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Images in the mind
I have spoken to a number of people over recent weeks, all Christians, who have been troubled with intrusive thoughts. These are often sexual or violent in nature and, whilst recognised as the persons own thoughts, they are not the thoughts the person wants to have and they are seen as revolting and unpleasant. Sometimes, there are rituals that make the thoughts go away and sometimes there is just a period of escalating anxiety until the thought is finally (and unhappily) thought about, after which anxiety decreases. To all intents and purposes, this sounds like features of an obsessive-compulsive illness, but I think it has a special meaning for Christians.
These images are guilt-inducing - "why am i having them, am i bad?" There is forgiveness available in Jesus - and the people I have met seem to know this. But over time there can be niggling doubts about this since the problems don't seem to resolve or go away. In fact the harder you try, the more difficult it is. If I say to you "don't think of an elephant" what is the one thing you think of!
This over-focussing is one reason why they are not going away - that in order to make progress, you have to allow the thoughts to happen at some level and realise that no harm will come. Resisting them just makes it worse. This is the essence of the cognitive-behavioural approach used to treat problems like this. The trick is not to go on to the compulsions as well, but to stay with the anxiety until it fades - which it will after an hour or so. Here, having a faith can be helpful since it is another factor helping the person stick with the unpleasant anxiety. Maybe we can meditate on Jesus who surely understands something of this from the times when he was tempted.
Prayer is not the only answer here - psychology is needed too. But for a Christian, there are aspects of the faith which will help the psychology. I've mentioned a couple - what others are there? |
Rob Waller, 23/07/2008 |
2 Comments
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| | | Hannah (Guest) | 29/04/2010 14:24 | posted on January 1 at 12:00
Hello! I agree that its helpful not to resist these kind of thoughts in a sense, obviously one will want to battle with them because they are disturbing but its good to know that it really is part of being human/growth - we will explore dark places with our thoughts, its part of becoming aware of our potential as humans, and how terrifying that can be - being aggravated in our minds by the possibilities and the potential for evil that we have i.e wondering what its like and what it takes for that person to be a murderer etc fearing that we could become that but I think its part of the process of discovering our identity although it can be unsettling. The fact that you dread these thoughts shows your desire and desparation for wholeness and truth in your identity. As Christians our hearts and lives belong to God and we can rely on him for our security even when our thoughts disturb us. The Light wil always conquer the darkness! We are called 'children of Light' and we belong to a good God who is a loving shepherd.
Looking back at the times i have experienced disturbing thoughts, i now see that throughout those times i was seeking a deeper heart knowledge of Security in God....i think sometimes thoughts reflect a state of heart. The hope in times like this is that we can discover more truth which opposes the fear behind these thoughts. In Psalm 119 it says 'may your unfailing love come to me o lord, your salvation according to your promise; THEN i will answer the one who taunts me, for i trust in your word'.
We build up faith over time and through different seasons which can result in a new strength to conquer times of temptation/fear, like when jesus was being tempted in the desert by satan, he replied with the word ie 'no, for the scripture says worship the lord your god and serve him only'....it is when we have the truth built up in our hearts and minds that we can then answer 'the one who taunts us'. This is a process we go through - mentally and spiritually in parallel.
The wonderful thing is that we are created by a Good God who loves and cares for us. Even in times of fear, temptation and mental affliction, he is still who he is. We need to meditate on who he is. He carries us even when we don't know he is carrying us [psalm 139 'if i make my bed in the depths you are there, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast'. His grace carries us through the storm and he will work for the good of those who love him!
| | | | Curtis (Guest) | 29/04/2010 14:25 | posted on January 1 at 12:00
Just wondering if you have any thoughts about the so-called third wave CBT approaches that are based on mindfulness, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy? From what I know about them I like them because they allow people to accept their thoughts rather than always having to dispute them. There is also the potential to make these therapies Christian because the client can think of it as accepting God's forgiveness. It seems like there is a place for disputing thoughts and then there is a place for just accepting ourselves as sinners.
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