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__ Essay _________________________________________________________________________________________
ON HOLY GROUND:
Author: Sheila L. Banks, M.S.W.
Biographical Details Sheila Banks is a registered social worker of thirty years. Her experiences in the work place have led her to investigate and then utilize the cognitive behavioral approach with her clients. In 1997 she had a spiritual awakening. This event, actually a mystical union, compelled her to study a far-reaching collection of books related to both Eastern and Western theology. She has ventured to publish some of her insights in a treatise entitled 'Thoughts from a Contemplative Beast: The Paradigm Shift for the New Millennium'. Abstract The advancements in psychology have given rise to a specific brand of psychotherapy called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This form of therapy, based on knowledge drawn from cognitive psychology, helps a human to identify and then replace unhealthy thought patterns. Religion, with its emphasis on moral perfection through introspection, serves a transformative agenda that is comparable. At this juncture in our evolutionary ascent, Homo sapiens needs to undergo further changes in thinking in order to survive the converging and complex conditions of the global village. There still are large numbers of us who have some degree of psychopathology that negatively impacts our relationships. Our religious scholars and leaders then, have a challenging task ahead. As a species, we need help to look at the distortion in our thinking that has prevented us from behaving in accordance with what is best for human beings, families and societies. Religion that is equipped with lessons gained from cognitive psychology is in a better position to assist with this transformation of the masses. The connection between religion and psychology has been of great interest to some of our celebrated psychologists. Sigmund Freud understood religion to be a “neurotic expression of sexual repression” while Carl Jung, on a very different track, was interested in the self-actualizing power of the spiritual experience [1]. Both of these psychologists, and others, developed their ideas about the relationship between religion and psychology while endeavoring to determine the most appropriate therapeutic approach to their clients’ problems. Today however, our views about the association between these two domains of enquiry need updating. After all, the field of psychology has advanced since the time of its pioneers. Consequently our ideas about the link between religion and psychology need to take into account what our researchers have discovered about the human mind. This article does exactly that by comparing the ambitions of cognitive psychology to that of religion and by looking at the present state of human cognition in evolutionary terms. In closing, ideas for future directions are put forward. Since its inception psychology has been concerned with the study of internal mental states and their impact on human behavior. More recently, psychology’s quest for best practices has resulted in the development of another branch of knowledge known as cognitive psychology. This discipline explores mental processes such as memory, sensation, perception and thought [2]. And, the practical application of this information has given rise to a specific brand of psychotherapy called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Currently CBT is widely used to treat an assortment of neuroses and psychopathology [3]. This form of treatment is concerned with the ways in which an individual’s thoughts influence his emotions and actions [4]. During therapy sessions the client learns how to identify and then to replace his distorted thoughts with rational understanding. Given the importance of this branch of cognitive psychology, the link between CBT and religion certainly is worth exploring. But first a definition of religion is in order. The ideas put forth in this essay about religion are not restricted to specific religious denominations or doctrines. There exists a variety of religious denominations with practices and dogma unique to the cultural backgrounds of their followers. However, for our purposes it is best that we dispassionately view these expressions of religion and apply more of a sociological perspective. A dictionary definition, with its broad based interpretation of religion, offers a good start. According to the Concise Oxford dictionary, religion is “the human recognition of a super human controlling power that deserves obedience and respect” [5]. Religion’s main objective then, is to have us recognize our subordinate status in relation to The Creator of the universe. Because there is no escape from those governing principles that make this web of life an actuality, we are called to pursue humility. Our mission is to find out about Our Maker’s blueprints for the natural order and suitably adjust our behaviors. The organic predicament in which we exist has us intricately connected with one another and with the rest of creation. This means that we are situated in a milieu of complex interdependency. In our quest for adaptation we must learn how to successfully negotiate this set of circumstances. Our task then is to foster the kind of exchanges that result in healthy relationships. It is in this sense that religion calls each one of us to pursue a certain ethical discipline. Although it’s been said that people are actually “spirits having a human experience” that does not stop the territorial imperatives, a result of the human’s bestial origins, from having a home deep within the psychological structures of the human psyche. Our species’ fundamental dispositions result in a self-preservation reflex that affects an individual’s way of perceiving the world. A human’s cognitive apparatus triggers all sorts of moods and selfish impulses, some of which when acted upon, result in maladaptive actions. The individual who is able to monitor his own subjective frame of reference is in a much better position to manage the egocentric tendencies that distort his thinking. The mindfulness meditations of the East, the call to confession for Catholics and Judaism’s emphasis on performing mitzvah (good deeds), all point the way to a radical introspection. These religious rituals, as well as others in the various faith traditions, encourage the practitioner to observe his own subjective frame of reference. A disciple can acquire a high level of self-awareness by using any one of these practices as a means of paying attention to his own thoughts. The individual who pursues this inward focus can become increasingly conscious of the dominating fears and never-ending desires that plague his thinking. He can gain insight into how the distortions in his thinking spawn his illogical and mean-spirited ways. With this increase in self-awareness, the human gets to reflect on how his thoughts measure up to certain moral standards. As he learns to recognize and then downplay his self-centered viewpoint, he becomes more capable of behaving in a principled fashion. By discovering how to delay action in order to figure out what would be the best way of handling a particular situation, the individual gets to exercise his freewill and consciously choose to consider the needs of others. Religion encourages the acquisition of self-knowledge because ultimately we need to know ourselves if we are to do away with behaviors that do not measure up to certain ethical standards. We need to develop an awareness of the contents of our own thoughts if we are to regulate our behaviors. Religion emphasizes the need for reverence to our Maker because there must be no ambiguity about the task at hand. We are to bring about a species that is psychologically equipped and emotionally fit to establish positive human relationships and create healthy human societies. Cognitive behavioral therapy serves a transformative agenda parallel to that of religion. Our cognitive research has demonstrated that distorted perceptions and attitudes about oneself and the environment are central to many of a human’s behavioral and psychological difficulties [6]. With a flawed frame of reference left unexamined, the individual is ill-prepared to address the demands associated with being interdependent with other humans. In response to this need for introspection, CBT offers systematic methods and techniques with which the person can observe and transform his thoughts, attitudes and behaviors. Similar to religion, CBT aims to help one become conscious of his thoughts so that he can actively pursue positive attitudes, ideas and actions. Cognitive behavioral therapy, like religion, encourages the conscious use of self. At the heart of human psychopathology is distorted information processing. Both religion and CBT acknowledge the connection between an individual’s psychosocial well-being and his level of self-awareness. What then, are we to make of the prevalence of people diagnosed with depression, addictions, disabling anxiety and personality disorders? According to some of our researchers in neuropsychiatry, significant numbers of us, probably billions of us experience these mental health difficulties in varying degrees [7]. Homo sapiens, it appears, is not as self-aware, self-governing and logical as we like to imagine. Do our high crime rates, ongoing war machine and the maltreatment of women and children not speak volumes about our species’ current developmental condition? Although our systematic observations of other primates points to a number of unsettling similarities, we like to pretend that evolution has resulted in the emancipation of humankind from its bestial origins. Or more disturbing, some of us like to think that our species does not have an animal nature and never did. This kind of thinking does not help us to comprehend our humble status in the universe. We do not see ourselves as having a finite and conditioned cognitive apparatus like other creatures. We fool ourselves into believing that we are omnipotent and that we are on par with our Maker. Nevertheless, the explorations of our primatologists such as Jane Goodall and Frans de Waal point to another conclusion. After decades of observing the behavioral patterns of chimpanzees and other apes, these researchers have discovered many parallels between the behaviors of humans and that of other primates [8]. It appears that humankind persists with some habits and ways of information-processing which have been passed down from our animal ancestors through thousands of generations [9]. A familiar example is our flight or fight response that plays out in our anxieties [10]. If we, as individuals and as a species, are not prepared to acknowledge the impact of our biological makeup, then, there is little hope that we will pursue a developmental trajectory that liberates us from it. Yet, it is at this historical juncture that humankind is being called, once again, to ascend the evolutionary ladder. Our advancements in warfare and the environmental disasters looming large on the horizon are ushering us into a new era. Clearly we can no longer afford the economic and psychological burdens that our wars, civil strife and moral decay impose upon us. If our species is going to survive, and thrive in the converging conditions of our planet’s global village, we must find ways that will enable us to address the ever-increasing complex interdependency in which we now reside. Undeniably the task at hand is monumental. However, our churches, mosques, synagogues and temples are in a good position to be of assistance because these institutions still have influence. But first these religious organizations must present a paradigm that promotes humility amongst their followers. All of us must recognize that we humans are creatures. It is only when we are humble, or when we have been humbled, that we are willing to look at the distortion in our thinking that leads to our destructiveness. Our religious scholars and leaders then, at this crucial time in our species’ history, have a challenging task ahead. Best practices need to be developed and instituted that will help the critical masses to, not only understand the indispensable role that humility plays in a human’s psychological growth, but to actually want to live out their lives according to this truth. There is no doubt that humility is essential; that is why it has been exalted for millennia now by one holy person after another. However, humility does not provide the full recipe for the elimination of irrational thinking. Once there is a willingness to look at our own thoughts, we then need the cognitive tools that will help us to monitor our thinking and change our behaviors. Those religious rituals aimed at introspection have provided some help but this is where our investigations into human cognition can be of additional assistance to our religious institutions. Research has revealed the transformative power associated with CBT‘s knowledge base and skill set [11]. These cognitive interventions then, need to receive greater attention from our religious leaders in order to determine the practical applications for their followers. If the well-designed tools and efficient methods that CBT offers to reduce psychopathology is sanctioned and promoted by the various religious organizations throughout the world, religion just might reclaim the power to set the stage for a large-scale transformation of the human species. These ideas may seem imaginative. However, it is now that we need creative solutions with widespread repercussions. After all, humankind is being asked to change its ways. Religion that is equipped with the lessons gained from cognitive psychology is in a better position to assist with the ascent of humankind. It is at this collaborative interface where contemporary religion and cognitive psychology stand on holy ground.
References 1. Palmer, Michael. Freud and Jung on Religion. New York: Routledge, 1997. [111]
Bibliography Beck, Aaron, and Arthur Freeman. The Cognitive Therapy of Personality Disorders. New York: The Guilford Press, 1990.
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