Spiritual counselling and psychology/counselling

I want to point out differences between spiritual counselling on one side and psychology and counselling on the other side. I will focus on spiritual counselling because it possibly needs further clarification about how it works. Most people can relate to psychology and counselling.

I prefer the term mental conditions rather than mental disorders; the term mental disorders indicates an impairment of one’s mood, thinking, or behaviour. In psychology, a human’s mood, thinking, or behaviour are expected to be balanced – apart from short term exceptions – and they are supposed not to impact on a human’s ability to live a stable life.

With spiritual counselling the space for mental conditions is not so narrow. Spiritual counselling doesn’t a) look at an isolated mental condition and b) try to evaluate this condition for the purpose of defining a mental illness. A mental illness justifies or entails a certain treatment including, in certain cases, the administration of medication.

However, any mental condition is fundamentally natural to a human and is supposed to serve a purpose in a human’s life.

The same precept applies to a human’s physical condition.

If it is an option, spiritual counselling will evaluate and consider the potential in mental and physical conditions and develop a strategy how to handle them for one’s benefit. We will discuss that crucial aspect of life to allow for a deeper insight. The understanding may open new responses or widen the range of responses of a human toward their condition(s). Thus the potential for improving a life or healing significantly increases.

It comes down to balancing a human’s practical needs, his daily capability to live their life, and the space which can be given to consider a human’s higher purpose, in simple words, to learn their lesson(s) of life.

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Admittedly, that does not always work. Intrinsic limitations in a human which cannot be circumvented at the time of counselling might make other approaches necessary. The goal is still to find the least invasive approach and to avoid unsubstantiated treatment. The potential of the mental or physical condition may develop at a later time when it is the ‘right time’. Then the benefit may unfold by itself or at least with external assistance.

Summarised, the approach of spiritual counselling is, if possible, to transcend a seemingly life impairing mental or physical condition for the better of the human and not to treat the condition. The objective is to enable personal growth to serve one’s life purpose.

Choosing a conceptual/psychological approach the mental or physical condition may qualify as illness which is a common result.

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In our society the mental space of a human is pretty much predetermined. It is filled with social expectations including a huge amount of existing or perceived Dos and Don’ts which intrinsically limit a human’s development for higher values and purpose. Being different is quickly considered as having problems or even being sick. The more challenging a human’s life purpose the less they will fit into the straight corset of our society. Fellow humans and social conventions will turn out to be a major burden for a human facing personal growth challenges.

A human’s life is purposeful. Spiritual counselling will give as much consideration as possible to allow a human to keep following their life purpose and at the same time to be able to live their everyday life.

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Spiritual counselling has no side effects as known from certain (strictly speaking all) pharmaceuticals.

Spiritual counselling is life supporting in its whole approach.

Unfortunately that doesn’t mean that a healing or personal growth experience with spiritual counselling is always soft and smooth (neither it is with psychological treatments). It may be an intense learning curve which can be painful.

Spiritual counselling promotes the application of higher values in all situations of life. If you consequently introduce higher values in your life you might collide with your old relationships because of your personal change. You might experience temporary inner and outer conflicts.

Even if your attitudes and behaviours cause you problems with yourself and others or make you sick – it might not be easy to give them up and replace them by life supporting beliefs and habits.

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You decide to what extend you want to introduce spiritual thoughts in your life. Even just scratching the surface that means using a few ideas can be very helpful and solve issues you are currently stuck with. You can do more or less at any time.

The beauty is that there is always a positive outcome achievable which puts you in a better position compared to before you attended spiritual counselling.