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Mind-body-spirit. Where does one leave off and the others begin? Personally, I think that the three, mind and body and spirit, all work together. Psychiatry originally addressed the mind and body. Today many psychiatrists address only the body (biochemistry), leaving out what makes psychiatry unique. Sigmund Freud, who is considered the founder of modern psychiatry, dismissed religion as an illusion. His student, C. G. Jung, was another story however. Jung's father was a minister and his mother a spiritualist. Though Jung never publicly considered himself a spiritual man, he studied the tarot as well as myths and religions from various cultures, and he came up with some ideas of his own about psychiatry. He never publicly linked his ideas to spirituality, but they were enough to cause a very large rift between him and Freud. They angrily parted ways, and the majority of modern psychotherapy is based on Freud's views (though there are Jungian institutes which produce competent Jungian analysts). Psychotherapy, usually Freudian analysis, became the norm for treating psychiatric complaints. Over the years and decades, behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, and other schools of therapy were developed and became more popular. Psychiatric medications, which worked almost miraculously well for many patients, were developed. They became, and still are, very popular because they do indeed improve the quality of life for millions of people. Despite the current emphasis on medication, I became aware, very early in my practice of psychiatry, that many - if not most - of my patients held spiritual beliefs that were important to them. Yet they were reluctant to discuss the beliefs that helped them through their lives and colored their thoughts and interactions with other people. My patients felt that a doctor surely wouldn't be interested in their beliefs. They were wrong. I was, and still am, deeply interested in their spiritual beliefs. I began to ask each new patient, while taking their medical and family history, about the religious beliefs with which they were raised and about their current spiritual beliefs. So from the very beginning of our relationship, they would know that I was interested in their belief, and that I was respectful of them. I also began to incorporate a person's individual beliefs into their therapy. I could "speak their language." Dr. Bernie Siegel (in his landmark book, Love, Medicine, and Miracles) and many others have proven time and again that spiritual beliefs are crucial to healing. They affect how we perceive the world, how we think, and how we treat ourselves and others. Strong spiritual beliefs can save a profoundly depressed person from committing suicide, and can help an alcoholic stay sober. In addition, spiritual beliefs encourage people to develop their greatest potential. That is priceless. Go To Page: 1 2
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