QUESTION FOR THE THERAPIST

Question: "How does a person with an eating disorder incorporate God into the whole equation? A simple "turn it all over to God" doesn't seem to cut it." 

Answer: This is a good question! Not just with regard to eating disorders but any form of mental illness. There are a couple schools of thought in Christian circles -- one is a Biblical base which does not allow for anything psychological or counselling related. The other is to purely go psychological and not allow for a Biblical base/faith inclusion. The most realistic and helpful position is to include both. Just as with a physical illness, we do not exclude medication, surgery, treatments and medical knowledge from treatment. Mental illness is the same -- there are many things that are helpful from the medical model. 

Don't get me wrong, I do believe that God can heal instantaneously and completely, just as He can with physical illness. However, He also heals by other means, including therapy, medication and various forms of treatment. The hugely miraculous are fewer and more far between, usually because God values process and journey, and walking through struggles in loving community.

Sometimes when we place all the emphasis on 'just turn it over to God,' we negate the mental illness component. This creates a sense of shame for the person when they don't get better. This also negates the physical/mental component and treats it like it is purely a spiritual issue. And since we are physical, emotional, mental and spiritual beings -- we cannot pull these apart into fragments and disregard the whole picture. As you stated in your question -- the whole picture includes treating the physical (through proper nutrition and moderate exercise/activity); the emotional (through teaching a person who to recognize and regulate their emotions in an effective way); the mental (taking inventory of thoughts and challenging core beliefs); and the spiritual (looking at faith issues and how they align with overall health -- and the support of prayer and God's healing).

In relation to the man who was born blind in the gospel of John. The people wondered if this was just a spiritual issue. John 9:3 says, "It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins," Jesus answered. "This happened so the power of God could be seen in him." Let's remember ALL the aspects of a person's being and not judge his/her struggle. If a person was diagnosed with cancer, they likely would not be told to just 'pray harder' (although there are those who go there!), but we submit to prayer, seek medical intervention and treatment, and wisely try to discern what is best to obtain healing and move into a position of wellness.

Fresh Hope Counselling is located in Edmonton, Alberta and delivers counselling services globally.  Beth Murray is a Registered Psychologist and Eating Disorders Specialist.  Fresh Hope Counselling also offers hope and healing for depression, anxiety, spiritual issues/ struggles, self-esteem, trauma, loss and other issues effecting quality of life and functioning.