Orthodox Psychotherapy: The science of the Fathers
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translated by Esther Williams
370 pages
This book contains the important message that the church can heal an ailing personality. The term "Orthodox Psychotherapy" does not refer to specific cases of people suffering from psychological problems of neurosis. Rather it refers to all people. According to Orthodox Tradition, after Adam;s fall man became ill; his "nous" was darkened and lost communion with God. Death entered into the person's being and caused many anthropological, social, even ecological problems. In the tragedy of his fall man maintained the image of God within him but lost completely the the likeness of Him, since his communion with God was disrupted. However the incarnation of Christ and the work of the church aim at enabling the person to attain to the likeness of God, that is to reestablish communion with God. This passage way from a fallen state to divinization is called the healing of the person, because it is connected with his return from a state of being contrary to nature, to that of a state according to nature and above nature. By adhering to Orthodox therapeuthic treatment as conceived by the Holy Fathers of Church man can cope succesfully with his thoughts (logismoi) and thus solve his problems completely and comprehensively.
Format: softcover
Number of Pages: 380
Dimensions (l × w × h): 23.5 cm × 16.1 cm × 2.5 cm
ISBN: 960‒7070‒27‒5
Metropolitan of Nafpaktos Hierotheos
translated by Esther Williams
“Much is being said today about psychological problems. I believe that the so-called psychological problems are mainly problems of thoughts, a darkened mind, and an impure heart. The impure heart as described by the Fathers, the dark and gloomy mind and impure thoughts are the source of all the so-called psychological problems. When a man is inwardly healed, when he has discovered the place of his heart, when he has purified the noetic part of his soul and freed his intelligence, he has no psychological problems. He lives in the blessed and undisturbed peace of Christ.”
—“Introduction”
CONTENTS
Translator’s Note
Preface to the English edition
Author’s Prologue
Introduction
1. Orthodoxy as a therapeutic science
1. What Christianity is
2. Theology as a Therapeutic Science
3. What Therapy is
4. Method of Therapy - Therapeutic Treatment
How then is the soul cured?
2. The orthodox therapist
1. Prerequisites for the role of priest therapist
The value of the priesthood
The calling and ordaining of the Apostles
Basic prerequisites for ordination
The three degrees of priesthood
2. Rekindling the Spiritual Gift
Basic qualities of priest-therapists
3. Spiritual Priesthood
4. The search for Therapists
3. Orthodox psychotherapy
1. The Soul (‘Psyche’)
What the soul is
Sickness and dying of the soul
Therapy of the soul
2. Interrelations of soul, nous, heart and mind
Nous and soul
Nous and heart
Nous and reason
Nous and attention
3. Nous, heart and thoughts
a) The nous
The natural life of the nous
Sickness of the nous
Healing of the nous
b) The Heart
What the heart is
Characterisations of the heart
Sickness of the heart
Curing of the heart
c) Intelligence (logiki) and thoughts (logismoi)
I. Intelligence
II. Thoughts - Logismoi
What logismoi are
The cause of evil thoughts
Consequences of evil thoughts
Curing of evil thoughts
4. Orthodox Pathology
1. What the Passions are
2. Types of Passions and their Development
3. Cure of the Passions
4. Dispassion
5. Hesychia as a Method of Healing
1. Hesychia (Stillness)
2. Hesychasm
3. Anti-hesychasm
6. Orthodox Epistemology
1. The three kinds of knowledge according to St. Isaac the Syrian
2. Knowledge of God according to St. Gregory Palamas
Prayers
Index of persons
Index of subjects
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