Ancient Christian Wisdom and Aaron Beck's Cognitive Therapy


Book Description

Ancient Christian Wisdom and Aaron Beck's Cognitive Therapy details a colorful journey deep into two seemingly disparate worlds united by a common insight into the way our thinking influences our emotions, behaviors, and ultimately our lives. In this innovative study about mental and spiritual health, readers are not only provided with a thorough introduction to the elegant theory and practical techniques of cognitive therapy, they are also initiated into the perennial teachings of ascetics and monks in the Greek-speaking East and Latin-speaking West whose powerful writings not only anticipated many contemporary findings, but also suggest unexplored pathways and breathtaking vistas for human growth and development. This groundbreaking interdisciplinary volume in the art of pastoral counseling, patristic studies, and the interface between psychology and theology will be a coveted addition to the working libraries of pastors and psychologists alike. In addition, it is ideal as a textbook for seminary classes in pastoral theology and pastoral counseling, as well as for graduate courses in psychology dealing with the relationship between psychological models and religious worldviews.




Faith-Based ACT for Christian Clients


Book Description

Faith-Based ACT for Christian Clients balances empirical evidence with theology to give clinicians a deep understanding of not just the "why" but also the "how" of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Christian clients. Chapters include a detailed exploration of the overlap between ACT and the Christian faith, case studies, and techniques that are explicitly designed to be accessible to non-Christian as well as Christian (including evangelical Christian) counselors and therapists. Chapters present the established research on mindfulness and ACT, including a nuanced, non-dichotomous view of complex issues such as medication, and lay a firm theological foundation through the use of engaging biblical stories and metaphors.




The Judaic Foundations of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy


Book Description

What does rabbinical Judaism have to teach us about the way the mind works? How do the rabbis of the Talmud, Middle Ages, and our own time shed light on emotional disturbances, and on the cognitive-behavioral therapies used to treat them? In this panoramic view of rabbinical Judaism, psychiatrist Ronald Pies MD shows how cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT) rely on psychological principles found in both ancient and modern Judaic writings. “The interplay between thought and deed is a central feature of Judaic affirmation. Control the thought and the deed will follow. Dr. Ronald Pies’s book explores this connection in depth, and the inter-relationships that he weaves are at once illuminating and empowering.” –Rabbi Dr. Reuven P. Bulka




The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)


Book Description

Why should modern psychotherapists be interested in philosophy, especially ancient philosophy? Why should philosophers be interested in psychotherapy? There is a sense of mutual attraction between what are today two thoroughly distinct disciplines. However, arguably it was not always the case that they were distinct. The author takes the view that by reconsidering the generally received wisdom concerning the history of these closely-related subjects, we can learn a great deal about both philosophy and psychotherapy, under which heading he includes potentially solitary pursuits such as "self-help" and "personal development".




A Guide to Orthodox Psychotherapy


Book Description

In 2000 the American Psychological Association, in an important attempt to bring religious issues and traditions to the attention of psychotherapists, included in its Handbook of Psychotherapy and Religious Diversity a chapter on psychotherapy with Eastern Orthodox Christians. This chapter discusses the pivotal efforts of Metropolitan Hierotheos and Archbishop Chrysostomos to bring together the ancient teachings of the Christian East with the science of modern psychology. In this work, the relationship between psychology and religion is analyzed. It presents an analysis of the teachings of the Eastern Church Fathers on the world, man, and the psychological aspects of the union of man with God. Archbishop Chrysostomos works into his presentation the extent of his own research as well as the writings of Metropolitan Hierotheos, which include attempts to evaluate the place, significance, and the effectiveness of Orthodox psychotherapy in secular psychotherapy and its application in the clinical setting.




Meditation as Spiritual Therapy


Book Description

Christian persons today might seek spiritual development and ponder the benefit of mindfulness exercises but also maintain concerns if they perceive such exercises to originate from other religious traditions. Such persons may not be aware of a long tradition of meditation practice in Christianity that promotes personal growth. This spiritual tradition receives a careful formulation by Christian monastic authors in the twelfth century. One such teaching on meditation is found in the treatise De consideratione written by St. Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153) to Pope Eugene III (d. 1153). In textual passages where St. Bernard exhibits a clear concern for the mental health of the Pope (due to numerous ongoing ecclesial, political, and military problems), St. Bernard reminds Eugene III of his original monastic vocation and the meditation exercises associated with that vocation. The advice that St. Bernard gives to Eugene III can be received today in a way that provides a structure for Christian meditation practice which is relevant for personal development, spiritual direction, and civil psychotherapy that integrates a client's spirituality into the course of treatment. St. Bernard thus might be interpreted as a teacher of a kind of Christian mindfulness that can benefit both a person's mental health as well as a person's relationship with God. Meditation as Spiritual Therapy examines the historical context of Bernard's work, his purpose for writing it, as well as the numerous Christian sources he drew upon to formulate his teaching. Bernard's teaching on the course of meditation itself is explored in depth and in dialogue with his other treatises, letters, and sermons. Lastly, a contemporary summary of Bernard's teaching is provided with reflections concerning the relationship of this teaching to contemporary spiritual direction and spiritually integrated civil psychotherapy.




When Hearts Become Flame


Book Description

Whatever else he or she does, the pastoral counselor, same as the priest at the Divine Altar, enters into a call and response relationship, invoking Gods presence and seeking to be receptive to Gods activity unfolding in the here and now. The intention of pastoral counseling must be to offer Christ to the other (and receive Him) while serving at the altar of the human heart.




Ethics Lost in Modernity


Book Description

Ethics Lost in Modernity: Reflections on Wittgenstein and Bioethics turns to the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein as a guide to understand the immense success—yet great danger—of bioethics. Matthew Vest traces the story of bioethics since its inception in the late 1960s as a way to uncover a number of hidden assumptions within modern ethics that relies upon scientific theorizing as the fundamental way of thinking. Autonomy and utilitarianism, in particular, are two nearly unquestioned goals of scientific theorizing that are easily accessible, but at what cost? Vest argues that such an ethics enacts a thin moral calculation that runs the risk of enslaving ethics to scientism. Far from the depth of religious ethos and practices of virtue, modern ethics is lost amidst thin ethical theories, enacting a language game that instrumentalizes ethics in service of technological, bureaucratic, and professional end goals. He proposes that true moral living is far from anti–science, but rather is envisioned best when ethics and science are balanced with keen insights from ancient sacred cosmology.




In Peace Let Us Pray to the Lord


Book Description

For many, the modern Pentecostal Movement can be a perplexing and mystifying world. In this masterful work, Fr. Alexis Trader provides one patristic answer to the questions that Pentecostalism raises, an answer fully grounded in Holy Scripture, and accessible through the spiritual life of stillness. Fr. Alexis deftly shows how the Church that experienced and was established at Pentecost, the Orthodox Church, can illumine our understanding of the history, experience, and teaching of Pentecostalism, while simultaneously providing a pathway to the gifts of the Spirit where seemingly confusing Biblical passages are placed in a context that brings clarity. Without a doubt, this is the best and fullest work dealing with this topic in the English language.




Quality of Life Therapy


Book Description

Note: Book no longer includes a CD-ROM, but the files are available online for download for both book and ebook purchasers at www.wiley.com/go/frisch "This book defines an approach to well-being and positive psychology, that is state-of-the-art, evidence-based, empirically validated, and an outstanding guide for anyone interested in learning about the practice of positive psychology or well-being." —Ed Diener, the world authority on happiness from the University of Illinois and President of the International Positive Psychology Association. Endorsed by Christopher Peterson of the University of Michigan and taught in Marty Seligman's Masters in Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Program at the University of Pennsylvania, this book teaches a simple, step-by-step method for putting the fields of well-being and positive psychology into practice. It is a "one-stop shopping" manual with everything you need in one book and with one approach. This approach to greater happiness, meaning, and success is “evidence-based” and empirically validated. It has been successfully tested in three randomized controlled trials, including two NIH-grant funded trials conducted by James R. Rodrigue and his colleagues at Beth Israel and Harvard Medical Centers in Boston. Quality of Life Therapy also known as Quality of Life Therapy and Coaching or QOLTC is designed for use by therapists, coaches, organizational change-agents/consultants, and all professionals who work to improve peoples' well-being. Many laypersons and clients have found the book useful as well. This book explains the "Sweet 16" Recipe for Joy and Success, along with validated interventions for each: 1. Basic Needs or Wealths: Health, Money, Goals-and-Values/Spiritual Life, Self-Esteem 2. Relationships: Love, Friends, Relatives, and Children 3. Occupations-Avocations: Work and Retirement Pursuits, Play, Helping-Service, Learning, Creativity 4. Surroundings: Home, Neighborhood, Community