How to handle mental issues…

[Cara-LangeParticipant]

I have a friend who believes that she has an obsessive mental disorder. She had an experience in the past where she was hurt. It wasn’t a big thing to other people but it was never resolved. She tried forgetting about it but she continally thinks about the situation even though its been four years. She has studied the Bible and the S&H and talked to practitioners but she doesn’t know what to do. It is interferring with her life and she often feels depressed. The practitioners haven’t helped and she doesn’t know what to do. How can she overcome this issue? She’s tried praying for help and willing herself to stop being stupid and thinking about something so insignificant but she can’t.
She doesn’t think that the practitioners were successful because she was too embarrassed to explain what the problem was. What can I do to help her? How would one go about giving treatment to this situation?

[BenHoodParticipant]

One neat idea I heard from a CS Radio tape interviewing Richard Bergenhiem: he said that “the only thing that has ever impacted/affected me was that God made me, and behold I was ‘very good’” (or something similar). I like it as a starting point when dealing with things that say they’ve happened.

[SandyParticipant]

Yes, that can be difficult. I’ve had to, at times, let go of past hurts and it has taken work on my part. Sometimes, we hold onto these things because we feel betrayed, or embarrassed and just can’t seem to shake them.
But I’ve found that examining who I really am – created by God, and in His/Her likeness, has helped. I’ve put off the “garment” of that false concept of myself, recognized that thought as the enemy (anything that would separate me from my right path, goodness, love…), and truly accepted the love that God has for me.
In the same way, your correct mental identification of your friend can shine a healing light on the situation. Rather than sympathizing (dropping to the same level of sadness and immobility), you can compassionately recognize the presence of the Christ in her. Disbelieve the presentation of depression and sad talk – it is not her true individuality. Your steady, constant affirmations of her wholeness, strength, and balanced constitution will help her to discern that in herself. Know that the Christ is active, that prayer is powerful, and that no shadow of sadness can alter or dim this gentle beam of living love known as your friend – God’s precious child.
With love and friendship, Sandy

[Cara-LangeParticipant]

does no one have any advice about this?

[Annette-DModerator]

“She doesn’t think that the practitioners were successful because she was too embarrassed to explain what the problem was. What can I do to help her? How would one go about giving treatment to this situation?”

You know, we always start w/ God and follow through to what we are, based on that. No matter how well the problem is explained, the only real valuable fact in treatment is what God knows about the situation. The practitioner is not ever at a disadvantage w/ a patient unless they lose sight of this basic starting point.

To have a mental problem would mean that the divine Mind, maker and controller of all would have to have it. Impossible. Your friend is an idea coming from Mind. She can’t possibly create anything–not disorder, not order–all is created already and it is in perfect order.

So, what do we do? We consent to the fact of our true existence. I like to think of CS treatment as acknowledging the allness of God, and when we do that it automatically cancels out anything else. The allness of God shows us the nothingness of evil, disorders, inharmony etc. Sometimes it seems that some problems are bigger or more difficult than others, but how big is nothing? How much power does something w/ no power have? Inharmony has never touched the truth of your friend’s existence. Her identity is secure.

Every right thought has a good effect. It may seem that the practitioner’s work isn’t helping, but it is. I heard on a radio Sentinel program a few years back that if a person had a tree in their yard that they didn’t want, and every day they hit it one time w/ an axe, eventually that tree–no matter how big it is–would come down. That’s what each prayer is like.

She doesn’t need to give up. I like this passage from last week’s lesson, “The power of divine Love and Christian Science is omnipotent, it is indeed adequate to unclasp the hold and to destroy disease, sin and death.”

[IanParticipant]

Hi Cara,

Thanks for your post…To tell you the truth, your friendship, love, compassion and diligence is more help than you can imagine. The good thoughts that we keep about our friends are a powerful influence.

If your friend has agreed to have you treat her through Christian Science, then you can feel confident that you will be able to help. It is God’s perfect expression that comes to the human consciousness to destroy error. This infinite expression of good is what does the healing. You do not have to force error out of thought; God’s perfect expression will remove whatever offends your friend. God’s perfect expression is ever-present and all-powerful, so as long as your friend is turning to God for help, she will find her freedom.

It may not happen as quickly as we would like, but like in every successful situation, persistence and patience bring about the win.

The chapter on “Christian Science Practice” in the Science and Health has some very helpful passages about giving treatment for mental challenges. This whole chapter will help you with helping your friend, better than we could ever help. Our Pastor the Bible and the Science and Health, is the authority on healing. It has a proven record of helping many, many people with serious challenges…

I recently read the Chapter, “Fruitage” in the back of the Science and Health, and I was blown away by the profound healings that came as a result of reading this book.

Lots of Love,

Ian

[A.m.yParticipant]

A friend shared something really great with me today and that’s that God has a direct connection with each of us and we can trust that He is communicating with each of us in ways that we can understand. I am eternally grateful for the practitioners who I’ve called and who’ve helped me, but the fact is that we each have what we need in God and He’s always with us.

[mattycParticipant]

Hi Cara,

I understand how your friend feels, having had something similar, if not the same. One thing I worked about with a practitioner was ROOTING OUT the problem, or error. Its very important to affirm the truth, but sometimes the error requires specifically rooting out. There may be an underlying fear which is preventing the healing – Mrs Eddy says that fear is the fountain of sickness (p. 391). She also says if you succeed in wholly removing the fear, your patient is healed (p. 411). Or it could be a need for forgiveness. You may be able to talk with your friend about this, I dont know.

This can require humble listening to God to bring to the surface what the fear may be, both on the part of your friend and the person helping. It could be that the difficulty is in her embarrassment (or fear) to speak with the practitioner about the problem. But that’s not saying your friend should psychoanalyze herself and stare into her consciousness looking for causes. Just calmly trust God to bring to the surface what needs to be.

It is worth remembering that “Christian Science goes to the bottom of mental action” (p. 104). At the bottom of your friends mental action is only Mind - peaceful, harmonious and sound. And Christian Science (and CS treatment) goes to the bottom and roots out ALL the error, leaving non left.

It takes courage often. I’ve had to say things to practitioners which were uncomfortable. But I did it to help the process of rooting the problem (or error) out. Don’t give it a chance. Expose it, and then its nothingness will be revealed. And praying that as an expression of Mind we reflect boldness and courage can help us do that.

And your friend can trust God in this process. Mrs Eddy says that we master fear through divine Mind (p. 392). The Bible says that perfect Love casts it out. It is God always that does the healing in Christian Science.

And as Ian says above, persistence and patience bring the win.

Good luck for your friend and you. Keep up the prayer – and care – for her!

Mat :)

[ElizabethClairParticipant]

Actually, I couldn’t claim to have solutions for anyone else. But, some of my experience may have value.
I seemed to struggle with mental issues for a very long time, brought on (from my perspective of the time) by a traumatic past. Additionally, I was experiencing financial and relationship issues. What I came to rely on is a belief that only a relationship with God could improve the situation for me. And I understood, that for me, I could not pursue that relationship with God so that I would be relieved of the suffering I was experiencing. I had to take on this relationship for its own sake. I believed that if I could allow God to be number one in my life I could experience peace. I had to learn how to put God first, above good health, stable finances and good relationships. Essentially, I had to come to love, trust and cherish God as the most important thing in my life – right in the middle of the suffering. I had to feel God’s peace in the middle of the mess in order to begin to rely on God.
After exerting myself in this – which at that time I did through 12-step programs (one of which is specific to mental/emotional issues) as I was not a CS then and in my religion I wasn’t finding the support to make God number one in my life – I came to have a trust in God that had not been in place before. Next came Christian Science, but I had to study Christian Science for the spiritual growth, not for the physical or mental healing. I had to experience Christian Science as something that would improve me and my life even if the outward circumstances didn’t change.
As I have studied I have experienced healing. Now I can work with a practitioner on these areas of discord, but getting to this place has been a process. Had I come into CS for healing, I think that I would have had the cart before the horse and not have stayed with it.
Actually, I investigated CS much earlier, but it very easily became something to beat myself up with and I didn’t pursue it. I just had to get the relationship with God well established before I could turn to Mind for healing.
My closest friend is a lifelong CS. She accepted me in a crucial way. She was simply there. She didn’t try to solve my problems. We did have many conversations about spirituality and God because I am a seeker and I just kept sharing with her things I was learning and asked her about CS at times. I knew that one thing we shared was a desire to know God even though our paths at the time were different. So, she walked with me as I journeyed, it was a long walk. And eventually I came to read spirituality.com looking for hope. What I found was an article telling me that we are fully equipped by God to respond to life circumstances with Love. I believed it. Christian Science started to become a source of inspiration and then my relationship with God really began to grow.
Blessings to you and your friend.

[mattycParticipant]

Hi Cara,

I’d just like to add to my post above that I wasn’t meaning to prescribe anything for you or your friend, but just throwing some ideas out there which might help, based on what I’ve found helpful. The solution to the problem may not lie anywhere near what I mention! Just trust God to guide you and your friend. I think ElizabethClair’s post is very inspiring for this.

All the best,

Mat

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