Elizabeth Recht Jones, M. Div., on another way of framing the Biblical and individual narrative

The Biblical Narrative and Mental Health

I serve as a chaplain in a hospital in Chicago – a hospital situated in one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse zip codes in the United States. As a result, I never know who or what will be waiting for me in that next hospital room. It adds a significant challenge to my work as a chaplain. In my work I freely use prayer, friendly conversation, active listening, and, especially, the practice (or ministry) of presence. But I also use the principles of psychology – Biblical Psychology, that is.

Psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychoanalysts have been using principles of traditional psychology in their work for decades. Sigmund Freud developed therapeutic principles about a century ago, and they were further refined over the 20th century. But there is a problem: only a minority of traditional therapists and psychologists today believe in a transcendent God.[1] Further, traditional psychology is built on a system of Greek master stories, such as Oedipus, Narcissus, and Electra.

What would happen if chaplains used Biblical narratives as a basis for a system of Biblical Psychology? Biblical Psychology can be useful in any number of situations I see in the hospital on a regular basis. For example, with a patient who is extremely depressed, I have the option of using the narrative of Jonah as a tool when I talk to that patient. The loving, benevolent God of my understanding protected Jonah, and continued loving Jonah, even though Jonah did and said some foolish things. I can use this example of God as a protective Parent, and suggest to the patient that God’s loving hands are open and protective towards the patient, too.

This connection came about from my work at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Department of Psychiatry. There is a large disconnect between the fields of theology/religion and psychology/psychiatry. This program is an innovative effort to bridge that gap, to erase that disconnect. The director of the program, Dr. Kalman Kaplan, is trained in social, developmental, and clinical psychology. He developed the principles of Biblical Psychology over the past ten years. When I first discussed it with him, I immediately saw how his work could be applicable to chaplaincy.

The principles of Biblical Psychology are quite similar to those often used by chaplains and clergy when applying Biblical principles to patients’ and congregants’ needs. This substitution of Biblical narratives for Greek narratives in a psychological framework is significant, and provides continuity for patients and their loved ones who have a Biblical foundation. Instead of being in conflict with a therapist who is an agnostic or atheist, these patients can have a fundamental, spiritual connection with those in the helping professions.

This Program offers a beneficial opportunity for collaboration and teamwork between the patient, the chaplain, and the rest of the healthcare team.

To learn more about the Program in Religion, Spirituality and Mental Health at University of Illinois at Chicago, please go to: www.rsmh.org

Footnote:

[1] "The therapist, however, is largely ignorant of, if not antagonistic to, religion, often in a manner incongruent with the patient's own orientation. For example, in a 1990 sample of 409 clinical psychologists, only 40 percent believed in a personal transcendent God, compared to 90 percent of the general public."

This reference is from an article: Shafranske, E. and Maloney, H.N. (1990). "Clinical psychologists' religious and spiritual orientations and their practice of psychotherapy." Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 27, 72-78.

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