ABSTRACT
Building on the previous two chapters within the “ontology and epistemology” pillar, a distinctly Christian psychotherapy employs a biblical understanding of reality and knowledge so as to guide treatment. Based on this awareness, a uniquely Christian approach suggests that God is the source of both, revealing himself to Christians via Scripture (i.e., special revelation). From this perspective, the symptoms of emotional disorders (including shame as a core experience) are God-given signals, capturing Christians’ longing to return to God as the Source of life (Bonhoeffer, 1955). Rather than erroneously striving to fully get rid of recurrent psychological pain, Christians can focus on deepening their relationship with God, cultivating a more spiritual, transcendent understanding of daily living by depending on him for relational support, affect regulation, and effective action. In applying the “common factors” domains of support, learning, and action (Lambert, 2013) to Christian ontology and epistemology, (a) support involves helping Christian clients to better understand and accept painful emotional states, looking to God’s special revelation as a source of knowledge and finding their identity in him, (b) learning involves understanding God’s pursuit of humankind, reframing emotional disorders as reverberations from the fall, and (c) action involves helping Christian clients look to Scripture to cultivate healthy Christian behaviors, recognizing that the Bible offers a roadmap for Christian living. Throughout the chapter, goals, interventions, techniques, and a case example are offered for clinicians working with Christian clients suffering from emotional disorders.
