Reply To: George Zimmerman is not innocent

Home Forums Decaffeinated Coffee George Zimmerman is not innocent Reply To: George Zimmerman is not innocent

#966860
rebdoniel
Member

Therapy is a term that needs to be defined.

Some people who suffer from psychopathologies do need CBT and other clinical interventions in order to manage symptoms and negative behaviors. Many of us even apply CBT principles on a daily basis in our own lives without knowing it (we reward ourselves for doing favorable things and withhold rewards for others, especially among kids).

All people can benefit from spiritual direction. This is where Humanistic and Transpersonal and Existential Psychology come into play. Think Maslow, Erich Fromm, Viktor Frankl, Norman Vincent Peale, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Rav Shlomo Carlebach, etc. The psychology of Being These were concepts which largely were predated by the mekubalim, the Hasidic masters, and the Baalei haMussar (Much of Freudian thought regarding unconscious desires and drives was explicated earlier on by R’ Yisrael Salanter and others). People can benefit from having a “mashpia” of sorts. Someone objective who can enable individuals actualize their goals, identify and manage obstacles to growth, avodat HaShem, interpersonal relationships, etc. The great mashgichot in the yeshivos were masters at this, and there are many qualified, very spiritual, professional rabbanim who drink from the wisdom of both Humanistic/Transpersonal psychology (many have LCSW’s or psychology degrees), as well as Mussar, Kabbalah, and Hasidut. I know of a rebbi at Stern College who is studying Psychoanalysis. The ability to counsel is very important in the rabbinate. Hasidim predated the modern pastoral couseling movement by many decades, and they knew that people need someone to develop a soul connection with for advice, unconditional friendship, acceptance, and love.