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Psychological and Spiritual Healing in the
Catholic Mystic Tradition

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Self-help for Faith and Healing

 

With all your mind, learn the Faith in its fullness and depth;

With all your strength, defend the Faith from ignorance and hate;

With all your soul, desire the Faith as your most cherished hope;

With all your heart, live the Faith in gentleness and love.


First Things | Introduction to the Basic Concepts | Family Issues | Healing | Psychological Traps | Social Traps | Clinical Issues | Relaxation CD | Books

 

IRST THINGS

Principles of Spiritual Self-help

The Way of the Cross: Parables; A World Filled With Impiety; Psychology and Spirituality; Asking While Doubting; Sacrifice, Obedience, and Prayer; Where Has Love Gone; What You Can Do; Increase My Faith

NTRODUCTION TO THE BASIC CONCEPTS

Chastity

Why chastity?: Where there is love and chastity, there is God                                                                                                        

Failure  (From the Q&A Section)

Why wasn’t I taught any of this in church?: A Stamp of Approval; The “Church” and “the Church”; “What is the Least I Have to Do?”; “Magical” Salvation; Indifference, Ingratitude, and Contempt

Snatched by Demons  (From the Q&A Section)

Hardly anyone else understands—or even desires to understand—the truth: The Truth; Snatched by Demons; Getting It Wrong; The Few—and the Rest; A Few Good Friends; A Constant Vow; With Trials as a Teacher

Outside the Box

How to find freedom from social fraud and game-playing: The Nine Dot Puzzle; The Real Box: Fraud and Games; Contempt of the World; Detachment from the World: Chastity, Modesty, and Humility

Spiritual Counsels

Spiritual Counsels to develop love for God and healthy self-love: Introduction; The Mandate; A Basis both Ecclesiastical and Psychological; Rationale; The Counsels

AMILY ISSUES

Jesus’ Teachings About Sexuality and Marriage

From the visions of the Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich 

Children Fallen Away from the Church

When children fall away from the Church: Things Don’t Just “Happen”; Drawn Away from God’s Will; Trust in God; What Your Children See; How You Lose Credibility; Exposing the Fraud; What You Can Do Now

Educating Children

The price of being lukewarm in faith: How the devil undermines the Church by brainwashing children in school

Ego States

Understanding Ego States: Something Missing; The Problem with Romantic Relationships; As a Child Sees Things; The Fullness of Healing; Attending to the Child Ego State

Family Dysfunction and Disobedience

How disobedience results from family hypocrisy: The “Stain”; Resistance to Authority; The Call Back to Faith; The Call Away from the World and Self

The Father

The psychological consequences of a missing father: The Role of a Mother; The Role of a Father; Lack; Unconscious Consequences of Lack; Saint Joseph; The Remedy; Prayer to Saint Joseph; Modern Prayer to Saint Joseph

Growth

Raising children with real love and blessings: The Solution; Raising Children to Revere the Holy; Healthy Communication; The Gender-based Communication Bias; The Mistake of “Gender Equity”

Helping Children Heal

Reality and Faith: The Mistake of Invalidation; The Proper Way                                                                                                        

Parental Love for a Child  (From the Q&A Section)

The origin of psychological dysfunction in children: Trauma Kept Secret; Getting to the Problem; Parental Love; The Possibility of Real Love; The Rarity of Real Love; Giving of Yourself Genuinely

HEALING

Desire and Motivation

The psychology of motivation and how to overcome repeated impulses to sin: Acknowledgment and Regret; Forced to Act; Psychological Motivation; Pushed by the Drive; Pulled by Desire; Understanding Hidden Needs; Triggers for Impulses; Desire for the Holy; A Psychological-Spiritual Hitch: The Hidden Desire for Self-destruction

Four Steps to Humility

What humility really is: Humiliation; The Difference Between Humility and Masochism; Recognizing Emotions; Recognizing Psychological Defenses; Learning How the Past “Lives” in the Present; Learning New Behaviors

Gratitude

How to nurture a sense of gratitude                                                                                                                                  

Healing

Emotional hurt and giving the pain to God: Spiritual Healing; Hurt; Anger and Revenge; Another Option; Transformation Through Prayer; About Child Abuse; Giving the Pain to God (Acknowledge the Pain - Relax - Be Transparent; Pray); “Offer it Up!”; It’s Really Hard Work

Hope  (From the Q&A Section)

Desiring to Learn; Saints are Made, not Born; Wounded by Family Dysfunction; The Spark of Hope and Love; With Trials as a Teacher; Prayer For Hope

Meeting Your Enemy in Heaven  (From the Q&A Section)

Problems with healing because of an inability to forgive your “enemies”: Purified in Heaven; Forgiveness versus Reconciliation; Summary

New Age “Healing”

The errors of confusing healing with the divine life: The Chill; Seduction; Forgiveness and Transformation; The Goddess; The Real New Age; New Age Healing Practices (Buddhism, Centering Prayer, Reiki, Spiritism, Wicca, Yoga)

RCIA  (From the Q&A Section)

The problem with RCIA programs: Let the dead bury the dead.                                                                                                                                  

PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAPS

Being Wretched

How falling short is nothing to be ashamed of: The Refusal to Acknowledge Wretchedness; Scrutiny; Wretched {period}; Hidden Spiritual Pride; Bypassing Denial; Wretched {gracefully}

Disasters and Trauma

Natural disasters and other traumas: Introduction; The Imaginary; The Real; Blame; Trust in God; The Symbolic Realm; Spiritual Growth through Tribulations; Breaking the Cycle of Blame and Hatred

Distractions and Fantasies

How to understand and cope with fantasies and distractions during prayer: Understanding, not Ignoring; The Definition of Fantasies (a k a Temptations); The Relationship Between Thoughts and Feelings; Sexual Fantasies; Fantasies of Grandiosity; Evil Fantasies; Self-destructive Fantasies; A Benign Example; Practical Suggestions

Evil

How mental health, unconscious defenses, and demonic influence are all related: Evil as Something Harmful; Evil as the Refusal to Serve God’s Will; Why Did God Make Hell; Demonic Influence or Mental Illness; The Unconscious; Vulnerability to Evil through Psychological Defenses; The Desire for Revenge; What You Can Do; Three Final Points

Fear

How fear holds us back from living genuinely holy lives: Fear; Fear of Love; Do Not Be Afraid; Feeling Afraid vs. Being Afraid; Self-sabotage and Fear of Dreams; Accepting Love; Fear of God; Fear of Hell; Unforgiven

Guilt

How forgiveness depends on sorrow and love, not guilt: The Mockery Made of Baptism; God Forgives Anything; Reparation; Repentance is Love; When is Enough Enough?; Sorrow and Guilt; Perseverance in Love

Heresy

The consequences of rejecting graces and condoning sin                                                                                                                                  

Mercy  (From the Q&A Section)

The Issues: “Overlooking” Sins; Salvation is a Life-long Battle; A Hollow Shell Covering Inner Fear; Mercy: Its Theological Meaning; Refusing Mercy; Contrition and Adoration; A Genuine Plea for Mercy

Scruples  (From the Q&A Section)

Overcoming the scruples that impede a holy life: Knowing and Not-knowing; The Unconscious Conflict of Scruples; The Psychological Motive; Interpretation, not Fear; Anger and Self-sabotage; Self-sabotage and Scruples; The Solution

Sin  (From the Q&A Section)

Why we sin: Original Sin; Concupiscence: Sin Feels Good; Missing the Point; Personal Sin; Catholic Psychology; The Deception of “Knowing”; It’s Your Choice

Suffering and Obedience

The role of suffering and obedience in spiritual healing: Job Wasn’t Self-righteous; Beyond Our Comprehension; A Dilemma—and a Mystery; A Testament and a Penance; Obedience Lets all Suffering End in Love; A Deliberate Decision of Free Will; The Subversion of Obedience: Quietism; The Defeat of Satan’s Bet; Postscript: Wisdom

SOCIAL TRAPS

Catholic Compassion

Shifting the emphasis on sin to a focus on healing: Compassion; Chastity; Responsibility; Serving the Self; Disobeying God; Identity; To Die in All Things; The Proof

Christian Identity   (From the Q&A Section)

Rediscovering Christian Identity: Lament; Christian Identity; The Politicizing of Christianity; The Christian Task: To Become Christian; Rediscovering Christian Identity

The Father

The psychological consequences of a missing father: The Role of a Mother; The Role of a Father; Lack; Unconscious Consequences of Lack; Saint Joseph; The Remedy; Prayer to Saint Joseph; Modern Prayer to Saint Joseph

Feminism  (From the Q&A Section)

How women are duped by anti-Catholic feminist ideology: Shaking Off the Supernatural; The Dignity of Male and Female; The Bond of Holy Matrimony; Your Cross

Illegal Immigration

The fraud of political correctness: The Theological Reason; The Social Reason; The Civil Reason; The Reality

Judgment

The false accusation of being judgmental: “Don’t be judgmental!”; Silenced by “Diversity”; Necessary Judgment; Forbidden Judgment; Judgment can be Negative or Positive; Lying to Evade Judgment; Summary; Psychological Counsels

Love

The real relationship between love and sin: Love’s Opposite: Sin; Forms of Love; Charity Raised to the Divine; Sin’s Antidote

Modesty

Christian Modesty: Sexual Morality and the Body; Purity of Soul and Body; The Body as a Temple; The Body’s Role in Our Salvation; Lust of the Eyes; The Body Serves Love and Holiness; Modesty; Summary

Peace

The truth about peace on earth: Men of Good Will; Willing to do God’s Will; Either Peace or Division                                                                  

Politics

The current realities about the State vs. the Church: The Illusion; Diversity; Activism; In God We Trust; Holiness is a Personal Struggle

Protest

The vanity of protest: Compensation for Injury; To Condemn the World; For the Sake of Love; A World Littered with Corpses

Responsibility

How to overcome victimization and take real responsibility for your life: Liability and Tort Law; Lawsuits and Christianity; Christian Spiritual Liability; Purification, not Compensation; Responsibility; Victimization; Blame and Hiding

Sexuality, Romance, and True Love

Real Christian love: Goodness; The Call Away from Sin; Love is of the Spirit; Eroticism; The Allure of Common “Love”; Erotic Arousal in Romance; The Emptiness of Common “Love”; Holy Matrimony: Real Love in Real Marriage; The Call to be Holy; Freedom, not Repression

Social Justice  (From the Q&A Section)

Social Justice: True Christian Life; The Social Role of a Genuine Christian; Fear of Facing Psychological Darkness; The Greatest Human Service of All Time; Imprisoned in Self-deception; God’s Perfect Justice; Liberation for Everyone

Sports  (From the Q&A Section)

What’s wrong with sports: Love—or Pride; The Scandal of Pride; Boasting; The Real Crown; Going for the Gold; The Wisdom of Non-competition

Tattoos  (From the Q&A Section)

What’s wrong with tattoos: Cain’s Mark; Tattoos: Then and Now; By the Hand of God                                                                                                                                  

Terrorism  (From the Q&A Section)

What about terrorism? Surely we have a legal right to avenge ourselves: Two Fundamental Points; Agents of Evil; Not Innocent; Pushing God Out of Our Lives; Fighting Fire with Fire—and Sin; Real Lives of Christian Peace; Only One Wisdom

Witnessing the Faith  (From the Q&A Section)

How to defend the holy: The Martyrs; Preaching, Teaching, and Witnessing; Elements of Witnessing the Faith; A Quiet Refusal, Not a Public Protest; The Real Battle; The Psychology of Responsibility; Taking Responsibility for Your Own Behavior; Explaining Yourself; Summary

LINICAL ISSUES

Catholic Autogenics

Step-by-step training to learn relaxation, self-awareness, and trust in God                                                                                                                                  

Deliverance from the Tyranny of False Beliefs

Deliverance from the oppression of false beliefs: Overcoming self-defeating statements that we repeat to ourselves unconsciously.

Overcoming Obsessions with Pornography and Masturbation  (From the Q&A Section)

The truth about masturbation: Demons and Wolves; The Theological Issues; The Psychological Issues; The Actual Failure; The Urge to Masturbate; Sexual Addiction; The Healing Process; The Spiritual Battle; Deliverance; A Dream; Beyond Lack and Limitation

How to Stop Procrastination  (From the Q&A Section)

Procrastination: Anger; Puberty; The Psychological Meaning of Masturbation; The Psychological Meaning of Procrastination; How to Stop Procrastinating; Summary

Stopping Smoking

Step-by-step instructions to stop smoking with visualization and prayer: Enslavement; Stopping Smoking through Faith and Prayer; Visualization and Prayer Technique; Coping with Cravings

Treatment of Bipolar Disorder

Recommendations for the treatment of mania and hypomania: Mood Stabilizers; Expansive Fantasy; Healing from Grandiosity; A Complication to the Healing: Religiosity; Deceived by “Trust in God”; Psychotherapy—not Arguing

Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder

Recommendations for healing feelings of abandonment and rage: The Rage from Feeling Abandoned; The Rage Continues: Pushing Away; “It’s Your Fault!”; To Heal the Rage; Love: The Imitation of Christ; The Mystical Price of Love

Treatment of Depression and Anxiety

Recommendations for healing the failure to trust in divine providence and justice: The Unconscious Aspect of Emotional Trials; Encountering Emotional Trials with Faith; Medication vs. Self-Scrutiny; Self-help Recommendations

Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Recommendations for healing feelings of repressed anger and guilt: Unconscious Guilt; Healing Guilt through a Holy Lifestyle: Christian Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment, Understanding Emotional Hurt, and Desire for the Holy

Treatment of Personality Disorders

Recommendations for understanding personality gifts and correcting their misuse: The Problem with “Personality”; Personality Disorders; Personality Gifts; Catholic Treatment Recommendations

Weight Reduction

Step-by-step instructions to lose weight with visualization and prayer: Body Mass Index Calculator; Points to Ponder about Overeating; Weight Reduction Assisted by Fasting; Weight Reduction through Faith and Prayer; Visualization and Prayer Technique; Coping with Cravings

ELAXATION CD

Guided Imagery for Relaxation and Healing

This CD guides you through a psychological experience of relaxation and healing that is faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church

BOOKS

Books, Booklets, and Prayer Cards

By Raymond Lloyd Richmond, Ph.D., the author of this website.                                                                                                                                  

 

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Where Catholic therapy (Catholic psychotherapy) is explained according to Catholic psychology in the tradition of the Catholic mystics.