Page 24 - SP Catalog 2022

Psychology Series
Psychology Series
37.
To Be or Not to Be Explorations in Madness and Faith
by Steven-John M. Harris
Psychologically speaking, madness keeps a person from thriving in life, relationships, and reality. Theologically speaking, sepa- ration from God is an illusion that causes needless suffering. While suffering is diffi- cult, the author argues that it is the inabil- ity to suffer that contributes significantly to the development of madness. Madness, in its various forms, also owes itself to the human difficulty of coming to terms with reality. Further, the author examines the problem of madness both in its everyday and more disturbing forms. He illustrates how attitudes such as the tendency to sep- arate people into “us and them” further contributes to alienation and madness. Notably, Dr Harris develops a phenome- nological view of disturbing behavior be- fore linking them to both psychological and dissociative models of the mind. These considerations are illustrated to demon- strate the potential for healing and for one’s participation in religious faith through descriptions, case material and the challenges that each brings.
376, pages, softbound, published in 2020 price $20
38.
Illness and Healing
in Orthodox Theology
by Metropolitan John Zizioulas
of Pergamon
illustrations by Fr. Stamatis Skliris
The basic questions the author answers for discussion are: What, in general, is sick- ness, and what, specifically, is mental ill- ness? What is therapy and what is a cure? When can we say that someone is healed or cured? What means or methods do we have at our disposal to effect treatment, as this is understood by theology? John Zizioulas provides answers to the ques- tions based on certain fundamental prin- ciples of Orthodox theology. For St. Maxi- mus, the essence of sickliness is self-love. Self-love is not simply a passion: it is the root cause of all passions: If you want to be liberated from the passions, cast off the mother of the passions, self-love. The only real healing lies in the eradication of self- love, which is the root of all the passions. The only way to separate a passion from a “representation” is with love, self-restraint (i.e., self-mastery), and free will. On this point, theology can offer us some crucial principles.
56 pages, softbound, illustrated, published in 2016
price $10
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