Orthodox Psychology

[Daniel]

Daniel,

I have been very interested in the subject of Orthodox psychology. This article on Vladyka Alexander's web site is easy to read and quite interesting: http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets ... deev_e.htm

Thanks.

Thanks for the link, Olya. I 'll just have to find time to read it all.

[away]

I just read the article and it is very good. One of the best things I have read about psychotherapy. Thankyou very much for posting this and thank God for giving me a way to balance my crazy views out and be humbled a little during Lent.

Good discussion, Im glad there are some people to learn from who can help with these things.

[Etienne]

Psychology/psychotherapy/counselling are sometimes overlapping or fuzzy labels used inter-changeably.

I recall reading two papers a couple years ago on the efficacy of different types of psychotherapy. Both were conducted for the UKs National Health Service.

As I remember what appeared to count was not the type of psychotherapy but the 'skill' of the therapist. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) did have measurable benefits in relation to 'depression'.

One thing Father Alexis of the Saint Edward Brotherwood at Brookwood, Surrey, used to relate was he sometimes talked over mutual concerns with a psychiatrist at the nearby Cambridge Military Hospital.

Before retiring I used to use some of these techniques with my patients but also took account of Patristic teaching too. My colleagues simply assumed I worked in an eclectic manner.

Great care needs taking with these approaches as they may be hostile to much that a believer holds dear. But just as a Priest may send to someone to a physician for treatment, so it may be necessary to send some for treatment of a no less real 'disorder' which needs a different very skilled approach.