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Meera Atkinson It has been said that therapists have replaced priests; that we flock to their offices and to the self-help section of bookshops in droves, in place of seeking religious or spiritual counsel. While there may be some truth in the analogy, the two practices are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and can even complement each other.
Therapy as we know it comes in a number of forms and guises, with everything from Gestalt to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), to New Age therapies such as Rebirthing and pre-New Age methods such as ‘encounter groups’. Most of the therapy Australians currently access fits into the broad and somewhat generic category of psychotherapy, which may be offered by a psychiatrist (a therapist that can also prescribe medication) or a psychologist (an accredited therapist who cannot prescribe medication). Just as there are countless types of therapy, there are also vast differences in the approaches therapists will take. Some hand out antidepressants and other medications like lollies; others use medication as a last resort. Some use particular techniques while others focus solely on ‘talk therapy’— the verbal communication between therapist and client. Psychotherapy is a relatively new discipline, taking root early last century in Europe, and yet its impact on western civilization cannot be overstated. Some who present for therapy have relatively simple troubles, such as mild anxiety, that can be easily addressed by several sessions of CBT. Others have issues that may require longer term therapy. Still others suffer from mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder or bi-polar disorder. Mental illness is an umbrella term for conditions ranging from debilitating schizophrenia to depression. The cultural response to mental illness has taken various shapes at various points in history, and religions have tended to interpret mental illness differently in different eras. In the past, mental illness has sometimes been misinterpreted as possession by evil spirits or the result of witchcraft. The prevalent current view is that it indicates a chemical imbalance of the brain. Governments too have responded to mental illness in different ways at different times. The Federal Government recently launched a new mental health plan, known as the Better Access to Mental Health Care initiative, in an attempt to address the glaring problem of mental illness in Australia. For a country famed for its easy-going nature and relaxed lifestyle, we are surprisingly affected. UnitingCare National Director, Lin Hatfield Dodds, welcomed the plan and the new funding, which came into effect in November 2006, pointing out that “at some time in their lives, one in five Australians will be affected by mental health issues, yet only 6–7% of our health budget is spent on mental health care.” However, the Australian Medical Association maintain, despite the $1.8 billion investment, that the plan still falls short of the pressing need for improved services and support networks for Australians living with mental illness. The package has increased Medicare rebates for people seeing psychologists on a referral from a GP. Families and carers will receive more support and 650 new respite places will be created. The program also focuses on the link between drug abuse and mental illness. The Council of Australian Governments anticipated that over the first five years of the initiative an additional 35,000 people with severe mental illness will access care via the plan, and up to 960,000 clinical psychology services would be provided by 2010. Since the plan became effective, it has become clear that demand could be even higher than expected, with recent news reports indicating that Australians are signing on in overwhelming numbers. In the first two months there were 126,665 claims across the range of services under the plan. The Rainbow Project is a grassroots organisation based in WA that is already feeling the benefit of the government commitment. Now part of the UnitingCare West agency, the project began about ten years ago when one of the members of the Manning Uniting Church congregation, who was suffering from a mental illness, sought the help of then-minister, Joyce Wilkins. Joyce found she didn’t know enough about mental illness to help the person. She and another member of the congregation, Audrey Francis, received training from a Pastoral Care Program, returned, and initiated the Rainbow Project in the local congregation with a view to befriending people they knew were living with mental illness. From there it developed into a thriving community that includes a fortnightly lunch program and a coffee morning, as well as an open-door policy at the office. A number of other Uniting congregations around WA now sponsor similar events, and there are now roughly 300 people involved. Another unique part of the project is the regular Rainbow Project worship services. These are held monthly in a number of locations, providing a safe space for people with mental illness to develop their spiritual life. Rev Ron Yeats, a member of the Professional Advisory Group and a volunteer on the ground, says a number of people have been referred since then Premier Geoff Gallop’s comments about his own illness, the general recent publicity about mental health, and now the new mental health initiative and finance. “It’s bringing before the community the problem. We have a lot of people who have been in hospital and have been released and don’t know how to rebuild their life, and there are people who are borderline, who never get to hospital, but really do need support. It’s filling that empty space.” It seems the current focus on mental illness is helping those who are affected feel more comfortable in coming forward and asking for help. “What it’s done to some extent is lowered that sense of stigma,” says Ron. “And Rainbow Project is committed to trying to overcome that stigma.” Therapy is not for everyone. Some therapists are more effective than others, and different modes of therapy suit different people, but at its best it can and does help turn many lives around, enabling personal freedom and growth, and guiding people to be better partners, parents, and citizens. Sigmund Freud, one of the founding fathers of modern psychotherapy, made no secret of his belief that religion was something of an illusion. In The Future of an Illusion he states that, “Devout believers are safeguarded in a high degree against the risk of certain neurotic illnesses; their acceptance of the universal neurosis spares them the task of constructing a personal one.” But perhaps the last word on therapy and the positive impact of its role in society should go to a contemporary of Freud’s, Carl Jung, who, unlike Freud embraced and promoted individual and collective spirituality in his theories and practice: “To confront a person with his own shadow is to show him his own light.”
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