by RANIA AWAAD, MD & TAIMUR KAUSAR
In some faith communities, people hesitate to get mental health care. Here are some ways to make the process easier.
“Doc, I’ll be honest with you,” a new patient in my therapy practice said. “I don’t really want to be here, but I’ve tried everything else, and my sister finally pushed me to come see you.”
She said she had been trying to stay stoic in the face of hardship and accept God’s decree for her life. But many nights spent in prayer didn’t seem to help her heal from a childhood trauma that was retriggered by a recent incident.
In our sessions, she said that her reluctance to seek therapy stemmed from her belief that it would complicate her relationship with God. It would be as though she was asking for help from someone other than God.
A review article shows that individuals across faith groups may use their religious beliefs as reasons to not seek help — a phenomenon known as spiritual bypassing — because they believe that God is testing them in a special way, that faith alone will suffice or that they are deserving of hardship.
As health-care professionals involved in mental health research and community and clinical work, we have seen this phenomenon in our own Muslim community. But we also know that while the concerns are real and rooted in a commitment to faith, they may also be the result of misunderstanding aspects of faith.
Teaching patients that God doesn’t want you to suffer
In many world religions, hardships and challenges are understood to be a part of life, but are never meaningless or intended to hurt people. Rather, the teachings go, God places us in difficult situations to help us realize our dependence on Him, illuminate our blessings in a new light or learn lessons that help us grow spiritually.
When you are going through a hard time — try to find the lesson in it, take actionable steps to move past it and use the experience to strengthen your trust in a loving God.
How to get mental health help
Faith can empower people to seek mental health care
In Islam, individuals are responsible for caring for their bodies and minds, and this includes seeking appropriate help. This message is echoed in many of the world’s major faith traditions, but perhaps not always underscored when it comes to mental health.
One of the ways we encouraged the patient, an observant Muslim, to seek therapy was by quoting this saying of the prophet Muhammad, “O servants of God, seek treatment. Verily, Allah did not send a disease but that He also sent its treatment or cure.”
This wisdom encourages the faithful to seek help for illnesses — including mental illnesses — and they can do this without thinking that they are betraying other religious ideals such as reliance on God or belief in fate.
And the care should be appropriate — we should seek help from professionals and not limit it to self-help books, online resources, or friends and family. Nonprofessional resources, even if well-meaning, can sometimes be detrimental without proper guidance.
Faith should help us feel empowered to seek help even if, at the outset, we are unsure of its effectiveness.
For the patient, discovering that her religion encouraged mental health care was a significant motivator in her decision to seek therapy. For others, seeking guidance from support systems or an inner reflection may help them reach the same conclusion.https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/05/26/faith-mental-health-strategies-spiritual-bypassing/
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