Depression and the Divine
Depression and the Divine

Author: David C. Wilson

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2018-12-21

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1532662696

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David Wilson's initial research into the phenomenon of prophecy in the Hebrew Bible suggested that many of the passages featuring prophets, and hitherto considered to be bizarre myths (or much-edited collections of traditions) were, in fact, sequences of dreams. Moreover, it was possible to compare the structure of these sequences with the structure of a night's sleep (hypnogram)--as revealed by modern sleep research--to demonstrate that the "sleeper" was depressed. This characteristic, depressive sleep architecture was then used to show that three characters in particular, Elijah, Jonah, and Adam--compared in the New Testament with Jesus--were all, in fact, depressed. Quite naturally, this raised further questions concerning the nature of Jesus himself: Was he merely a prophet? If he wasn't, how did he differ? If he was depressed, how was he able to function (and succeed in his mission) when Elijah and Jonah clearly had such great difficulties? These and other questions are raised throughout this book, and many of them are not new, but they are, however, changed forever when asked against a contextual background of altered states of consciousness (ASCs), and dreamform in particular.

Melancholy and the Otherness of God
Melancholy and the Otherness of God

Author: Alina N. Feld

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0739166034

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An impressive study that prompts the reader toward philosophical reflection on the hermeneutics of melancholy in its relation to maturing theological understanding and cultivation of a profound self-consciousness. Melancholy has been interpreted as a deadly sin or demonic temptation to non-being, yet its history of interpretation reveals a progressive coming to terms with the dark mood that ultimately unveils it as the self's own ground and a trace of the abysmal nature of God. The book advances two provocative claims: that far from being a contingent condition, melancholy has been progressively acknowledged as constitutive of subjectivity as such, a trace of divine otherness and pathos, and that the effort to transcend melancholy-like Perseus vanquishing Medusa-is a necessary labor of maturing self-consciousness. Reductive attempts to eliminate it, besides being dangerously utopian, risk overcoming the labor of the soul that makes us human. This study sets forth a rigorous scholarly argument that spans several disciplines, including philosophy, theology, psychology, and literary studies.

Heavenly Wisdom from God-illumined Teachers on Conquering Depression
Heavenly Wisdom from God-illumined Teachers on Conquering Depression

Author: St. Herman Press Staff

Publisher: St Herman Press

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 134

ISBN-13: 9780938635956

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Depression, a modern word for hopelessness, is especially prevalent in our times, and many are realizing that the situation demands a spiritual remedy. Presented here is a view of the life of a healer of our century, Eldless Maria of Gatchina, together with a treasury of eternal teachings from the Holy Fathers and Mothers throughout the ages who taught from personal experience on how to fly out of the cage of despair. These teachings have already helped millions of people to overcome the insidious nature of depression and attain spiritual freedom.

Losing God
Losing God

Author: Matt Rogers

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2008-09-30

Total Pages: 171

ISBN-13: 0830836209

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Recounting his own history, Matt Rogers explores the question of how, in a world of suffering, we can call God good. This challenging question can manifest itself as a conspiracy of doubt and depression, so that our emotions and our intellect come under attack. Will God deliver us through this distressing journey?

Divine Madness
Divine Madness

Author: Jeffrey A. Kottler

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2005-12-17

Total Pages: 331

ISBN-13: 0787982326

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"Madness can afford the individual certain resources and abilities that are not available to others. The fantasy life, free flight of ideas, distortions of reality, and heightened senses . . . offer a unique perspective on the world." —From the Introduction Why do some extraordinary individuals overcome mental anguish and produce brilliant creative artistry that is often enhanced by their madness? New York Times best-selling author and noted psychologist Jeffrey Kottler explores this fascinating question in Divine Madness. His book is filled with the compelling stories of emotional turmoil that many great artists have undergone as they struggle for success and survival. Jeffrey Kottler writes about the dramatic and tragic lives of cultural icons Sylvia Plath, Judy Garland, Mark Rothko, Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, Charles Mingus, Vaslav Nijinsky, Marilyn Monroe, Lenny Bruce, and Brian Wilson. In this riveting book, Kottler highlights the personal story of each of these extraordinary individuals and analyzes how they struggled to overcome their emotional hardships. Divine Madness clearly differentiates between those who surrendered to their illness, often taking their own lives, and those who managed to endure and even recover. Kottler details how their profound psychological issues affected their lives and work, their great productivity and success, and how they strove to achieve some kind of personal stability. The fascinating and brilliantly told stories in Divine Madness help us to find meaning in the incredible lives of these artists. They also serve as an inspiration for those who are grappling to rise above their own challenges and limitations and express themselves more productively and creatively.

Finding God in Anxiety and Depression
Finding God in Anxiety and Depression

Author: FR ANTONIO. RITACCIO

Publisher:

Published: 2017-09

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 9781784691936

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Anxiety and depression are among the two most common mental health conditions today. Social stigma is still attached to mental health and sufferers can be under pressure to hide their condition. While good medical treatment and care are often necessary, what place does faith have in aiding recovery?Drawing on Jesus' own suffering on the cross, the author shows how hope, prayer, forgiveness, closeness to God and an understanding of his plan for our lives can act as powerful lifelines. There is a rich selection of considered, practical tips to aid readers, and a resource section with helpful contacts and recommendations on further reading.

The Catholic Guide to Depression
The Catholic Guide to Depression

Author: Aaron Kheriaty

Publisher: Sophia Institute Press

Published: 2012-10-25

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1622821130

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Countless Christians — including scores of saints — have suffered profound, pervasive sorrow that modern psychiatrists call “depression.” Then, as now, great faith and even fervent spiritual practices have generally failed to ease this wearying desolation of soul. In these pages, Catholic psychiatrist Aaron Kheriaty reviews the effective ways that have recently been devised to deal with this grave and sometimes deadly affliction — ways that are not only consistent with the teachings of the Church, but even rooted in many of those teachings. Extensive clinical experience treating patients with depression has shown Dr. Kheriaty that the confessional can't cure neuroses, nor can the couch forgive sin. Healing comes only when we integrate the legitimate discoveries of modern psychology and pharmacology with spiritual direction and the Sacraments, giving particular attention to the wisdom of the Church Fathers and the saints. Here, with the expert help of Dr. Kheriaty, you'll learn how to distinguish depression from similarlooking but fundamentally different mental states such as guilt, sloth, the darkness of sin, and the sublime desolation called “dark night of the soul” that is, in fact, a privileged spiritual trial sent to good souls as a special gift from God. You'll come to know how to identify the various types of depression and come to understand the interplay of their often manifold causes, biological, psychological, behavioral, cultural, and, yes, moral. Then you'll learn about exciting breakthroughs in pharmacological and other medical treatments, the benefits and limitations of psychotherapy, the critical place that spiritual direction must have in your healing, and the vital role that hope — Christian hope — can play in driving out depression.

Depression, Anxiety, and the Christian Life
Depression, Anxiety, and the Christian Life

Author: Michael S. Lundy

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 2018-07-31

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 1433542099

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Practical wisdom for dealing with depression. Depression—whether circumstantial and fleeting or persistent and long term—impacts most people at some point in their lives. Puritan pastor Richard Baxter spent most of his ministry caring for depressed and discouraged souls, and his timeless counsel still speaks to us today. In this book, psychiatrist Michael S. Lundy and theologian J. I. Packer present Baxter's writings in order to comfort, instruct, and strengthen all who struggle with depression.

The Cerulean Soul
The Cerulean Soul

Author: Associate Professor of Evangelization in the Heisel Chair and Director of Non-Degree Programs Peter J Bellini

Publisher:

Published: 2021-08-15

Total Pages: 310

ISBN-13: 9781481310932

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Depression is difficult to define. It is commonly described as a chemical imbalance, a subjective experience of despondency, or even a semiotic construct. The various theories of depression--biochemical, psychological, cultural--often reflect one's philosophical anthropology. How one defines the human person is telling in how one defines mental disorder. Philosophy and the sciences tend to offer reductive explanations of what it means to be human, and such approaches rarely consider that we may be spiritual beings and so fail to entertain a theological approach. Peter J. Bellini invites us to reimagine the person in light of the image of God in Christ, the divine enfleshed in human weakness. The Cerulean Soul responds to real challenges in the sciences and philosophy and offers a relational theological anthropology shaped by a cruciform framework that assumes and affirms human contingency, limitation, and fallenness. With reference to Christ's incarnation, Bellini reveals how depression is inexorably tied to our relationship with God as his created beings: original, fallen, and renewed. Despondency serves as a biosocial and spiritual marker for our human weakness, brokenness, and spiritual struggle for meaning and wholeness. Further, it is a call to grow, to be restored, and to be made holy in the image of God in Christ. What emerges is a therapeia of the imago for depression that fills the gaps in our present attempts to determine the malady's etiology and treatment. Taking the missio Dei of union with the risen Christ as its goal, The Cerulean Soul opens up the perennial problem of human despondency to an eschatological trajectory of hope and peace, redemption and transformation, given freely in Christ through the healing and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Christoformity, informed by the subversive kingdom of God, gives new form to all persons, abled and disabled.

Spiritual Depression
Spiritual Depression

Author: D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 2016-01-12

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 0310531012

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Spiritual Depression is one of the great classics of the modern Church and tackles the big question: If Christianity is such "good news" why are its followers often unhappy? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was possibly the greatest Christian preacher and teacher of the twentieth century. A medical doctor by training, Spiritual Depression draws together his professional understanding of the mind with a profound understanding of Christian teaching and the Bible. Spiritual Depression diagnoses the causes of the ill feeling that many Christians experience. It prescribes the practical care that is needed to lift people's spirits and bring them freedom, power and joy. Spiritual health is possible and this book explains how everyone can grasp it for themselves.