Shrinks?

edited December 1969 in Faith Issues
Its not really like i'm thinking of getting one, lol they're way too expensive. And yes the best advice you can get is from your FOC but... maybe in the future, i wouldn't completely rule it out, i mean its a good way of getting stuff off of your chest and finding out connections to why you do things, sometimes we all just need to vent and get some feedback. Are there any downsides to seeing a therapist? do they ever have a bad influence on you? Would i be able to ask for one thats christian so they could also give me religious feedback? What do you guys think?

Comments

  • Well, if you're having problems it's not neccessarily a bad idea. It's not even against church practice. In fact, a lot of monks (due to the solitude and stress) in Egypt end up seeing psychiatrists. My uncle was a psychiatrist in Egypt and he would travel all over visiting monks in the monastaries and helping them through difficulties. Although, it is best to get one who is christian (there are lots of good coptic shrinks all over the US) who understands the christian aspects of your problems. Many "non-religious" psychiatrists will not help you acheive the spiritual benefit you're supposed to from your struggles.

    Cheers,
    Fadi
  • Having been in bad situations where phycologists talk to you heres a good tip, stay away from some of them! Although im sure theirs alot that have good opinions theirs also alot with bad. Some are heretics and will lead you away from the church claiming that even though they themselves are christian will claim that "the church changes its views" and "just as the church has wisdom u have wisdom too and you need to use that wisdom". So all in all i guess some are good and some are bad just watch out about which one you get im sure a Coptic shrink who understands the churches view and uses those to solve ur situation would be good but why not just do that with your FOC hes just as good if not better and free ;) stick with your FOC id say.....
  • Here's the thing:

    There are real medical conditions in which you need a trained psychiatrist to help treat you (schizophrenics, manics etc...). However, if you are having difficulty dealing with a problem, unless the shrink you are seeing is coptic and understands our church values, I would seek my FOC. He has tons more experience dealing with difficult situations than you would give him credit for. Moreover, he knows you and your family and where you are coming from and where you want to go. It is much simpler that way.

    God bless.

    ML
  • but what if you have questions like
    "so i had this dream and i don't know what it means ....blah blah blah etc" or something like
    "Do you think this part of my childhood had a certain effect on the decisions i made in that situation?"

    If i was ever curious about stuff like that, i don't see myself in abouna's office asking him about it, i see myself laying down on the cool chair/couchy thing. A christian therapist definitely should be sought tho, no matter what the situation is because our religion is a complete way of life, and not just an hour on sunday. so they'd have to understand my way of life.
  • cremdelescense.. lol i get what you mean and honestly i dont find it a bad idea..but i also think that my FoC is like better than a shrink.. i love this guy with all my heart after being to him for help and advice in situations and take it from me im one problematic child!!! :-[ theyre great and u can go to them for anything even the most psychologically related questions... but yea if u do decide u want one anyway its not a bad idea as long as hes a a copt.. ;)
  • cremedelescremes:

    Hate to shatter your dreams - but Sigmund Freud, the father of dream intrepretation, was a cocaine addict who had major psychological problems himself :-\ So this whole idea about interpretation of dreams is just, well... a bunch of dreams. Yes, I know that in the old testament God spoke to prophets through dreams, but we now have the holy spirit living dwelling in us. Rarely will our dreams mean anything because they are just eratic brain activity that has no particular pattern. I know... kind of disappointing! ;). If you feel that God has spoken to you through a dream, the best one to help you is your FOC.

    Hope this helps you and God bless. :)
  • I dont believe that. i have experiences where my dreams ment something. a couple of times, i got a message, if you will, from God.

    Also, my mom, whenever she has a dream about one of her brothers, sisters, or mom, she know something is wrong. she is always right. btw, they live in egypt and we live in teh US.

    So dreams sometimes mean someting, not always. you have to be careful.
  • Yes, I know that in the old testament God spoke to prophets through dreams, but we now have the holy spirit living dwelling in us

    God still uses dreams to speak to us today.Many have experienced this truth.God even used dreams in the New Testament{remember joseph being warned to flee to Eygpt...lol}.Who do you think gave the godly dreams in the Old Testament?Why of course, it was our great God the Holy Spirit! We do need to be careful in our interpretations and in affirming the validity of our dreams but we should not reject dreams and visions out of hand,since God can still use these means to communicate with us.
  • my reaction to this thread is
    What is a Shrink?
    if its bad then tell me that coz i woldent wanna no...but if its ok then tell me....ok sanks all
    GB
  • [quote author=$herry link=board=1;threadid=767;start=0#msg14165 date=1100092115]
    my reaction to this thread is
    What is a Shrink?
    if its bad then tell me that coz i woldent wanna no...but if its ok then tell me....ok sanks all
    GB

    :D
    Sherry ... it's not bad, a shrink in the U.S. is the nickname of a psychatric (I hope I spelled it right!) a doctor who deal with the emotional and behavioral life of a patient.
    GBU
  • lol sherry, wow so innocent..yes a shrink as ibrahim already said is a pshyciatirst... we nicke name them i guess u cud say... but no not bad..unless u think so..thats the point of this discussion..lol..... :-*
  • lol, the first time i saw this thread i thought it was about gambari, shrimps ;D
  • wow.. yea i guess us americans should put forums up in universal language so everyone understands lol...
  • lol sorry guys!! no not gambari, altho thats very tasty!! lol again sorry for the confusion. well any of you who didn't know what it meant, now that you know, what do you think?
  • wow sanks everyone that was gr8......u can go on with the thread now..
  • As a Doctor of Psychology, Candidate in Clinical Psychology, I would like to clarify some information provided. A "Shrink" is a label given to a therapist, usually a Psychiatrist (who is a Medical Doctor with residency or specialization in mental health) or a Psychologist (who holds a Doctorate degree in the study of mental health and treatment of mental health. Psychiatrists, althought in the past were practicing psychotherapy or talk therapy, nowadays they prescribe medications for mental disorders such as major depression in which they would prescribe prozac or other psychopharacologic medication. Psychologists on the other hand, either conduct research on depression, aggression, love, all sort of emotional and psychological concepts or offer psychological treatment for such disorders and daily stressors. For example, how to reduce anxiey before an exam, how to deal with difficult home situations, how to help a husband and a wife communicate in a better way. They can also work with mental disorders, such as major depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or personality disorder, and many more. When working with dreams, psychologists depending on their theoretical orientation, if they are psychodynamic, psychoanalytic (freud) or cognitive behavioral will deal with dreams and other psychological issues in a different manner however, their main goal is the same to make the client or patient feel better.
    Finally, please ask question to the therapist your going to work with prior to seeing him or her. You can and have every right to conduct an interview with your therapist to see if you are a good match. If you see a christian psychologist or not they should not impose their own beleif system on you without you asking them to do so.
    Best of luck,
    Mina G (Psy.D, Doctor of Psychology, Graduate student )
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