Movement 111

is fundamental to his being able to walk again.
Some people lose the will to live after a
personal disaster and even though they are
apparently healthy they slip downhill rapidly.
We have the concept of dying of a broken
heart, and of people dying because they have
nothing for which to live. The corollary of this is
that some people have suruived apparently
terminal illness by sheer willpower. Perhaps in
the case of the paralysed man there was
something in his past that had to be overcome
before he could recover physically, and the
removal of this lay at the heart of Christ's
miracle. A Latin phrase springs to mind: Mens
sana in corpore sano - a healthy mind in a
perfect body. Physical and mental health are
interrelated; if one part is not fully healthy it
will affect the other.
We have moved on considerably from the
time of Christ. 'Madness' is increasingly
disused as an acceptable term. The majority of
people in the West, Christians and otherwise,
probably no longer believe the appropriate
response to mental health problems is
exorcism (or rather more poetically, the
Ministry of Deliverance as it is now more often
called), or that they themselves possibly result
from being 'touched by god (or the gods)'. But
there remains this tension between the two
aspects of healing I have outlined.
They are in a sense reconciled in the modern
treatment of mental illnesses such as clinical
depression, where help is given on both
psychological and physical levels. The study
and treatment of depression (which is my area
of experience and interest) have advanced
enormously in the past century, from the idea
of melancholia and the use of electro-convulsive
therapy or even brain surgery, to the more
nuanced and sophisticated range of analyses
and treatments today. The physical treatment
of depression is seen in the use of drugs to
adjust the chemistry of the brain in cases
where this is felt to be the root of the problem.
It is also seen in the use of sunlamps to help
those suffering from Seasonal Affective
Disorder, the so-called 'winter blues', and the
continued use of ECT, albeit less frequently
than in the past. However, depression has its
origins for many people in such things as their
personalities or loneliness or the effects of
stress or in their inability to cope with
distressing events in their lives (summed up in
the idea of losses of various types).These may
be treated by 'talking therapies' such as
psychotherapy and cognitive behavioural
therapy (often in conjunction with anti-depresthere
need
not
necessarily
be
a conflict
between the
spiritual
and physical
in healing
what are we
to make of
people who
claim to
have been
healed
through
prayer or
healing
ministry
reminiscent
of the
Biblical
miracle
stories?
feature: mental health
sant drugs). ln some cases healing can come
through a reassessment and changing of the
patient's philosophy and lifestyle, allowing him
to come to terms with himself, his situation
and with life in general.
As a community of faith and love, the Church
should be in a position to offer support and
help, generally at a non-specialist level, that
could help many people suffering from mental
health difficulties. As ever the Church reflects
society and practices vary enormously. On the
one hand effort is put into organisations such
as the Churches' Campaign Against Depression,
and ministers and pastoral visitors
provide much-needed assistance. On the
other, we occasionally hear lurid stories about
faith healing or 'Ghristian counselling' which
seems to have exacerbated a sufferer's
problems. What then are we to make of people
who claim to have been healed through prayer
or healing ministry reminiscent of the Biblical
miracle stories? ls it our lack of faith that
prevents us from believing too, or are we
justified in being sceptical?
Other forms of therapy are also available and
can be very simple, including such things as
diet, exercise, relaxation and meditation. Selfhelp
organisations like the Depression Alliance
(of which I am the Secretary) can also provide
help by creating'spaces'where people can be
vulnerable without shame, thus enabling
healing to take place. These include self-help
groups, a pen-friend seruice and a newsletter,
acting as forums for sharing pain and finding
healing. ln these and other ways the mind is
healed in both a physical and a psychological
way, and the patient has the potential to
recover from a very unpleasant affliction.
Thus there need not necessarily be a conflict
between the spiritual and physical in healing,
be it in the fields of mental or physical illness.
The human being is a total person composed
of body, mind and spirit with each potentially
affected by the pressures that are on the
individual. The current debate today about
whether depression is a physical or mental
illness shows how futile it is to ignore this fact.
Medicine, religion and psychologl all have a
part to play. Healing is about the whole
person. The Church, like other aspects of life,
has much to offer in this field. What is needed
is a partnership of equals and the respect for
the contribution of all towards fulfilling a
common aim. ,6
Chaplaln to the Deprosslon Alllance
This article has been written from a personal
perspective and is not to be taken as the opinion or
policy of the Depression A[Iiance.
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