Psychology of Religion Sexuality and Religion

Sexual Difference And The Vatican – A Lacanian Response, Part 2 (Melissa Conroy)

The following is the second of a three-part series. The first can be found here. The current medical paradigm works to suppress and erase these bodies by allowing them to exist only after medical correction and subsequent conformity to the two-sex system. Judith Butler has observed that bodies are only allowed to “live within the productive […]

Psychology of Religion Theology

Religion And Mental Health – The Therapuetic Value Of The Teachings of Jesus, Part 2 (Thomas Roberts and Delbert Hayden)

The following is the second part in a two-part installment. You can find the first part here.  Maintaining a State of Hope and Taking a Transcendent Perspective about Human Worries One indicator of mental health is the ability to maintain a state of hope in the face of life’s struggles. Some researchers have concluded that […]

Psychology of Religion Theology

Religion And Mental Health – The Therapeutic Value Of The Teachings Of Jesus , Part 1 (Thomas Roberts And Delbert Hayden)

The following is the first part in a two-part installment. The second part can be found here. Author Note: The authors of this article take the position that the Judeo-Christian heritage is dominated by the teachings of Jesus. Consequently, all Christian belief systems reflect similar ideas about the nature of reality. This Christian philosophy of […]

Psychoanalysis Psychology of Religion

Lacan As “Spiritual Director” – On The Relationship Between Psychoanalysis And Christian Mysticism, Part 3 (Mark Murphy)

The following is the third installment of a three-part series.  The first can be found here.  The second one can be found here. The transition to full speech is the moment when one realizes in a holistic way that one is always dependent on the Other. The symbolic order determines our ‘existence,’ but it is at […]

Psychoanalysis Psychology of Religion

Lacan As “Spiritual Director” – On The Relationship Between Psychoanalysis And Christian Mysticism, Part 2 (Mark Murphy)

The following is the second installment of a three-part series.  The first can be found here. What Does Lacan Mean When He Says That Spiritual Direction is a Demand for Truth? Lacan is first clear in stating that spiritual direction was a demand for truth. It is telling that he does not equate it with […]

Psychology of Religion

Lacan As “Spiritual Director” – On The Relationship Between Psychoanalysis And Christian Mysticism, Part 1 (Mark Murphy)

The following is the first installment of a three-part series. Introduction Spiritual direction is defined as the help one gives to another in developing one’s relationship with the sacred, while the treatment of psychological symptoms is what defines  the psychological[1].  One can see the similarities between what we can call the analytic situation and the […]

Mythology Philosophy of Religion Psychoanalysis Psychology of Religion Uncategorized

The Mythology of Afterlife Beliefs and Their Impact on Religious Conflict, Part 2 (Brigid Burke)

The following is the second installment of a two-part series. The first installment can be found here. Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is believed to be an outgrowth of an Indo-Iranian religious tradition that dates to the 2nd millennium BCE. However, we do not see it mentioned in Greek writings until about the middle of the 5th century […]

Mythology Philosophy of Religion Psychoanalysis Psychology of Religion

The Mythology of Afterlife Beliefs and Their Impact on Religious Conflict, Part 1 (Brigid Burke)

The following is the first installment of a two-part series. I. Introduction The question of whether there is life after death, and what that life might be like, is probably one of religion’s oldest questions. Indeed, some conception or another has been in play since the beginning of recorded history, and probably before. Our modern […]

Psychology of Religion

Shamanism and Entheogens – Toward A Psychoanalysis Of The New “Dream Time” (Roger Green)

There is no reason why therapy rooms for psychedelic sessions must be adorned with the default Buddha icons, fractal posters, and Indian drapes. Who says these are the hallmarks of psychedelia? Why not have pictures of Lamborghinis, pop stars, and football teams – or any other power objects our patients choose to bring?  -Ben Sessa[1] […]