151: Lectio Divina in daily life 4: Lectio as a Therapy

Continuation of 102: Lectio Divina in daily life 3 (please click here)

II - Lectio in the course of time

1. Lectio as a “therapy”

a) Lectio and psychology

Lectio is a therapeutic method. In fact, Christ is the Doctor, who knows us perfectly, and who daily speaks words to us in conformity with our needs as he sees them. Usually doctors of psychotherapy do not know us well enough and, ignorant of our true needs, do not know how to determine what should or should not be done; they cannot see the hidden recesses of our souls. But here Christ himself is at work… Moreover, the two dimensions, both the psychological and the spiritual one, are wholly present. Obviously this pertains to the broadest band of people, who are healthy; those suffering from pathological illnesses should seek medical help.

Beyond this, the Word of Christ has a purifying action. “Already you are clean, because of the word that I have spoken to you” (Jn 15:3). Lectio, which is an encounter with his word, also has this purifying effect.

This section will be of interest to all those who deal with psychology.

Today, thanks to progress in the field of psychology, we can easily recognize how Christ’s words bring psychological healing to the soul, psychological healing to our blindness. He works in the human soul, and enters deeply into the psyche. In the Sermon on the Mount, he shows us that not only our acts call for healing but our hearts also need to be healed. “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment” (Mt 5:21-22). But Christ also deals with the little Pharisee who is in each of us, and in doing so he unveils the mechanisms of the human soul. For example, in the St. Matthew’s Gospel, an entire chapter deals with the mechanisms of hipocrisy which divide the human soul (Mt 23). Their unveiling leads to the unifying work in the depths of our being. But in other passages, Christ speaks to the Pharisee in us, to “the prodigal son”, to “the adulteress who has been forgiven”, and so on. To the outside world one wants to appear pure, but the deepest roots of our being are entangled in contradictions. Instead of imagining a world that is pure, or barren, or black on one side and white on the other, filled with people who are either bad or good, Christ wants us to learn to become aware of our shadows, our undisclosed motivations, which we do not normally acknowledge or quite simply ignore although very real. When you fast or do good works (Mt 6) do not seek to blazon it abroad nor attract approval or praise.

Christ came to free with his power the depths of the human heart, and this is precisely what the Sermon on the Mount is all about: “and I say to you”… I will reveal your depths to you… if you are willing to see them.

Thus we come to understand that not only the world is a mix of black and white, but we too are. This discovery is quite an uncomfortable one; and yet, without it we would be in danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater: the evil and the author of this evil, the wheat and the chaff!

Entering into our depths is therefore a healthy thing to do, enabling us slowly to be freed, as we discover at once our wretchedness – our “nothingness” as St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus put it – and the great mercy without which we could not otherwise bear to confront the depths of our nothingness.

This therapy leads us to the humility of God and to the charity that comes from Him. We become like Mary, the poor Virgin who is nonetheless “full of grace”.

In fact, neurosis is the result of an opposition between the conscious soul and the unconscious spirit at the roots of the soul. On one hand, by our conscious part we build a “persona”, an image of ourselves, a social image, and on the other hand, the reality deep down our heart is quite different. The conflict between the inside and the outside (cf. the “outside and the inside of the cup” in Mt 23:25) erupts, creating neurosis, a disequilibrium in our psychological life. Now, through lectio we free ourselves by listening, so that the Lord may unify our being (“He who of the two has made one” cf. Eph 2:14).

Jesus heals our soul

So lectio is a very powerful means of psychological healing. It allows us, through our encounter with Christ, to discover a higher degree of unity, by the integration of our entire being. Marie-Louise von Franz, a disciple of C. G. Jung, compared Scripture with the unconscious self in a judicious and profound way! Let us not forget that the unconscious, taken as a whole – at least in Jungian psychology (the collective unconscious) – is mysterious and vast, and cannot be comprehended (in the sense of being contained) by human reason.

“Again and again Holy Scripture as a whole is referred to by the Church Fathers in images that, taken psychologically, we would today regard as symbols of the unconscious: as spring, the labyrinth, endless sea, unfathomable heaven, impenetrable abyss, or as a wild and untamed stream from which we can draw life eternally but whose final mysteries remain forever unattainable for us.”¹

M.-L. von Franz briefly recalls a parallel between medieval exegesis of the four meanings of Scripture (historical, allegorical, tropological and anagological) and the four basic functions of the human psyche (the senses, thought, sentiment and intuition), and then draws the following conclusion:

“In the Middle Ages, Holy Scripture was looked upon as unit, as a mysterium, which makes clear to us the reality of the Christ. When this mystery, in itself inconceivable, rotates by means of the four wheels of the four scriptural exegesis, it draws nearer to our understanding. But our understanding can never explain Scripture “exhaustively,” for “the purport of the divine word is of infinite diversity,” as John Scotus Erigena puts it.”²

It must be remembered that, in psychology, the conscious always remains the key to “salvation”. Some things may be changed by it or be allowed to change. Through lectio – which activates the conscious part in response to the totality³ manifested by Christ who speaks in Scripture – the dark areas are approached each day, and the conscious and active being is daily called upon. This is therefore not only a kind of analysis (probably one of the best kinds since it is perfectly adapted to each person and to his or her degree of self-revelation) but equally a way of collaborating in one’s own healing. Here the subject is truly the co-author of his own cure. When one understands the importance of taking responsibility for one’s own self, one sees more clearly lectio’s great contribution to psychological health and its powerful influence as a means of healing.

Psychology applies different methods to reach the unconscious, in order to assist it and allow it to express itself. In this regard, and more especially when compared to the active imagination method described by Jung and his disciples, lectio is, at an even more comprehensive level, a highly efficient means because it leaves the path clear for the Lord to illumine our depths – in a way similar to Jung’s method. Lectio also strengthens the self and the conscious part in front of the unconscious, and unifies the person. Having said this, it is to be noted that lectio is ten times more efficient and easier to put into practice than the best therapeutic methods. This is so because God is both present and active here - He who is the best aid and catalyst - together with the Holy Spirit and Christ. Nevertheless, in the most severe or marginal cases, lectio cannot replace treatment by a doctor or at least the help of an experienced guide.

Certainly these observations would benefit from broader research and even an in- depth comparative study.

1 M.-L. von Franz, Projection and Re-collection in Jungian Psychology : Reflections of the Soul (Open Courst Publishing, 1985) pp.45-46.

2 Ibid., p. 47.

3 The soul has access to its own totality – the conscience and the subconscious – only in so far as it advances to encounter the totality of what exists. For the faithful, this totality is Christ, who contains everything within himself.

Note 1: This is an extract from the book: "Lectio divina in daily life" (please click here)
Note 2: A keynote on Lectio Divina
Note 3: Remember to subscribe to this Blog so you can receive the posts directly to your email.

New Therapies and Personal Development

Various persons asked for my opinion about New Therapies and the Personal Development (NTPD) training and activities in my capacity as catholic theologian specialised in Spiritual Theology with a knowledge and experience in the NTPD. Please find below a short, to-the-point, set of 14 Questions that had been addressed to me and my Answers.

New Therapies and Personal Development (NTPD)

from a Scientific and Christian Point of View

1- Are all NTPD recognised? No. Only a few are recognised by the Law/Regulations of various western countries (UK here & here, and  USA,…). They need to meet certain requirements in content and training in order to be regulated in a Medical environment (ie Hospitals, Home Cares). They are as well classified in different types.

2- Are they efficient? They have a certain degree of success, but this remains within their specific area of action. It would be unprofessional, therefore, to go out of their own field and claim expertise in others, i.e. Psychology, Spirituality.

3- Are they “neutral”, “scientific”? No, they are not like a medical treatment that doesn’t affect the faith of the patient; they are permeated with – and sometimes based – on a “system of belief” that will influence the client implicitly and explicitly. Christian Discernment should be used here with great care.

4- Are they limited in their influence? Yes, in their area of application they are limited (they can't be compared to Psychology/Psychotherapy for instance). But the Belief system they carry implicitly has unlimited influence.

5- Can the practitioner of the NTPD separate his practice from his belief system? No he can’t separate them. In order to do so, a long training in Spiritual Theology is required + a scientific deepening of each NT or PD system used, + an Academic training in Psychology. The belief system is part of the practitioner and is constantly conveyed in his practice, at least implicitly, by the dynamic of the Transference and by the impact on the client who sees that some therapies “do work”. Many of the NTPD are based or integrate a different “belief system”. Discernment is required.

6- Are the NTPD harmful? Many carry a “new spirituality” and a “belief system” that are not compatible with Christian Creed and Spiritual life. The “new spirituality” has been constituted outside of the Church and of its spiritual Tradition and influence. The weak faith and doctrine of the NTPD Practitioner can definitely interfere in his or her teaching, especially in matters like PD, Meditation and so forth and is implicitly and explicitly conveyed, especially by the dynamic of the Transference and Counter-Transference. This is seriously harmful for “weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9) and naïve persons and creates confusion more than it helps.

7- Can a NTPD Practitioner offer advice or counselling? Without academically recognised training, formation and certification in Counselling/Psychotherapy, the Practitioner can’t go further offering: Counselling, Coaching or Personal development training. This is fraudulent. To be a licensed Counsellor today in the in the USA, for example, requires at least a Masters degree in Psychology, Counselling, or a related discipline. In many States, the Masters degree must contain several specific classes and be at least 48 semester hours in length. To be a psychologist, in most states, will require a doctoral degree, such as a Ph.D. in psychology. Unless the Therapist is trained properly in one or more of these disciplines he or she cannot give any professional and reliable advice. On the contrary, he can create more damage than help. The wisdom, balance and culture that come out of a proper University education and a proper training cannot be improvised.

8- Can an NTPD practitioner quote the Bible or the Church Doctrine without proper theological training? Of course not. It would be an abuse of the trust of the believers, misuse, and even manipulation.

9- What is “Christian discernment” applied to the NTPD? It is knowing the exact limits of the action of each therapy, its effectiveness and the limits and action of the Grace of God and its fruits and being capable of discerning between them in a practical way.

10- What can we advise a Therapist or a Trainer? Small Therapies (Reiki, EFT,…) or methods should be combined with Medical training or proper Psychological or Theological/Spiritual training. We need to invite people who work in the field of NTPD to continue to grow, get more academic accreditations and deepen their faith and spiritual life by studying academically Theology and Spiritual Theology.

11- What is the importance of the Christian Creed? The Creed is like the hard skin of the Divine Fruit. It contains the Divine Fruit itself (God, the Trinity, Jesus, the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, Mary, the Church, the Sacraments,…) Believing in what the Church believes allows us to reach this Divine Fruit and draw Divine Life from its juicy flesh. This is why the issue of knowing which “System of Belief” we base our spiritual life on is of utmost importance, because otherwise we might be having recourse (consciously or unconsciously) to a false fruit that has no juice, or has false juice. Therefore we need to examine carefully the “set of beliefs” involved in the NTPD. “There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 89)

12- Is the Christian Creed the only correct one? Only the Catholic Creed offers the full and main Streams of the Grace of God. Mixing it with other “sets of beliefs” is misleading and diminishes the Streams of the Grace of God or even stops them. When exposed to such teachings and training, the danger cannot be avoided for the weak people because they are exposed to an implicit “system of belief” that is different from the Catholic Faith. It will influence them inevitably. Preserving the purity of the Catholic Creed, understanding its practical spiritual implications is of utmost importance.

13- Why are the NTDP seducing? Its implicit “Belief system” seems more attractive: it is spiritual, flexible, more open, without authority, borders, confining dogmas, and heavy moral rules; it touches on health and wellbeing, and does it in a holistic way, inclusive and pluralistic; it emphasises that the mind, body, and spirit are interrelated and that there is a form of monism and unity throughout the universe and time (“past lives” belief, and other forms of extra terrestrial life); it attempts to create a worldview that includes both science and spirituality and embraces a number of forms of mainstream science, as well as other forms of science that are considered fringe. For all these reasons it easily dupes the gullible listener.

14- Is everything in the “belief system” of the NTPD wrong? It is rare to find a belief system that is totally (in all its parts) wrong. There are always some small truths that have their equivalent in the Christian Creed. But this is not enough to make these other beliefs acceptable. Christian Discernment is required.

For people who want to know more I have a longer text that goes in greater details about all these subjects, showing greater nuance and depth. (click here to see the text)
See as well: The Specificity of Christian Prayer