Mary concluded that she is still a believer but there was a great distance between her and God. According to the book Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling, by Mark R. McMinn, a believer is an individual who believes and has faith in something or someone(McMinn, 1996).Despite Mary’s position as a believer is weak, she can be brought closer to God through prayer. According to Mark (1996, 66), prayer is associated with subjective experienceof well-being and this signifies that Mary’s wellbeing can be boosted using prayer therapy. The prayer would act as a bridge to link her closer to God more than she was before. It would also act as a pathway to submit her troubles and worries to God. In simple terms, prayer is a direct petition (McMinn, 1996, 71)
Although Mary is perceived to be a young woman aged 28 years, as per the instructions, she experienced a non-fatal suicide attempt which made doctors suspect she might have Dissociative Identity Disorder. The disease left her with mental problems which may have contributed to her state of mind. By using theologyand spiritual therapy, Mary can be separated from her past. The most effective spiritual therapy would be the forgiveness of the past abuser (McMinn, 1996, 58). The case would be referenced from actual instances of the Bible where forgiveness was applied. The counselor would also enlighten Mary on the subsequent advantages of forgiveness.
Also, according to Mark (1996), believing is said to be acquired through either experience or teachings and is a part of spiritual intervention. Mary happened to have been brought up in a Christian family where she grew up in the church. Through the many teachings she received from church, she is still a believer. Having experienced the suicide attempt, left her believing in God for she was able to overcome the death which was at her sight. The Believe aspect can therefore be exploited in the spiritual therapy. The therapist could use Biblical excerpts of where believing proved to be positive. For instance, cases of demonstration of faith in the Bible could help Mary believe more in positive things.
The sexual molestation Mary experienced throughout her childhood must have left unanswered questions in her mind about God. She must also have doubted some Christian facts like the commandment, “Honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12) after her father used the same commandment as a tool to molest her. Her father was a man of God but only during daytime whereas at night, he would change to be a member of the occult. The same father forced Mary to watch the occult sacrifice of her child during the satanic ritual. Mary could only be saved from the trauma and negativity of the incidences by using Christian values that would lead to spiritual healing like forgiveness and philosophies such as the psychodynamic theory(McMinn, 1996, 224).
The experiences Mary came across made her feel as if God was far from her but due to the fact that a therapist could keep herreading her Bible regularly, she would probably remain a believer. The feeling of God been at a distance from her will be deleted by the counsellors empathetic nature and keen patient listening. If Mary learns that the counsellor is a good and true representative of Christianity, then she will definitely follow suit and get over with her past.
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