Author: Abi-Hashem, Naji

Journal of Psychology and Christianity, Vol. 25(3), Fall 2006, pp. 251-257

I remember vividly receiving a phone call from M’s husband, asking whether I was experienced enough to work with obsessive-compulsive people or whether I specialize in this type of treatment. “My wife saw a local family therapist for a while but later he decided he couldn’t help her. Then we found a local psychologist who wanted to use hypnosis on her. My wife didn’t feel comfortable with that approach. Besides, we would like to be with a Christian therapist because our faith is important to us.”

Although they were eager, and perhaps desperate, to find sound help and to connect with a compatible therapist, I admired their approach, courage, and sense of adventure. They were willing to drive two hours each way to come to see me at the office. Consequently, we agreed to meet for an initial visit and a mutual interview.

Authors: Sneep, John; Zinck, Arlette

Journal of Psychology & Christianity, Vol. 24(2), Sum 2005, pp. 156-164

Abstract:

John Bunyan’s 17 Century autobiography, Grace Abounding, records both his spiritual unrest and his psychological torment but gives no clues to his remarkable recovery. This article will attempt to clarify Bunyan’s diagnosis and the nature of his spiritual and psychic transformation. We will argue that, preceding bouts of severe depression, Bunyan suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, his obsession with the idea of his own reprobation resulting in a compulsive reading of scripture. Curiously, Bunyan’s scripture reading also appears to be a key element in his recovery. We will contend that, in his fictional depiction of Christian’s battle against the giant Despair in Pilgrim’s Progress, Bunyan most fully explains how the object of his compulsions finally becomes the “key” that releases both Christian and Bunyan himself from the grips of spiritual and psychological illness.