I stumbled upon a very important meeting two days ago dealing with mental illness.
There were many insights here for religious communities.
It was a talk at the National Meeting of the Institute on Religious Life in Mundelein, IL about how a religious approach to helping mental illness has been greatly helping those suffering from abortion and other traumas. It was given by Theresa Burke, foundress of the very successful Rachel’s Vineyard program, which helps aborted women become healed and forgiven for past hurts. It is the largest post-abortion ministry in the world.
Theresa’s program goes miles beyond the contemporary approach in the field of mental illness of heavy reliance on medication, and a secular-based therapy.
I know that many religious communities today are faced with religious candidates who have been prescribed psychiatric medication. The communities are not sure whether it would be prudent to accept such persons. Today, there are many more young people diagnosed with various kinds of mental illnesses – many more than in the past. It pays to be aware of advances in current thinking and practice, as well as how Christian teaching can be brought to help in such situations.
Soft pair of handcuffs
On a personal level, I have been learning a lot about mental illness and the approaches to deal with these problems. One aspect I encounter today is that there seems to be an almost universal acceptance of psychiatric medication as a solution to such problems, and this on a life-long basis.
Seems to me that such medication is like a soft pair of handcuffs, replacing the sanitariums and residential institutions of the past. For the more severe cases, however, such medication may be necessary.
Ms. Burke’s presentation was not intended to solve the problems of religious communities in this area. But her talk, “From Grief to Grace,” and her programs are a wellspring of ideas. There are Rachel’s Vineyard chapters in eighty countries, as evidence of its appeal and success.
The program, offered as a retreat, involves a lot of interaction among participants and rituals, such as taking a pinch of salt and putting it in water, and carrying a real cross. I can see that these could be very therapeutic and sources of grace.
After the talk, Ms. Burke indicated to me that she is astounded that it is really Jesus Christ who is healing these people.
If only our medical and health professionals could see the truth here. Mental illness involves the entire person. It is only when we deal with the religious level of the human person can we reach true healing.
