care and honestly, so if my therapist(s) have a kind heart and the right attitude then God is able to.minister to me through them.
I don't go to Church. Can't trusts groups that proclaim spirituality so much, but I have very strong faith. No conflict at all between God/Love/Life/Reality (as opposed to some words written and translated by men about God) and therapy. It says in the bible "the kingdom of God is Within" and "Thou shall have no other Gods before me" in other words placing a book, a doctrine, a church, a belief, etc, before the living God is a major sin. God is everywhere, even inside therapists. "God is a Spirit and God is Love.".
And "the truth shall set you free".

 

[Supervixn]

Our relationship with God is a highly personal one. But I'd reconsider your view of God. It's putting a lot of angst in your words, words that come from the heart. I'm sad to hear you feel so victimized by God. The God I know has helped me not to feel so horribly alone... and the more I pray and focus on my relationship with God, the less impact cPTSD has on my mentality, the better I treat other people, the more worth I feel as a human being. I think you don't have an educated view of who God is or the love He has for you. I gently encourage you to seek some answers, being careful where you seek, of course.

If you can think of it in terms of energy; God is ALL GOOD/positive. The opposition/devil being ALL BAD/negative. People, even spiritual people, often struggle with the question of why bad things happen, why is life so hard? Because it's a spiritual battle. We are in an invisible battle. It's a battle every single day. But God is rooting for you. God is in control but yes, our gift is free will. Not everyone who utilizes free will will do it with good will... that's why there are so many bad people.

Please reconsider. Please look for answers... you will find them! You will be entirely grateful. You're important to God, you're known better by God than anyone on Earth as His wonderfully unique creation. God is love. God is good. God is never the problem-- He is the solution. God loves you, my friend.

 

[Justmehere]

If you are up for it, I’d suggest reading through the book of Proverbs and Psalms. There are a ton of good principles in there about hard work, and therapy is really hard work. There are also quite a few verses about the importance of seeking out wise counsel.

I’d reframe this as doing the hard work of seeking out counsel and help in therapy as sign of trust in God, not the lack of it.

 

[Still Standing]

In response to Suzetig's question..simply put, I am not trusting God to guide me through this journey but am compromising my faith by seeking out human help. This was my initial struggle when first going to therapy. But, recently, as someone else shared in this thread, I compared utilizing this service with that of going to a medical doctor or dentist. If I trust them to help, why not a psychologist? When I looked at it in this way, I was much more at peace with counseling. And when I came to this conclusion, therapy became a bit easier for me. So, I was just wondering how all of you juggled your faith with counseling. And for me, my age puts me back into the "dark ages" when going to a psychiatrist was a socially degrading thing. It was also used as a punishment for me as a school girl by my mentally ill mother...so there are few negative influences that I have had to work through in order to put my foot inside the psychologist's office.

 

[arabianhorselover]

I see zero conflict and seriously worry about the perpetuation of this myth. What ends are served b...

Wow. I love this. You said this so well. Now I just have to remember it.

 

[Muted]

Our relationship with God is a highly personal one. But I'd reconsider your view of God. It's putti...

Well said on all of it @Supervixn , I wholeheartedly agree with you. I find people often don’t understand why God isn’t to blame for the evil in this world.

 

[MrMoonlight]

I am taking my hand out of God's and putting it into another's.

If you believe in the genesis story God created for you this world, and everything in it. From earth we were created, and from the rib of another. We are supposed to seek help and love from others because we are others and that was the intent. If god is love and you recieve love in whatever form from your therapist guess where that comes from?

 

[Tinyflame]

God never harms, people do (or don't, or love), I feel.

 

[Survivor2018]

One thing I have learned through my faith and therapy is that God doesn't work on my time. Reality is not as simple as what we see in our day to day and what happens in the now may not be what he can see for my overall big picture of life. I keep faith in him that he knows the end game and through that faith I make choices that I feel are best and he navigates me through those choices by giving me the discernment to make them. I don't blame him for bad things or when things dont work out or for my illness because those things are meant to be and without those circumstances I wouldn't be who I am now. This isn't to say I don't get upset or jaded at life, just not at him.