Should Theists Seek Psychotherapy?

It's a science forum, no? These questions are probably going to attract some negative feedback so why not charge headlong into the thick of it?....

When a belief becomes reality to a believer, with no evidence to support their claim, would they be better off seeking professional help? Can psychotherapy actually deprogram the indoctrinated? If you were a theist would you accept a diagnosis of delusional from an educated professional trained to recognize a psychological disorder if you knew that person was an atheist?

I won't get into it because it would require a long OP but studies show that people prefer theistic psychotherapists/psychiatrists/counselors/social workers. Is that a good thing? Some studies however reveal that the likelihood that these professionals are atheistic is high. I don't put much faith in those studies, they never seem to get 100% participation. If you Google then you'll probably find conflicting information from any number of studies anyways.

I don't think it very likely that a theist is going to seek help for believing in God but they may if the things they believe in come calling (i.e. visions, voices, etc). One last question...Who makes a better psychoanalysis or therapist, an atheist or theist?

 

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Your first question rambles to much to answer easily. Theists would make better mental-health providers as they themselves generally are most interested in personal growth.

 

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Thanks for starting things off.

Should a person whose considers their belief a reality, ever be considered totally qualified to aid a delusional patient? For the same patient, should personal growth mean perpetuating the delusion or eliminating it?

 

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Theists are not more interested in personal growth. Theists' growth is stunted. They severely restrict their growth & intentionally stunt the growth of their children. They warp their minds with unquestioning blind fallacious faith in absurd cruel fantasies.
I wouldn't trust any theist to counsel anyone. The main reason theism isn't better recognized for the psychotic delusion it is is that there are so many of them & so few of us.

 

I myself base my beliefs soley on experience which is evidence. Just because you yourself have not experienced an interaction with the spiritual realm or have not recognized such an experience does not mean the realm does not exist. And I think this thread should be nominated for the most self indulgent award.

 

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Just because you yourself think you experienced an interaction with the spiritual realm or have recognized such an experience does not mean the realm does exist.

You claiming to believe that doesn't prove to me that you do.
You claiming to have had the experience doesn't prove to me that you did.
You believing the experience was an interaction with a spiritual realm doesn't mean it was.
You having an experience with a spiritual realm doesn't mean that is available to everyone.
Experiencing a spiritual realm doesn't mean there are gods.
IF there are gods, that doesn't mean they are good.
IF there are gods, it is yet obvious most theists base their beliefs on unquestioning blind fallacious faith.

 

Clearly, statements as such would demonstrate a requirement for professional psychiatric help as the evidence describes symptoms of a psychosis identified as a result of depression (manic depressive) or perhaps schizophrenia.

 

Let's face it. If there were only a handful of theists in the world claiming knowledge of an existing God, then no doubt every one of them would be diagnosed as delusional. Should the diagnosis change when billions think the same thing? I think it does.

Since I am part of the non-indoctrinated, how would I be diagnosed by a psychoanalyst who is a theist? What would my problem be?..... I don't believe? Doesn't that sound a bit Orwellian?

 

It would be very unfair to judge the majority of theists by Lori.

 

psychotic episode, Is your analogy that you got to a theist psychoanalyst with the complaint you don't believe? He would probably think that you did suffer from a confused sense of existence. Most theistic doctrines contain a 'way' of behaving to validate claims the importance of the 'belief'. It is not like a math problem that you are given and then solve and have the answer. It is a way of existing. Your delusion is that a theistic doctrine will give you an 'answer' in an empirical sense.
Compare it to personal relationships. Do you believe there is a way of doing it and then that that is the answer, or is it something that develops and changes as you mature and as the people involved grow?
At least that is how I interpret your argument, though this interpretation may be incorrect.

Getting therapy from a theist would not necessarily demand that the analysts would determine that a correct approach for your recovery would be his or another theistic doctrine. Probably would be a goal for him that you open yourself to this way of viewing our reality.

 

That would put most people in psychotherapy.

I understand the necessity for a belief in a supreme being(s) other than stupid luck. I can't believe that an omnipotent, omniscient being would intentionally create bad people and intentionally send them to hell, but I'm certainly broad-minded enough to entertain the idea of a god, and I think more than likely there's something.

 

What does the evidence show? Are theists more likely to be mentally healthy or atheists?

 

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You miss the point.

 

You mean whether mentally healthier people should seek psychotherapy? Or be psychotherapists?

Well, who would you prefer as a psychotherapist? Someone who is known to be likely healthier mentally or someone who is known to probably have issues with aggression, addiction or suicide?

 

If their departures from reality don't actually cause any harm, who are you and I to dictate what other people should or should not believe?
Take Shaman Dave, my brother's landlord: the guy's a bona fide fruit cake. He summons spirits, chants incantations - there's not much doubt that the guy's delusional. However, he's also a very peaceful man and he has a profound respect for the natural world.
The only time when I come into conflict with spirituality, is when it starts causing damage. Up until then, I think we should let well alone.

In other words, I think you should be very careful about branding people as sane or insane, delusional or rational. It takes all sorts and, if spirituality and religion gives people comfort, why on earth would we want to take that away from them?

 

"The truths contained in religious doctrines are afterall so distorted and systematically disguised, that the mass of humanity can not recognize them as truth."
Sigmund Freud
The Future Of An Illusion

 

Merely holding a belief is not delusional. Lack of evidence only means that what they are considering is not physically testable. However, certain things that belief pertains to are inherently intangible. Such things cannot be proven nor disproven, and it's no one's place to say that someone else's belief is objectively wrong or delusional.

 

Why is everyone so afraid? Make up your own god damn mind and have some respect for freedom. Quit being so god damned judgemental. Your own existence should give you plenty to be concerned about. Which is really the point here isn't it?

 

It's a valid point.

If I professed belief in a large blue scorpion, and insisted on behaving as if this scorpion were real, I'd be diagnosed as delusional.

But somehow, God doesn't get this treatment.

Delusions are ok? Yay! Meet my pet unicorn *points at the air*

 

Because of course, a pet unicorn = God.