The Struggle with God by Isabelle Hamley, CH Cook and John Swinton

WHO has not struggled with mental health issues, either directly or through a family member or friend? The three respected authors of Wrestling with God are concerned about the relationship between mental health problems and Christian communities. The book is divided into six chapters, each of which ends with a biblical reflection, prayers, questions to facilitate individual or group study, and references to further reading.

Our own questions also highlight topics for group discussion. The book is “for those who struggle, for those who support those who struggle, and for those who would like to support but are afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing.” The authors would like to encourage all Christian communities to join the latter group and be informed by their book.

Mental Health Awareness Week took place in May, and in his regular column in the Church timesPaul Vallely recalled a sermon he had heard about an autistic parishioner who remembered all his birthdays and brought a divided congregation together for his baptism (Comment, 17 May). He praised the Radio 4 service earlier in the week, led by priest and poet Laura Darrall, with beautiful reflections from one of our writers, Isabelle Hamley, “who noted that the Psalmists are no strangers to the desolation of mental health problems”.

This juxtaposition of mental health issues and parts of the Bible is one of the themes of this great book I reviewed last year (Books, 15 September 2023). Another theme is the importance of tackling the stigma that often attaches to people with mental health issues and their carers. In the past, I have worked part-time as an NHS mental health chaplain and have worked for many years as an individual, couples and group therapist. I share the authors’ passion for tackling stigma and welcome the challenge to Christian communities to advance an accepting and compassionate pastoral approach.

Stigmatisation “is based on the assumptions we all make about people and the way people tend to put the world into categories”. While this categorisation is not harmful in itself, it can become problematic when we apply it to people we can never fully know. It can also affect the identity of the person with mental health problems, who may even label themselves as a diagnosis. I remember introducing myself to a person who had attended a hospital service and when I asked her her name she replied, “I’m bipolar.” She seemed to have lost sight of who she was as a person who happened to have an illness.

In more general psychological terms, we can split off aspects of ourselves that we are uncomfortable with and project them onto others. When we know ourselves well, we are less likely to do this. However, when we combine this with prejudice and quasi-tribal affiliations, these group categories can hinder clear thinking. The obvious extreme effect of this can be seen in tribal warfare, when one group stigmatizes another and seeks to eliminate it by force.

The Reverend Dr Isabelle Hamley, Principal of Ridley Hall and one of the three authors of the book. She will be one of the speakers at the Festival of Preaching in September festivalofpreaching.hymnsam.co.uk

This is also known as binary thinking and can sometimes occur in psychology-based professions. One example of this is the historical bias that exists between psychiatry and religious leaders. Today, pastors are more likely than in the past to be trained to work with psychologists and counsel people appropriately. Yet there are still examples of Christians blaming people for their illness and suggesting that they would be healed if they had more faith – something the authors address in Chapter 2.

This is one reason why psychologists and psychotherapists may be cautious when working with clergy and other pastors. In addition, there are psychotherapists who view religious belief as a defense mechanism or even a crutch, rather than as an example of health and support for their patients.

Readers may find it helpful to know about the book Sadness, depression and the dark night of the soul: Overcoming the medicalization of sadness by Glòria Durà-Vilà, a psychiatrist who was concerned about the possible over-medicalization of sadness. Her qualitative research with a group of highly religious participants in Spain identified spiritual sadness, which could be the cooling of a religious vocation or concern about one’s relationship with God, and is described as the dark night of the soul as known in the mystical tradition of Christianity, something that needs to be worked through with a spiritual companion.

Sadness can also have a mundane cause, such as a bereavement, a serious illness, or the end of a relationship. Sadness with no identifiable cause is more likely to be considered depression and requires professional help. Medication may be prescribed as part of the treatment.

This distinction between secular and spiritual sadness takes us right back to the book’s subtitle: “Mental Health and Christian Spirituality.” The authors draw liberally on biblical material, particularly the Psalms, the Book of Job, and the life and teachings of Jesus. They also consider the mystic John of the Cross, who wrote about his experiences in the dark night, and his writings have resonated with other Christians. While some psychiatrists consider this a spiritual aspect of clinical depression, others have noted that “in the midst of a dark night, the person maintains a positive attitude toward relationships with others, can still find hope and meaning, and wants to recover in ways that are often not possible for a person with major depressive disorder.”

A collaboration between sincere Christians and open-minded clinicians could go a long way toward reducing the stigma against people with mental health problems. We can all help.

The Reverend Dr Anne C. Holmes, a former NHS Chaplain, works as a psychotherapist and SSM in the Diocese of Oxford.

Wrestling with God: Mental Health and Christian Spirituality by Isabelle Hamley, CH Cook and John Swinton is published by SPCK for £14.99 (Church Times Bookshop £13.49); 978-0-281-08641-2.

Isabelle Hamley speaks at the Church Times Festival of Preaching in September. Listen to Dr Hamley’s conversation with Sarah Meyrick this week. Church times Podcast. This is a monthly series in collaboration with the Church times Festival of Faith and Literature. Listen here.

FIGHTING WITH GOD — A FEW QUESTIONS

1. Do you know members of your family and friends who are struggling with mental health problems?
2. If so, are you or they affected by the additional burden of stigma?
3. Would you describe your Christian community as inclusive? And if so, does this inclusivity include people with mental health issues?
4. Which Psalm speaks to your understanding of God’s acceptance of those who struggle with despair?
5. When St. Paul wrote the words, “I do not know what I am doing; for I do not do what I want, but what I hate” (Romans 7:16), he seemed to be referring to an inner conflict. Can you relate to that?
6. How can you help those around you, including members of your Christian community, to reduce the stigma associated with disabilities of any kind?

IN OUR next book club on August 2nd we will print additional information about our next book, The marriage portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. It is published by Tinder Press for £9.99 (£8.99); 987-1-4722-2388-3).

THE BOOK

Maggie O’Farrell takes the reader to Renaissance Italy in her latest historical novel The marriage portrait. It is based on the true story of teenage bride Lucrezia di Cosimo de’ Medici, who served as the inspiration for Robert Browning’s poem “My Last Duchess,” and who died just a few years after her marriage to the esteemed Duke of Ferrara. In the book, O’Farrell recreates the Duchess’s difficult final years, tracing her journey from the safety of her childhood home in Florence to the remote hunting lodge where her husband holds her captive. Parts of the story are told from the first-person perspective, and Lucrezia’s fear that her husband wants to kill her is palpable.

THE AUTHOR

The novelist Maggie O’Farrell was born in Coleraine in Northern Ireland. The author is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and has written seven novels. The marriage portrait is her latest novel. Her debut novel was published in 2000 After you left received critical acclaim and won a Betty Trask Award. Most recently, in 2020, her historical novel Hamnet (Book Club, October 1, 2021) won the Women’s Prize for Fiction and its success led to a stage adaptation in 2023, performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company.