Hi All,
How are you all doin? Good I hope.
I had a bit of a breakthrough on Suny, gave upo my tools. Holy Spirit in chuch was amazing and a word was given about "what are you holding onto" Well,I felt convicted as I haven;t SH for several weeks but have been holding to my tools. A few friends that know had been asking m to give them up but I didn't want to.
I felt I just had to respond to this word so I went home, where I had bn keeping them and then gave them up to one of my friends.
It was great.
Having a bit of a bad day today, feel close to tears and really on edge but I know that God is strong and He will comfort me and bring me through.
Anyway, hello to everyone an God Bless. I shall be praying for you all.
Liz
dont know much about dbt. there is truth found in nearly every religion though, and we don't need to be afraid of that. when practicing things that have links to other religions, we just need to ensure that we are still worshipping our God and no others.
*hugs liz* :D
Every day the world is made a chance to change but i feel the same.
And I wonder why would i wait till i die to come alive?"
All alone the way she feels
Left alone to deal with all the pain-drenched sorrow relief
My Mental Health Team has been trying very hard for a long time to get me in to a Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Program (DBT). As the program draws from elements of Eastern religion and philosophy such as Buddhism I am wondering if this is the right program for me, or if by partaking in this I will be going against my beliefs. Even though I have done a lot of research, I don't feel I really know enough about the program yet to be able to make an educated decision on this. What are your thoughts? Has anyone else participated in DBT, how did you find it, did you feel at any time that you were compromising your beliefs or values as a Christian or are my worries unduly called for?
Emma
i did DBT, individual and group sessions and i never felt it went against my beliefs, it's much more psychological than religious. and i agree with this too:
Quote:
Originally Posted by teardownoldwalls
dont know much about dbt. there is truth found in nearly every religion though, and we don't need to be afraid of that. when practicing things that have links to other religions, we just need to ensure that we are still worshipping our God and no others.
*hugs liz* :D
however, if you decide to give it a go, always remember that if you don't feel comfortable something, it's fine and good to tell your therapist that you don't want to do it. they may be able to explain it better, or you may still disagree with it, that's ok too.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcVaEA0009Q"]YouTube - ‪Loreena McKennitt- The Dark Night of the Soul‬‏[/ame]
"Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged,
sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and wrong because sometime in your life you will have been all of these."
Went to the Big Church Day Out on Saturday and it was amazing <3 For the first time in so long, I forgot about everything going on in my life and I just lost myself in worship - gave everything over to God and honestly, it was the best day I have had in such a long time. I was just reminded of how completely amazing Gods love is for us, no matter what we're going through or how we're feeling. He loves us so much, even when we feel so far away from Him...He never lets us go and He never loves us any less. I kinda feel like a new person since Saturday, I feel like I'm ready to start making some changes in my life, y'know? God is so good. :)
Anyway, how is everyone else doing? *hugs to all*
Charis x
I have been doing pretty well for some time. I went away for the weekend to hear the Japan Staff Band of the Salvation Army playing at Hythe.
I'm now back, and all I want to do is hibernate - or should I say aestivate! There are a number of things which contribute:
- seeing the Christian guest house where I used to stay now closed
- whenever I put my foot to the floor my sciatica plays up
- one of my favourite rats will not be with me much longer
- financial problems - spent too much on books, rat supplies etc. last month
- so much to do at home, but I know it will be painful
something a read today which i liked
There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.Mark7:15(i think)
in my head it means the things that habe happened to me haven't defined who i am. but what i do and how i feel defines me. x
Let the Force be with you
I'm not short, I'm space efficient
Hi everyone! This is my first post and I thought I'd introduce myself and ask a question. First off, I do not practice self-injury (yes, I know I'm now the black sheep on here), but I now have several friends that cut. Since this is a Christian thread, I was wondering if you all have any ideas about how churches and Christians could work to reach out to people who are self harming? I've read several posts where writers have mentioned that they feel unworthy or hypocritical going to church when they cut themselves at home; would church-related programs focused on self harm help or would they make you feel too uncomfortable to attend? This is an issue that is really on my heart right now and I'm searching for ways to allow God to work through me to help people going through this. Anyway, any advice or suggestions would be wonderful!
Hi DaisyMae, thank you for coming on here! I have been thinking about this as well. For lots of people, they do feel quite uncomfortable and afraid telling others about self-harm and may find it difficult to attend any kind of program. It isn't necessarily the church's fault - the church may be non-judgmental and very compassionate, but nonetheless admitting things like that in a public space is hard. This is one of the good things about internet forums like RYL, it is so much easier to open up when online.
Perhaps the church could offer some kind of counselling/friendship service, to talk over issues? Then people could mention it when they feel ready.
"Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged,
sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and wrong because sometime in your life you will have been all of these."
Hey, guys... I've followed RYL for some time now but I'm now quite new to the boards. I ran across this thread and just wanted to introduce myself!!
I'm Morgan (a.k.a. Momo) and I am a Christian. I grew up in (and still go to) Baptist churches. I guess I'm not technically overly "religious" but I find MUCH value in having a relationship with Christ, and I believe in and try to share the Gospel as much as possible. Also, I strongly believe in and push with my Christian friends having fellowship with one another as Jesus showed us and desires from us. (Essentially, I'm not into all the decoration of Christianity and the opinionated stuff... I believe in going by what the Bible says and not our cushy interpretation of it.)
I do have a history of SI and other related issues (I have currently relapsed with SI) but I fully believe that Jesus bled so that I don't have to. Logically and spiritually, I know that I shouldn't turn to something else when I do have Jesus, who loves me SO MUCH and doesn't want me to harm myself. I know I am hurting him when I hurt myself. But I am currently working through these issues in therapy. Anyway, I have scrolled through some of the pages of this thread and am finding comfort in the songs (both familiar and new), encouragement, etc. in the posts. I look forward to meeting y'all and getting to know you as I find my way to where Jesus wants me to be!!
With Hope,
Morgan
P.S. It's late and I'm probably not making much sense =p
**Formerly 11.13.2006**
I cry, "Father, Father, forgive me!"
You say, "Child, I already have."
...I'm the guilty thief that's hanging by your side,
And my shame is dying with your sacrifice.
And all my fears come crashing down as I look in your eyes - I see paradise.
Hallelujah! You are beautiful redemption. -Joy Williams
Also, I agree with that oliness said... So much of what goes on with a person who SIs is not always what the church does or doesn't do but is within ourselves. At some point, the person has to be able and willing to reach out. The church's job is to be there and be supportive and not to push. Quite likely, if a person reaches out to the church with this issue, they already know whatever it is that they're going to be able to "preach" to them. At this point, it's important to show that you're not passing judgement, but that you're going to listen, encourage, and try to be empathetic. It seems like you personally are already like this though. :)
I think something that is SO important about reaching out to ANY group of people, but especially topics like SI, depression, ED, and suicide that tend to be swept under the rug or taboo, is raising awareness about the situation. RYL and TWLOHA.com have lots of great resources and information. Maybe you could work on not just targeting the people who DO struggle with this, but also targeting those who don't know about it? That way, those who struggle will feel less isolated, and those who are supporting can know what to do and how to handle the situation. People fear that which they don't understand. And as long as there's that fear, people subconsciously (or not so subconsciously) distance themselves or feel/act disgusted, uncomfortable, etc. So maybe try working with the church staff and members to understand what's going on, and from there, I think you might see a lot more people being comfortable with sharing!
Again, this may not make sense at all, as I'm very tired!!
Hope this helps, though... let me know if you have any questions!!
With Hope,
Morgan
**Formerly 11.13.2006**
I cry, "Father, Father, forgive me!"
You say, "Child, I already have."
...I'm the guilty thief that's hanging by your side,
And my shame is dying with your sacrifice.
And all my fears come crashing down as I look in your eyes - I see paradise.
Hallelujah! You are beautiful redemption. -Joy Williams
Hi Momo,
Welcome to the forum.
Your enthusiasm and love for God came over so strongly in your post. It's wonderful to hear this and such an encouragement.
I think you're absolutely right about the church needing to raise awareness about these topics. The Pastor of my church was an alcoholic and so has great empathy for anyone in similar situations such as drug or alcohol addiction. It's a very empathic church and totally accepting of anyone who walks in the door.
Anyway, I just wanted to say Hi really and good to meet you.
Liz
I'm certainly glad you found encouragement in my post, but obviously that's not my doing, and I can't take credit for that. =]
I come from an area of USA known as the "Bible belt" which just means it's so well known for being "mostly" Christian... primarily the "Type-A" judgmental Southern Baptist groups. These people will freak out and quit attending a church if a pastor were to confess that he used to be an alcoholic. And I'm thinking about how wrong it is that people can deny the work God has done in our lives!! How dare we judge that, you know? I think that's fabulous that your Pastor has such a great testimony, and I think that that awareness adds much to your church community! I'm sure God does so much work through that! Good to hear!
With Hope,
Momo
**Formerly 11.13.2006**
I cry, "Father, Father, forgive me!"
You say, "Child, I already have."
...I'm the guilty thief that's hanging by your side,
And my shame is dying with your sacrifice.
And all my fears come crashing down as I look in your eyes - I see paradise.
Hallelujah! You are beautiful redemption. -Joy Williams
Hey all,
I've been in here before, but I haven't been in for a while...
But, like, lately I've been having some issues with my depression and some symptoms popping up lately... And I been dealing with it in bad ways... So, when I went to church Wednesday night (after not having been in a couple of weeks) I got really, REALLY uncomfortable...
Like, Wednesday nights are usually more like a relaxed bible study... And at one point my pastor (just joking around and being goofy) asked if I was keeping up... I was like, uh, yeah? But in reality, He was saying things that were kind of making me think about what I had been doing since last friday and I was getting totally uncomfortable and I just wanted to run... And I would like to explain that cuz I've always been pretty open and honest with him and his wife about things, but I just can't. I don't know why...
That, and my best friend pretty much informed me recently that she doesn't agree with me seeing a psych and everything because their family doesn't believe in it. Something about where the bible says something about 'man helping man'? I can't remember exactly what it says... And I kind of quit listening to what she was saying because I just wanted to scream at her at that point... Cuz she as only making the current situation worse... She was kind of making me feel like crap and I couldn't take it so I pretty much checked out of the conversation and left her talking while I was trying to find something else to focus on...
I don't know... I guess I'm just really confused at this point... Like, I've been doing pretty good for a while... I was relying on church and relying on God to help me with all my depression and to stop SI and all, but lately I just feel like I need something that I can physically do to make things better. You know what I mean? Like... And I feel terrible because I've been relying on things like, for example, this weekend I drank all weekend to help suppress all my negative feelings...
yeah, some Christians say seeing a counselor/psychologist is a sin, all we need is the God and the Bible...theres even a website for it. that argument is false though. (bear with me, im a logical person). looking at it logically, the Bible never claims to be all we need or God to be all we need; it says quite the opposite. God cant be contained to a book; the Bible says He is infinite, and something infinite cannot be wholly described in a book. God works through people too- look at all the things done through people in Acts. *hugs* not much to say about the rest, ive been struggling too.
Every day the world is made a chance to change but i feel the same.
And I wonder why would i wait till i die to come alive?"
All alone the way she feels
Left alone to deal with all the pain-drenched sorrow relief
well, another good friend put it this way...
they believe that doctors who treat physical illnesses are ok. they believe that God gives them the knowledge and ability to help you and all...
if God can give them the knowledge and ability to help you and treat you, why can't God give the psychs and therapist the knowledge and ability to help and treat you for your mental health?
he said: God gives doctors the knowledge and ability to help up and such, no matter what kind of doctor they are...
so, that kind of helped me some today because my other friend had me so mixed up and confused about stuff... It just really killed me that she won't tell me that she doesn't like what I'm doing when she knows that I been drinking and stuff, but she'll tell me that the help I'm getting isn't ok...
Hi Momo,
Welcome to the forum.
Your enthusiasm and love for God came over so strongly in your post. It's wonderful to hear this and such an encouragement.
I think you're absolutely right about the church needing to raise awareness about these topics. The Pastor of my church was an alcoholic and so has great empathy for anyone in similar situations such as drug or alcohol addiction. It's a very empathic church and totally accepting of anyone who walks in the door.
Anyway, I just wanted to say Hi really and good to meet you.
Liz
Welcome to the forum, Momo. I came to the Lord when I was 10 (nearly 55 years ago!) in an extremely legalistic Free Church, which regarded any mention of self-worth as being worldly etc., as well as extreme prejudice about Roman Catholicism and 'Pentecostalism.' Praise the Lord that I've been freed from most of the legalism, but it has contributed to lifelong problems with depression. I didn't start actual SH until I was 58, although I had a symbolic 'key ritual' from schooldays which I used when I felt stressed. After Mum's death, this escalated into mild SH. I stopped for two years, then slipped into occasional harming. I've been clear for about three months, but a number of things are making me very triggered at present.
I have tried to use my experiences to help other people explain their difficulties to their minister or parents, and plan to send some up for approval to Mind and Soul.
We emailed our pastor about the abuse that it was a priest that done it ...that was on Monday he hasn't responded . maybe he thinks we are dirty disgusting maybe that why he hasnt gotten back to us.
Feel ashamed
heyy Angel, i'm sure that's not why he hasn't responded, maybe he doens't have much experience in talking about these things and is searching for the right words? perhaps he wants to see you in person.x
Let the Force be with you
I'm not short, I'm space efficient
I don't know... I guess I'm just really confused at this point... Like, I've been doing pretty good for a while... I was relying on church and relying on God to help me with all my depression and to stop SI and all, but lately I just feel like I need something that I can physically do to make things better. You know what I mean? Like... And I feel terrible because I've been relying on things like, for example, this weekend I drank all weekend to help suppress all my negative feelings...
