The Psychology of Christ: Developing Spiritual Wellbeing

© 2012 by William Cavitt. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/14/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-9094-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-9093-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012921743

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Dedication

Foreword

CHAPTER ONE The Holistic Approach to Spiritual Development

CHAPTER TWO Spiritual Development from a Holistic View

CHAPTER THREE Counseling with a Spiritual Base

CHAPTER FOUR Spiritual Influence on Moral Aspects of Well-Being

CHAPTER FIVE Spiritual Influence on the Physical Aspects of Well-Being

CHAPTER SIX Spiritual Influence on Psychological Aspects of Well-Being

CHAPTER SEVEN Spiritual Influence on Cognitive Aspects of Well-Being

CHAPTER EIGHT Spiritual Influence on Social Aspects of Well-Being

WILLIAM F. CAVITT

Dedication

To the members of the Little Flower Catholic Church Maliit na Bulaklak Filipino Charismatic Prayer Group who had a profoundly positive effect on my spiritual growth. They taught the author that sound Bible based Christian belief is the foundation of salvation and requires no apology.

Profits from this book will be donated to education programs for the blind.

Bible Quotes: Are from the New American Bible revised edition which is owned by The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. No permission is required for use of less than 5000 the New American Bible in print. (Reference United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: www.USCB.org/bible/permissions#excerpts)

Foreword

All of life is The Psychology of Christ! However some counselors believe that the client and counselor are all that is needed to treat any problem. They often deny the existence of He who made the universe. Even those who recognize a God seldom seek His assistance during counseling, an assistance that would enhance the probability of successful treatment.

I can’t understand why someone would reject help from He who made both the counselor and the client. In fact, some think it is a sign of weakness to call on God during times of need. It is not politically correct to bring religion or spirituality into the mental health picture. Contrasting this position is the belief that it is a form of malpractice if the counselor does not use all proven methods and help available to the client, methods that are The Psychology of Christ.

God is everywhere and in everything. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are cornerstones to counseling Christians, and these are one. If you seek salvation from God the Son (Jesus Christ) and/or guidance from God the Holy Spirit (Jesus within you) you are also calling on God the Father.

This book does not condemn secular counseling. Secular theories are compatible with pastoral counseling and can be used to guide a treatment plan and to implement therapeutic interventions. The thrust of the book is that Christian pastoral counseling must be a tool available to the client because the propensity for success is greater than secular counseling. The book presents a paradigm with justification from Holy Scripture that will aid a client in solving life’s problems and create a model for a life of wellbeing. It reintroduces a text that offers a well traveled and proven path of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, a text that has been rejected by secular mental health professionals and society in general, but still survives. This text is the Bible.

If the Holy Bible was used as a road map for society the problems in America would be fewer and less intense. Also once problems did occur the spiritual tools would be readily available along with the counselor to comfort the clients. The counselors, spiritual advisors, and clients would be assured the Author of the Universe would become the primary counselor with proven healing power.

The book’s first three chapters lay out an overview of general considerations for counseling using the holistic approach. It emphasizes the influence spirituality has on all aspects of wellbeing and encourages counselors and spiritual advisors to use scripture based interventions to help the client change their ineffective thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and to enhance their wellbeing in life. Succeeding chapters present a windshield tour of experiences illustrating how different incidences and periods can have a profound effect on the physical, psychological, cognitive, social, and moral aspects of life. These incidences and periods were designed by God to make a person who they are and they include hard times and easy times. Good times and bad times mold a person’s character into who God desires. The incidences are presented by viewing some experiences in the life of a male named Andy. Readers are introduced to Andy’s life as he experiences physical, psychological, cognitive, and social growth. It is important to note how Andy develops in these areas of wellbeing via a strong spiritual awakening that envelopes all aspects of his life. It is recommended that the reader study the first three chapters to obtain a working knowledge of the holistic counseling structure, which is used throughout this book.

A magnitude of debt is owed to the late Albert Ellis for teaching Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) which provides a holistic structure that readily accepts spirit based pastoral counseling. Many thanks is owed to Robert S. McGee for illustrating that salvation and spiritual wellbeing is provided by the life and death of the Lord Jesus Christ and there are no grounds for doubting this gift of grace. His book The Search for Significance is a real spiritual eye opener. Finally, and above all, thanks must be given to one of the greatest spiritual advisors of modern time, Reverend Billy Graham. If mental health counselors studied the Bible along with the Bible based works of Dr. Graham they would become well suited to aiding clients in their problem solving journey.

Many who knew me during my wild days will read this and think, He is getting religious in his old age because he fears God’s wrath. This could not be farther from the truth. I have searched all my life for a psychology of the spirit. Only recently have I been able to bring together my philosophical approaches and the many psychological theories I have studied to formulate a Christ centered approach that totally controls my mind, body, and spirit. The forces of my thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are now controlled by the teachings of Christ. Teachings that may be addressed by selecting some aspects of theories developed by Freud, Adler, Erikson, Ellis, Glasser, Pearl, and other noted psychologist, but based on the contents of Holy Scripture.

My wish is that those who know me see the new me through the insight of The Psychology of Christ; the new me who is washed in the blood; the new me who’s feet stand on the foundation of the cross which frees me from fear and condemnation. I am not living under a delusion that counselors or the public in general will embrace the ideas expressed in this book. I realize that those who already believe in the saving grace of the Lord Jesus are the primary readers of this book. It would be nice if it was otherwise but it is not, and this wish is the Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) working in me that says I have control of only myself and must let others control themselves.

I was asked to write my ideas about holistic, comparative, or integrative human development by some members of The Society for the Advancement of Integrative Healthcare in Pensacola, Florida well before I considered my own spiritual wellbeing. Rest assured, I am not an expert in this area but I can share my personal beliefs which have evolved over many years of teaching developmental psychology at the college level. I also had the opportunity to put some of these beliefs into practice while working with Psychologist Jack Moser, Ph.D. and Psychiatrists Gene Masangkay, M.D. and Martha Sarasua, M. D., Ph.D. at the Center for Holistic Rational Living, Pensacola, Florida. This Center operated with the belief that development and healing is the function of the entire being: Mind, Body, and Spirit. Therefore, complete and healthy physical, psychological, cognitive, social and moralistic wellbeing is developed and maintained by using the holistic approach, including the spiritual influence on each area of wellbeing.

This book is a story of a journey in life of Andy and how the trip was affected by many others. Readers should think long and hard about the significant of the title The Psychology of Christ. The word psychology traditionally has meant the study of the psychic or mind. Today, however, the term psychology is expanded to include the study of the mind, body, and spirit that controls thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Through the interactions of these elements and forces, psychology includes all the areas of human wellbeing such as physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and moral. Each element, force, and area of wellbeing interacts with each other in such a way to make a person unique. The 45-50 different schools of psychology are nothing but different ways of studying the unique individual surviving in different environments.

In order to study The Psychology of Christ one must ask the questions how would Jesus think, feel, and react in a particular situation? The Bible is full of vivid examples of the interaction of His mind, body, and spirit with His thoughts, feelings, and behaviors which directly impacted on His physical, emotional, cognitive, social and moral well-being. And as the scripture says the acts of Jesus shared in the Bible are but a small example of what He did. If the complete story be told all the books in all the libraries of the world could not contain his miracles. The second and most important question is why should people be concerned about The Psychology of Christ? The simple answer is so we can better strive to be Christ like. The goal may never be completely reached but the journey leads to salvation.

The author first illustrates a basic psychological paradigm or approach to studying a Christian psychology. This paradigm presents a psychology that can be used to help answer the two questions, what Jesus was like, and how a person can be more like Him?

After the basic psychological paradigm is described, many examples of life are presented through the experiences of Andy. These illustrations and situations are common to humans throughout the world but how they affect different people at different times in their lives are as unique as the different ways people think, feel, and behave. Some of the examples fall very short of being Christ-like but the journey is one of learning to accept His will. Each situation is a building block that can be manipulated, rearranged, and studied so future situations can and will come closer to life’s goal of becoming Christ-like.

It is recommended the reader read each example and situation illustrated through Andy’s life trying to put themselves into it as one of the main characters. Ask the questions, "How would Jesus view this situation, and how should the example or situation be changed to be more acceptable to Him.

There is an attempt to put each example or situation into its primary area of wellbeing but as Dr. Tom Gwise instructs, it is impossible to accurately place each element of wellbeing into a specific category. Physical wellbeing impacts on all other areas as does emotional, cognitive, social, and moral areas. So the reader should be allowed the privilege of categorizing areas of wellbeing. When the reader reads about emotions he/she should think about how physical, cognitive, social, and moral issues impacts the emotional elements of wellbeing. However, in this book each element of wellbeing is addressed independently.

The most important factor to remember is that all thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of the mind, body, and spirit that directly affect the physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and moral wellbeing of any person is and always will be The Psychology of Christ that is required by counselors and spiritual advisors to help their clients

CHAPTER ONE

The Holistic Approach to

Spiritual Development

Every element of a person’s development contains spirituality whether they are religious or not. Human being’s spiritual wellbeing permeates through the physical, psychological, cognitive, and social aspects of an individual’s life and may be the determining factor toward that person living a moral and therefore balanced life.

Some observers of mankind contend physical wellbeing is most important, If you’ve got your health you have everything. Others say psychological balance is most important and spend their days and nights meditating trying to get in tune with their emotions. Then there are the intellects who believe pouring knowledge into the brain will give them the tools needed for success in life. The social person finds it hard to exist without the shoring up of their life by friendships. These aspects of wellbeing are important but they should be built on the solid foundation of spirituality or closeness to God.

A clinical counselor or spiritual advisor who truly gets to know their clients will become associated with clients who were experiencing physical, emotional, cognitive, and/or social problems. But by close observation the counselor or spiritual advisor will determine the client’s problems usually stem from God being missing in their present life; never having been exposed to the grace, peace, and joy available through a close relationship with God; or having once had this relationship but for some reason was now rejecting it. Their spiritual void was manifesting itself in problems of living in one or more of the areas of wellbeing.

Today it is rare to find spirituality addressed in the medical field, however the subject is more readily included in textbooks than was the case twenty years ago. Even with the influx of spiritual topics in professional practice it is still a taboo topic in most institutions designed to prepare people to practice mental health vocations. Administrative and management personnel of university graduate level mental health counseling openly discourage the mention of religion or spiritual topics outside organized philosophy and religious programs. The public school is even worse with spiritual and religious core values avoided and not allowed.

This must change if our nation is to survive the negative mind-feeding available and constantly present through sensationalism of modern technology. A child today can view gross mass murder, be a virtual reality member of a combat team, killing many yet not be exposed to the commandment, Thou shall not kill.

This book intends to present how spirituality can influence a person’s physical, psychological, cognitive, social and moral wellbeing and also impact on the overall cultural morals of a society. It will accomplish this by first illustrating a model a person can follow to build a strong spiritual foundation in their life. Secondly the book will present a journey oftentimes in not so spiritual manner. The book has two primary audiences. First, it is designed to help the individual who may be having problems living what they desire and view as a normal life, Secondly, it is hoped the mental health counselor and spiritual advisor who reads it will realize that all guidance and counseling contained in mental health books are present in the Holy Bible with the probability of a much better success rate for helping a client than any secular approach. The Bible presents The Psychology of Christ.

There is a spiritual universe in which we exist that includes the forces of good and evil. A good spaceship is captained by God and manned by His angels. It should be the goal to use this spaceship to transit the universe but tickets are available for both good and evil vehicles and it is the passenger’s choice. This spiritual universe has a well designed roadmap for the good route called the Holy Bible. Counselors and spiritual advisors can ignore the wellness process of the Bible at the expense of the client. Methods for spiritual living given in scripture assures a greater probability the client will experience lasting psychological relief.

In many mental health practices a person’s problems are directly influenced by them taking a wrong turn and becoming lost in their spiritual universe. These clients are in the physical, psychological, cognitive, social, and moral hurts because they knew not, had forgotten, or outright ignored the directions plainly laid out in the Bible. Counselors and spiritual advisors can act as conductors to help clients get on, or back on, the right track. However, these conductors will need a special relationship with God.

It is common for counselors to read the works of Freud, Jung, Adler, Horney, Frankel, Perl, Beck, Ellis, Skinner, Rogers, and many other psychologist’s positions on religion and spirituality. Some deny it, some challenge it, some attack it, and a few embrace it in their personal lives. Yet, few propose the use of spirituality in the treatment of mental health patients.

Counselors practice the basic theoretical approaches of psychoanalysis, behaviorism, humanism, existentialism, gestaltism, and cognitive therapy and find most of these therapies compatible with a spiritual element but deny any association with spirituality. The cognitive