3 ms·

from "the other side", this has been known for rather a while: seminarians usually have a few obligatory courses in psychology and counseling best practices lum

from "the other side", this has been known for rather a while: seminarians usually have a few obligatory courses in psychology and counseling best practices lumped in under "pastoral care". There's usually a hospital chaplaincy rotation that can give you exposure to psychiatric care as well (or other areas, depending on what you're interested in). It's no real surprise that, for example, confession and talk therapy are extremely close cousins. People seem to fundamentally need to put words to ideas and fears and sadness and stress and angst, and in putting words around those things we can hope to control our reactions to them better. Doing this with a guide who is there to tell you that no matter what, you matter, and probably give you some rituals to do that'll settle your mind a bit, has proven to be durably useful for approximately ever. Whether you call that person "your therapist" or "your priest" or "your imam" or "this monk i talk to sometimes" seems more or less secondary.

thehackerjew 5y ago
In judaism, we have in our morning/afternoon prayers (shacharit/mincha) a section that roughly translate as confessions (tachanun). In this section, there is a subsection called vidui, in which we confess our mistakes, to Gd (blessed be), to the empty room and mostly to ourselves. When I started doing this part, it was quite weird to say my mistakes both out loud or quietly, but as time kept going, I found that it is such a good form of dealing with our errors. When we try to say it in form of phrases, we have to first understand it minimally, then, we can say it and see that it is not as bad as we thought (or it is even worse...), we feel shame, we try to justify it, we try to explain it, but in the end the one listening is just the person, the walls and Gd the almighty. I've done years of therapy, but never before I have felt more listened to. There is something special, a special kind of circuit, when we say things that we don't want to say to ourselves. We break it, externalize, hear it, internalize and every day and every day. It is funny how the problems dissolve, how some become actions, how some persist. Of course, I still talk to my parents, my SO, my friends, my rabbi and even my therapist from time to time. But I hope that someone on this forum can use this comment to try and succeed in talking to yourself.
- brightball 5y ago
  Praying out loud, by yourself, is very therapeutic. Especially when there's something you're really struggling with there's an incredible feeling of release that comes with it. When those prayers get answered, usually not in the way that you'd expect, you learn to do it more often. Anecdotal, I know, but I've noticed a pattern that the most likely prayers to be answered are the ones where I'm praying for something that God would want for me; help forgiving someone when I can't let it go, breaking a bad habit, being a better husband or father, connecting with someone who needs help and guidance.
  - Jotra7 5y ago
    Confirmation bias perhaps?
kar5pt 5y ago
This is likely because the modern psychiatric industry evolved partly out of religious institutions. I wouldn't look at it and assume it's a sign of some universal human need.

thehackerjew 5y ago

In judaism, we have in our morning/afternoon prayers (shacharit/mincha) a section that roughly translate as confessions (tachanun). In this section, there is a subsection called vidui, in which we confess our mistakes, to Gd (blessed be), to the empty room and mostly to ourselves. When I started doing this part, it was quite weird to say my mistakes both out loud or quietly, but as time kept going, I found that it is such a good form of dealing with our errors. When we try to say it in form of phrases, we have to first understand it minimally, then, we can say it and see that it is not as bad as we thought (or it is even worse...), we feel shame, we try to justify it, we try to explain it, but in the end the one listening is just the person, the walls and Gd the almighty. I've done years of therapy, but never before I have felt more listened to. There is something special, a special kind of circuit, when we say things that we don't want to say to ourselves. We break it, externalize, hear it, internalize and every day and every day. It is funny how the problems dissolve, how some become actions, how some persist. Of course, I still talk to my parents, my SO, my friends, my rabbi and even my therapist from time to time. But I hope that someone on this forum can use this comment to try and succeed in talking to yourself.

brightball 5y ago
Praying out loud, by yourself, is very therapeutic. Especially when there's something you're really struggling with there's an incredible feeling of release that comes with it. When those prayers get answered, usually not in the way that you'd expect, you learn to do it more often. Anecdotal, I know, but I've noticed a pattern that the most likely prayers to be answered are the ones where I'm praying for something that God would want for me; help forgiving someone when I can't let it go, breaking a bad habit, being a better husband or father, connecting with someone who needs help and guidance.
- Jotra7 5y ago
  Confirmation bias perhaps?

kar5pt 5y ago

This is likely because the modern psychiatric industry evolved partly out of religious institutions. I wouldn't look at it and assume it's a sign of some universal human need.