Biblical stories for psychotherapy and counseling : a sourcebook
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Biblical stories for psychotherapy and counseling : a sourcebook
(Haworth religion and mental health)
Haworth Pastoral Press, c2004
- : hbk
- : pbk
Available at / 3 libraries
-
No Libraries matched.
- Remove all filters.
Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 199-201) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Integrate Biblical spirituality into psychotherapy and examine centuries-old answers to modern psychological questions!
The Joint Commision on the Accreditation of Hospitals now mandates taking spiritual assessments of all patients. This book is devoted to helping therapists employ Biblical spirituality in the actual treatment program. Biblical Stories for Psychotherapy and Counseling: A Sourcebook organizes the wisdom of the Old Testament into episodes that can shed light on specific psychological issues. From the familiar to the obscure, these stories can help us better understand self-esteem, loyalty and obligations, decision making, temptation, anger, morality, various disorders, family dynamics, support systems, developmental issues, recovery issues, aging, suicidal behavior, and more.
From the authors: As brilliant and as penetrating as Freud's insights are, they are limited in the sense that Freud relied heavily on Greek myth and literature for his models and ideas. His view of man was in many ways that of the Greeksa view that concentrated on the pathological underside of man and on the bedrock of his developmental problems. The Greeks could never really shake the sense of doom, the foreboding and the fatalism that led so many great figures in Greek literature and in real life Greek history to depression and, in a surprising number of cases, to suicide. In contrast, the focus of the Bible is far more optimistic; depression can be successfully dealt with, and suicide is a sad error that should beand usually can beavoided. It encourages people to hope and teaches that day-to-day human effort has a purpose and meaning and that heroism is not a fair or useful aim for man to set for himself. The Bible offers the hope of filling every moment of human life with greater meaning and feeling.
New solutions to mental health problems are always welcome. Ours is a new approach, yet a very old one. We present stories that offer a vast treasure of knowledge and wisdom about the way people think and act, and why they do so. The stories are drawn from the Hebrew Bible, a compendium whose latest books are already twenty-four hundred or so years old. Yet, through all those centuries, the basic story of man's searching and yearning has changed little. We shall concentrate on the psychological meaning of these narratives and what they tell us about how their characters dealt with challenges of family, handicap, depression, and more.
You'll also find information drawn from modern clinical research that parallels the Biblical narratives. The wisdom gained from these ancient stories is applied to help people gain self-understanding and deal with their own situations today. For psychotherapists, these Biblical foundation stories can be used as a basis for integrating spirituality into psychotherapy. The story of Moses, who overcame a speech problem, can be applied to the problems of a Midwestern college student, and the account of David and Goliath can help a businessman overcome his fears of lack of macho.
A small sample of the Bible storiesand their clinical implicationsthat you'll find in this volume:
the foundation of self-esteem: Saul
the courage to emigrate: Abraham
assuming responsibility for one's self: Lot's wife
focusing on one's main aim: Sarah and Hagar
dealing with commandments: Abraham and Isaac
dealing with temptations: Adam and Eve
drunkenness and disrespect: Noah
reciprocity between generations: Naomi and Ruth
amoral intellectualism: Balaam
aging: Ecclesiastes
dealing with disability: Moses and Aaron
abandonment: David
protected regression: Jonah
Biblical Stories for Psychotherapy and Counseling: A Sourcebook will become a well-used reference in your professional/teaching collection. These Biblical stories will be helpful to therapists, cle
Table of Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Greek Bias in Medicine
The Greek Bias in Psychology and Psychiatry
Biblical Stories
Chapter 1. Self-Esteem: Strengths, Sources, Disabilities, and Healing
Introduction
The Basis of Self-Image: Adam and Narcissus
Definitions of Strength: David and Goliath
Dealing with Special Gifts: Samson and Delilah
The Source of Health: Elisha and Naaman
The Foundation of Self-Esteem: Saul
The Courage to Emigrate: Abraham
Chapter 2. Obligations and Loyalty to Self and Others
Introduction
Assuming Responsibility for Others: Jonah
Assuming Responsibility for Self: Lot's Wife
Singing One's Own Song: Miriam
Completing Another's Vision: Joshua and Moses
Friendship and Love: David and Jonathan
Saving One's People: Esther
Chapter 3. Making Difficult Decisions
Introduction
Weighing Abilities: Rebecca and Her Two Sons
Focusing on One's Main Aim: Sarah and Hagar
Distinguishing Motivations: Michal, David, and Saul
Two Views of Wisdom: Solomon and the Two Mothers
Two Types of Giving: Cain and Abel
Chapter 4. Commandments, Oaths, Parables, and Temptations
Introduction
Dealing with Commandments: Abraham and Isaac
Dealing with Oaths: Jephthah and His Daughter
Communicating Through Parables: Nathan and David
Dealing with Temptations: Adam and Eve
Rejecting Temptations: Joseph and Potiphar's Wife
Chapter 5. Good and Bad Anger
Introduction
Confronting Immorality: Phinehas
Taking Revenge: Simeon and Levi
Misplaced Mercy, Misplaced Violence: King Saul
Protecting the Innocent: Moses
Escaping Cynicism: Hezekiah versus Rabshakeh
Chapter 6. Various Disorders
Introduction
Overcoming Eating Disorders: Adam and Eve versus Erysichthon
Drunkenness and Disrespect: Noah
Work versus Workaholism: Adam
Unrealistically Heavy Burdens: Cain
Hoarding or Enjoying: Manna
Chapter 7. Overcoming Family Problems
Introduction
Forgiving Deceit: Rachel and Jacob
Covering a Family Problem: Achan
Overcoming a Bad Start: David and Bathsheba
Wise Mate Selection: Rebecca, Isaac, and Eliezer
Kindness for Kindness: Boaz and Ruth
Chapter 8. Parental Blessings, Permission, and Support
Introduction
Being Careful with a Blessing: Isaac and His Sons
Spreading the Blessing Around: Joseph and His Brothers
Supporting One's Son: Hannah and Samuel
Reciprocity Between Generations: Naomi and Ruth
Controlling One's Daughter: Lot
Chapter 9. Good and Bad Development
Introduction
Amoral Intellectualism: Balaam
Totalitarian Utopianism: The Tower of Babel
Acquiring Wisdom: Solomon
Undone by Ambition: Jeroboam
Using Others: Amnon
Chapter 10. Recovery from Misfortune, Weariness, Loss, and Disability
Introduction
Dealing with Disaster: Jeremiah
Feeling Rejected: The Curser
Aging: Ecclesiastes
The Experience of Almost-Loss: Sarah
Dealing with Disability: Moses and Aaron
Knowing That Life Has Meaning: The Fugitive
Chapter 11. Suicide Prevention
Introduction
Recovering form Weariness: Elijah
Feeling Overwhelmed: Moses
Friends in Need: Job
Abandonment: David
Protected Regression: Jonah versus Narcissus
Epilogue: Freud, Oedipus, and the Hebrew Bible
Bibliography
by "Nielsen BookData"