The audio and slides are now availabe HERE.  You can get the basic points by scanning the slides.  The audio offers more detail.  (I’ve noticed that when I first click play that the audio starts, but then stops after a few seconds.  When I click play again, it then plays the entire presentation.)

If you would like to be notified of upcoming presentations, please subscribe to this blog using one of the options at the top of the right hand column.

Wes

Anxiety, Depression, and the Spiritual Path

with Dr. Wes Eades

please RSVP to wacopartnership@gmail.com

Date: Thursday, June 18
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m (light refreshments served).
Location: St. Albans Episcopal Church Community Outreach Center

The short take: People often consider struggles with anxiety and/or depression to be an indication of spiritual immaturity.  Dr. Wes Eades will discuss ways in which these struggles can energize the spiritual journey.

Research indicates that 50% of Americans will wrestle with enough anxiety and depression at some time in their lives to consider suicide (source – see page 3).  Sadly, many persons have been led to believe that such struggles are a sign of spiritual immaturity.  The FACT is that such suffering is an inevitable part of a full and meaningful life.

The Waco Partnership for Psychological and Spiritual Care will be hosting a free two hour presentation by Dr. Wes Eades on how anxiety and depression can actually serve the spiritual journey.  Dr. Eades has over 20 years of experience helping persons overcome the life-narrowing effects of anxiety and depression.  He will be sharing some basic insights from the fields of psychology and spirituality that have proven effective for many people who wrestle with this all too common challenge.

If you, or someone you love, struggles with anxiety and/or depression, the board of WPPSC invites you to participate in this event.

PLEASE RSVP  at 254.498.7176 or via email at wacopartnership@gmail.com

WPPSC is a 501c3 non-profit organization.

<a href="mailto:mattbaehr@example.com">mail to me link</a>

The field of neuroscience is producing, at an astounding rate, fresh information about how our brains work.  Many of the findings have implications for our understanding of what it means to say we are “spiritual.”  These implications can be both enlighenting and troubling.  What follows is the summary of a recent study on the connection between the brain and spirituality.  What implications, if any, do you see for your ministry?

Wes

News release from the University of Missouri-Columbia: Selflessness, Core Of All Major World Religions, Has Neuropsychological Connection

All spiritual experiences are based in the brain. That statement is truer than ever before, according to a University of Missouri neuropsychologist.

An MU study has data to support a neuropsychological model that proposes spiritual experiences associated with selflessness are related to decreased activity in the right parietal lobe of the brain. The study is one of the first to use individuals with traumatic brain injury to determine this connection.

Researchers say the implication of this connection means people in many disciplines, including peace studies, health care or religion can learn different ways to attain selflessness, to experience transcendence, and to help themselves and others.

This study, along with other recent neuroradiological studies of Buddhist meditators and Francescan nuns, suggests that all individuals, regardless of cultural background or religion, experience the same neuropsychological functions during spiritual experiences, such as transcendence. Transcendence, feelings of universal unity and decreased sense of self, is a core tenet of all major religions. Meditation and prayer are the primary vehicles by which such spiritual transcendence is achieved.

“The brain functions in a certain way during spiritual experiences,” said Brick Johnstone, professor of health psychology in the MU School of Health Professions. “We studied people with brain injury and found that people with injuries to the right parietal lobe of the brain reported higher levels of spiritual experiences, such as transcendence.”

This link is important, Johnstone said, because it means selflessness can be learned by decreasing activity in that part of the brain. He suggests this can be done through conscious effort, such as meditation or prayer. People with these selfless spiritual experiences also are more psychologically healthy, especially if they have positive beliefs that there is a God or higher power who loves them, Johnstone said.

“This research also addresses questions regarding the impact of neurologic versus cultural factors on spiritual experience,” Johnstone said. “The ability to connect with things beyond the self, such as transcendent experiences, seems to occur for people who minimize right parietal functioning. This can be attained through cultural practices, such as intense meditation or prayer or because of a brain injury that impairs the functioning of the right parietal lobe. Either way, our study suggests that ’selflessness’ is a neuropsychological foundation of spiritual experiences.”

The research was funded by the MU Center on Religion and the Professions. The study – “Support for a neuropsychological model of spirituality in persons with traumatic brain injury” – was published in the peer-reviewed journal Zygon.

“Our research focused on the personal experience of spiritual transcendence and does not in any way minimize the importance of religion or personal beliefs, nor does it suggest that spiritual experience are related only to neuropsychological activity in the brain,” Johnstone said. “It is important to note that individuals experience their God or higher power in many different ways, but that all people from all religions and beliefs appear to experience these connections in a similar way.”

Welcome to the inaugural post of Waco Partnership for Psychological and Spiritual Care.  If you’d like to receive notice when we publish a new summary of work relevant to ministry, please subscribe using the options at the top right column.

Note: Dr. Matthew Stanford, the lead author of the study referenced below, will be monitoring this blog entry, and has generously offered to respond to your questions and comments.

If you are a pastor, odds are that you serve at least a few parishioners who struggle with significant mental health challenges.  Knowing how best to support these persons can be very difficult given the often complex set of factors that underlie their pain.  Most pastors work hard to educate themselves on mental health issues, yet a recent study suggests some disturbing trends are in play.

Medical News Today reports on a study led by Dr. Matthew Stanford, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor, which found that some clergy struggle to know how to respond to mental illness. (Dr. Stanford’s work was also discussed in this Waco Herald-Tribune story)

Here’s a very basic summary of the findings.

• 293 Christians who approached their local church for assistance in response to a personal or family member’s diagnosed mental illness were surveyed.
• Over 32 percent of these church members were told by their pastor that they or their loved one did not really have a mental illness.
• Additionally, these members were told the cause of their problem was solely spiritual in nature (ie, personal sin, lack of faith or demonic involvement).
• Women were more likely than men to have their mental disorders dismissed by the church.
• Some parishioners were told by clergy to stop taking medication.
• A follow up survey found that the dismissal or denial of the existence of mental illness happened more in conservative churches, rather than more liberal ones.
• Persons whose mental health concerns were dismissed are less likely to continue attending church and report a weakening of faith.

While there’s no question that diagnoses of mental illness and the use of medication can be used to avoid facing spiritual issues, it appears that some ministers find it difficult to recognize those mental health challenges that are driven by legitimate physiological problems.  Nonetheless, I was surprised by the survey results.

In my work as a pastoral counselor, I find that many of my clients long for help in bringing their faith to bear on their struggles with mental health.  The majority of my clients are wrestling with anxiety and depression, but some also contend with more severe forms of mental illness.  I would have never guessed that nearly 1/3 of those seeking support from pastors for mental health issues would feel dismissed by those they depend on for spiritual guidance.

We obviously have no idea what exactly happened in each of these situations.  For instance, it could be that some of the parishioners misunderstood the pastor’s fumbling words or hesitant reactions as dismissal.  I’ve talked with pastors who, out of their fear of saying the wrong thing, say nothing, or express ambivalence.

Nonetheless, it seems clear that at least some of you who minister in these difficult situations would appreciate some help.  So my question is:

What sort of help do you need?

For example, would it be helpful to have the name and number of a mental health professional whom you could contact with questions?  Would it be helpful to sit down with a group of your peers and ask a psychiatrist about diagnoses and medications?   Would you like access to books and articles that can explain mental health issues without all the psychiatric and medical jargon?

Rod and I would like to hear from you.  What questions do you have of Dr. Stanford, or of me and Rod?  What sort of help would truly support your ministry?  Also, what resources have you already discovered on this issue that you can share with your colleagues?

Please respond using the comments section of the blog.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Peace,

]]> http://wacopartnership.org/2009/02/21/pastors-congregations-and-major-mental-health-issues-of-parishoners/feed/ 3 Waco Partnership wppsc-wishes-to-promote wes-signature-b http://wacopartnership.org/2008/11/22/introducing-the-waco-partnership-for-psychological-and-spiritual-care-wppsc/ http://wacopartnership.org/2008/11/22/introducing-the-waco-partnership-for-psychological-and-spiritual-care-wppsc/#comments Sat, 22 Nov 2008 23:46:09 +0000 wacopartnership ]]> The Waco Foundation for Mental Health Care

is now the

Dear Friends,

This site is about 90% ready for “official launch,” but you’ll be able to get a very good idea of who we are and what we do by cruising around.  We’ll be making the official announcement some time in February.  Additional changes to this site between now and then should be fairly minor.

The MAJOR GOAL of the blog section of this site will be to inform ministers of research in the area of mental health that we believe has a direct bearing on pastoral work.  Each month we will be summarizing the findings published in medical journals, and offering some interpretive comments as needed.  If you’d like to receive an email notification when updates are made to the blog, please subscribe using the link at the top of the right hand column.

Thanks for visiting!

Board of Directors

Thad Hairston
Owner, Arm Tex Corporation

Burt Burleson, D.Min.
Chaplain, Baylor University

Loryn Hairston
Community Supporter

Lisa Bradfield
Quality Management, MHMR

Melanie Smith
Academic Advisor, Baylor University

Clinical Participants

Wesley M. Eades, Ph.D., LPC, LMFT
Roderick D. Hetzel, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist

WPPSC is managed by Wes Eades