Past Pain?

Author: John Witcombe

Summary: John Witcombe explores the popular notions of counseling and dealing with subconscious pain. What are Christians saying? What does the Bible say?

Is it true that we are affected by the repressed negative emotions in our subconscious mind? Can they cause us to become addicted, have broken relationships, bad habits, even physical pain? If this is true, why do we not read about it in the Word of God?

And why, may I ask, can we read about it in all the modern psychology, proclaiming it as truth? We find it in Freud, Jung, Agnes Sanford, John and Paula Sanford, and a host of others. This, it is declared, is the hidden knowledge that we must access in order to be free from emotional pain, free from addiction, free from spiritual bondage, free from physical pain, and all sorts of other maladies.

In order to receive healing, we are told, we must access this hidden resource, digging deep into our pain, experiencing it, and purging it out of us. The methods are many and varied. It really doesn’t matter how we do it. We can use hypnosis, NLP, psychoanalysis, crystals, Wicca, New Age inner healing, 12 steps, counseling, and even Biblical counseling. It really doesn’t matter much what method we use.

According to current trends, we can use journaling, visualization, communication with a departed spirit, communication with the Virgin Mary, any spirit guide, or even the "holy" spirit or Jesus himself. It doesn’t matter which one we choose. They all work!

Hundreds of websites on the Internet tell about the marvelous results from using their particular brand of healing. There are scores of marvelous testimonials from many sources and they all proclaim that they have been healed from whatever malady they were troubled by. The healing is nothing short of miraculous.

As there is no way to test the level of emotional healing a person has experienced, we have only the declaration of the person who has been healed. This being the case, what then is the determining factor? Their feelings! Feelings are exalted as the source of the problem, and then again as the measure of the healing. It’s all about feelings! In these programs there is no mention of trust, totally apart from feeling. Instead, feelings become the criteria—our guide.

Many examples could be given as to how psychotherapy has been “Christianized” and brought into the Church. An awareness of the New Age and occult practices out there in the world helps one to understand that this is nothing new. It’s just an old lie dressed up in new clothing to make it appear as the angel of light, when it is in fact the spirits of devils working miracles.

Christian Psychology: John Regier

John Witcombe explores the popular notions of counseling and dealing with sub-conscious pain. What are Christians saying? What does the Bible say?

Finding the Root Cause
Choosing Negative Emotions

The History of Christian Inner-Healing

Read several sources discussing the origins and growth of mystic psychology in Christian circles.

A Better Alternative: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Even though "past pain" counseling has never been shown to be better than taking a placebo pill for depression, it is still practiced by many mental health professionals today. However, there is another option.

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Base