THERAPY, THEOLOGY & RELIGION: The Connection

Is there a connection between theology, religion and psychotherapy? Yes, but the connection is an historical one, or one that is made by specific niches of professionals.

The field of psychology springs out of the field of philosophy and theology at the end of the 19th century with the work of Wilhelm Wundt. Wilhelm Wundt wanted to turn philosophical discourses into a science recognized discipline, and to do so he took notions that had been discussed for thousands of years in and out of religious circles and settings, and began applying rigorous methods that had been used in biology, physics, and other natural sciences for a few centuries already. The field of psychology was therefore rooted in theological and philosophical discussions, until Wundt began to apply scientific methods of inquiry to it.

The field of psychology for therapeutic ends is a latter development of psychology, and was begun by Sigmund Freud not long after the birth of psychology as a science. Sigmund Freud took the knowledge of psychology and began applying it to the mentally and emotionally ill, who at that time lived in asylums, and for whom no one saw any hope of recovery, or possibility of change. Sigmund Freud founded the field of psycho-analysis and was the first therapist to be rooted in science. Freud used speech and specific modalities of communication to bring about change in these individuals, and from his work, talk-therapy was born.

Given this lineage, one could say that talk-therapy replaces at some level the old practice of confession given by priests in the churches and mosques back in the day. I, myself, have often felt to be simply a modern version of a church priest. The difference between a priest and a talk-therapist, however, is that priests continue to refer to their original religious texts for guidance, advice, and help as they have been for many centuries, while talk-therapists take advantage of modern day knowledge and advances in technology, and base their advice, guidance, and help on the findings of brain neuroimaging studies, biology, anatomy, evolutionary science, and gastroenterology to mention a few. In other words, professional talk-therapists are in conversation with not only the individual problems of the client, but with the study of these problems from all the different fields of science. It is this wide and very diverse collective dialogue that empowers talk-therapists today in their therapy rooms, not a single text.

Look after your Heart,

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