In his book “Therapy Nation: How America Got Hooked on Therapy and Why It’s Left Us More Anxious and Divided,” psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert gives a good spanking to therapists who are misusing their profession, making people weaker instead of stronger. While not a Christian, or at least he doesn’t take a Christian view of therapy, he is open and honest about the failings of modern therapy, and goes into some depth on the whys and wherefores of those failures.
Mr. Alpert uses case studies and personal experience from his 20 years of practice to analyze the methods and the results of his colleagues. He presents convincing testimony and evidence of what is essentially malpractice on the part of many therapists, who have hung out their shingles claiming to help people but instead make most problems worse. Perhaps they are well meaning, but instead of confronting a person with responsibility for their actions they affirm whatever feelings are present and encourage separation from people whom they consider “toxic” or “narcissistic.” Jonathan contends that these and other therapy terms have made their way into a multitude of everyday conversations with little understanding of their true meanings or correct applications.
The book is amazing and well worth the cost and the read. If you wonder about the changes in friends and family members, when you suddenly get a cold shoulder from one you have loved and raised and are accused of being toxic or narcissistic, Mr. Alpert’s book will help you understand the cause. Unfortunately, it won’t help reverse the changes. The only thing that can do that is the Word of God. Ignoring it or turning away from it is at the root of all the broken, sinful practices. Turning the back on God, and refusing to do what He says, is to turn away from love and life. Just like in the Garden of Eden, and in the many sinful relations stunted and twisted by the disconnect between man and God ever since.
So get the book and maybe at least it will help you understand, and perhaps it will give you some escape from the therapy trap and turn back to God (or help others if they accept it). It might give you some direction for your prayers either for yourself or others. As Jonathan says, “Helping patients heal does not mean validating every fear or leaning into their anxieties. It means challenging them to rise above those fears and grow stronger.”
Shalom, Bruce