therapy and non-believing family members

[carolineishere]

i'm thirteen and for about a year i've been struggling with ocd that is progressively worsening (it's not however religion ocd, at least not as of now). i'm in the early stages of therapy at the moment and it's going to be a long journey.
i've been getting interested in christianity, but i'm worried therapy and faith will overlap. i don't feel like my disorder would get solved solely by prayer and faith but i also feel like only putting trust in therapy would betray my religion, if that makes sense. i'm a little harsh on myself concerning following christianity (i have an all or nothing mindset - if i'm not a completely devoted christian i might as well not be religious at all) and i think pushing all of this on myself while being more and more mentally ill would just worsen my ocd even more.
my family isn't of much help, either. i come from a religious area, but my family is not. the only person who hasn't ridiculed me for praying is my mother, though she has a lot of doubt in it. each time i try to follow christianity i always fall into thinking about how my non-believing loved ones won't get into heaven and it makes me turn away from god. what should i do?
my family's going through some struggles right now and i fear that if i only pray now and then abandon my faith, i'll be a bad christian. i really don't know what i should do or who to talk about it to.
has anyone had similar experiences? what do you suggest i do?
thanks for reading my terribly long rant,
caroline <3

 

[Magenta]

Hello Caroline. Welcome to Christian Chat! Perhaps you will find the following videos helpful.
They answer a lot of questions regarding our faith, and are full of facts, history, information, etc
about Christianity, interviews with both popular and famous apologists and the common person
on the street, asking them such questions as, Who do you think Jesus is? Very informative all round!
I was going through the course myself twenty years ago when I realized I had finally reached that
place of needing no more convincing of the Truth of God's revealed written Word. Such a relief!

^ Gospel of John is often recommended as a great place to start reading the Bible.
This movie is a word-for-Word portrayal of John's gospel.

Welcome!

 

[discipulus]

i'm thirteen and for about a year i've been struggling with ocd that is progressively worsening (it's not however religion ocd, at least not as of now). i'm in the early stages of therapy at the moment and it's going to be a long journey.
i've been getting interested in christianity, but i'm worried therapy and faith will overlap. i don't feel like my disorder would get solved solely by prayer and faith but i also feel like only putting trust in therapy would betray my religion, if that makes sense. i'm a little harsh on myself concerning following christianity (i have an all or nothing mindset - if i'm not a completely devoted christian i might as well not be religious at all) and i think pushing all of this on myself while being more and more mentally ill would just worsen my ocd even more.
my family isn't of much help, either. i come from a religious area, but my family is not. the only person who hasn't ridiculed me for praying is my mother, though she has a lot of doubt in it. each time i try to follow christianity i always fall into thinking about how my non-believing loved ones won't get into heaven and it makes me turn away from god. what should i do?
my family's going through some struggles right now and i fear that if i only pray now and then abandon my faith, i'll be a bad christian. i really don't know what i should do or who to talk about it to.
has anyone had similar experiences? what do you suggest i do?
thanks for reading my terribly long rant,
caroline <3

Hi Caroline!

I don't believe there is any issue with going to therapy and being a good, devoted Christian. After years of dealing with some really negative habits and trying to lean solely on myself and a relationship with God, I came to the understanding that I also couldn't do it on my own. Hopefully someday, but today is not it. As it turns out, I have a really fun (sarcasm intended) personality disorder/construct. It was imperative for me to find a therapist that incorporated scripture into their sessions. Perhaps you could find something similar where you're located!

As far as your family, you're incredibly young, but I hope you can find some strength to be a leader and an example for them. How amazing it would be for them to see the strength that you find through a loving relationship with God. I'm no expert on scripture, but below are a few verses that might help ease your mind.

Proverbs 24:6: "For by wise guidance you can wage your war (daily struggles), and in the abundance of counselors there is victory"

Galatians 6:2: "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ"

Proverbs 15:22: "Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers, they succeed"

 

[Subhumanoidal]

i'm thirteen and for about a year i've been struggling with ocd that is progressively worsening (it's not however religion ocd, at least not as of now). i'm in the early stages of therapy at the moment and it's going to be a long journey.
i've been getting interested in christianity, but i'm worried therapy and faith will overlap. i don't feel like my disorder would get solved solely by prayer and faith but i also feel like only putting trust in therapy would betray my religion, if that makes sense. i'm a little harsh on myself concerning following christianity (i have an all or nothing mindset - if i'm not a completely devoted christian i might as well not be religious at all) and i think pushing all of this on myself while being more and more mentally ill would just worsen my ocd even more.
my family isn't of much help, either. i come from a religious area, but my family is not. the only person who hasn't ridiculed me for praying is my mother, though she has a lot of doubt in it. each time i try to follow christianity i always fall into thinking about how my non-believing loved ones won't get into heaven and it makes me turn away from god. what should i do?
my family's going through some struggles right now and i fear that if i only pray now and then abandon my faith, i'll be a bad christian. i really don't know what i should do or who to talk about it to.
has anyone had similar experiences? what do you suggest i do?
thanks for reading my terribly long rant,
caroline <3

Hey.
I'm a Christian that's suffered with depression for 30 years. I have been to counseling multiple times. Seeking help for mental illness is not, by default, going against someone's faith anymore than going to a doctor when your bodies sick. The brain is a physical object, just like the rest of your body. And just like the rest of your body it may not always work right either.
Now there are some therapists that may not be good to see if you can avoid them. Many of them come from am atheistic or new age background and may try to push tbose elements onto you. And as mentioned above there are also Christians in these types of positions as well.
So don't let faith stop you from getting help. And don't let getting help stop you from having faith. When done properly they can work together.

If I may comment on your faith, based off of what you've shared so far, I think you're having a misunderstanding of how it all works.
Being a saved Christian isn't about going back and forth between following and not following God. Following God is about making a conscious decision to recognize you are a sinner that needs to be saved. And that salvation comes through accepting Jesus and acknowledge his death on the cross for people's sins, and his resurrection three days after his death.
This takes commitment, not just praying intermittently or labeling yourself Christian. It also takes faith.
A person cannot follow God that is not committed to Him first and foremost. Following "Christianity" is not following or committing to God. That is only following a label and will not lead to salvation. Following God is what makes you a Christian, following Christianity does not make you saved.
Commiting yourself to God, then purposefully growing in your relationship with Him, through Jesus, leads to living a Christian life. The bible calls this "the fruit of the Holy Spirit".
Galatians 5
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.
Trying to aspire to these things without God will be pointless as it is in our nature to sin and you can't be saved by trying to be a "good Christian" just by following a religion.

As far as this all or nothing attitude, I went through that same mindset before. All this does is give a person an excuse to not follow God. We take on things that are not the things God put on us. We try to take God's burdens and carry them ourselves. This will inevitably fail.
A Christians job is to be a witness to others, sometimes that means sharing your faith verbally, sometimes it means letting someone see you as an example of what being a Christian is.
Sometimes you'll be there when a person gets saved, sometimes you may only make them aware of God and what He teaches, planting the seed. Other times someone may know about following God and you give them more to consider, watering the seed. And some will never accept God.
The idea really does suck that family or friends may end up in hell. No one wants that, but it is a possible reality millions have had to deal with in their walk with Christ. And I'm willing to bet some here on the site have experienced it.
But following God is not about picking and choosing whether or not you like what is taught. Its first and foremost about being a follower of Jesus. Understanding your own need for salvation, and accepting the reality of what that means.
And it may not be easy with some things, and may not happen over night. Christians struggle with all kinds of things that may challenge their faith. I certainly have. But at the end of the day I accepted that truth is truth, regardless of whether or not I like it.
The truth isn't there to confirm our individual beliefs or wants, it is simply the reality of the situation. Denying truth doesnt change it, it just means you're choosing lies instead.
You have to ask yourself if that is the way you want to live?

Feel free to ask questions or if you're unclear about anything.