The Science of Spiritual Medicine

by Hierotheos Vlachos

The book The Science of Spiritual Medicine consists of the basic chapters on healing from two books in Greek (which have not been translated into English) entitled Therapeutic Treatment and Discussions on Orthodox Psychotherapy. The author has reorganised the chapters and made various additions and modifications in response to contemporary reality.
In the Part 1 of the book, Orthodox and Humanistic Psychotherapy, in the chapter The Science of Spiritual Medicine, the author analyses the content of Canon 102 of the Quinisext Ecumenical Council. He clarifies its medical terminology and therapeutic character, and explains why the pastoral ministry, which is a complete spiritual science, is linked with man’s healing and identified with it.
Neither Orthodox theology nor the Orthodox Church is an ideology or a philosophy, but a means of healing. According to the teaching of St Gregory Palamas, theology is theoria, the vision of God. The holy Fathers, as spiritual physicians, indicate and describe a method or healing, a therapeutic method. All the faculties and energies of the soul ought to be referred to Christ and turned towards Him. This therapeutic method is known as hesychasm. It is the basis and end of all Orthodox theology.
The chapter Metaphysics and Theology is a tape-recorded talk given by the author to students of the Balamand Theological College of the Patriarchate of Antioch, in Northern Lebanon. The author comments that “the only scientific way to approach theological issues is through the saints”. The holy Fathers show us how, from a state of illness and darkening of the nous, a person can progress through purification and illumination to reach spiritual health and deification.
The difference between Orthodox psychotherapy and every other kind of psychotherapy, whether Western or Eastern, is defined and proved. Orthodox psychotherapy is not just a method but the life of the Church, through which a person acquires communion with God and other people.
In the chapter Psychosomatic Illnesses reference made to spiritual illness of the soul, psychological-emotional, neurobiological and physical illnesses. It is noted that great discernment and wisdom is required in order to detect the mutual interaction that may exist between these types of illness. Obviously, when the nous is not functioning correctly it cannot direct either the soul or the body.
Part 2, Illness and the Passions, shows the reader how the passions and spiritual illnesses that torment people are healed within the Orthodox Church. Inner disorders, which start with the darkening of the nous and spread to the soul and the body, also have consequences for society and the whole of creation.
The author explains how a person can be set free from spiritual self-sufficiency, which he describes as a great illusion, and from despair with regard to salvation, which afflicts many people nowadays and is the work of demons. He shows us how to acquire courage, that is complete hope in the mercy of God.
Specific reference is made to Self-Love, the mother of all the passions; Envy, which consumes the soul; Self-Indulgence, which produces suffering and sorrow; Fantasy and Imagination, which distort the whole spiritual life. The author mentions methods of healing. He writes about self-denial, love for God and for other people, true repentance (godly sorrow), which destroys sensual pleasure. He clarifies the difference between the imaginative faculty, which is a natural power of the soul, and fantasy and imagination, which he regards as “an efficient conductor of satanic energy”, and lead to self-deification. Ways of getting rid of fantasy and imagination and being set free from them are identified.
The teaching of the holy Fathers on Dreams is set out, as well as the distorting consequences they have for man and the way in which we should deal with them. The distinction between dreams and visions is explained.
The chapter The Problem of Suffering shows us the cause of suffering and trials in our lives, what spiritual benefits they bring, and how we should deal with suffering and pain in our everyday lives.
Reading The Devil and His Wiles, we find out about the devil’s personality; the different types of demons; against whom the devil fights and in what way (the devil’s tactics); and how we can fight and confront him.
Part 3, entitled Healing, describes how a person’s healing is achieved within the Orthodox Church. The teaching of St Silouan the Athonite and St Gregory Palamas on the healing of the soul is set out. The saints, as scientific experts, define with great accuracy the exact meaning of the soul’s healing and health.
The concept of Spiritual Health is discussed, together with the definition of a spiritually healthy person. There is a chapter on Spiritual Tuning, which explains how someone can attune his nous and turn it towards God.
The chapter The Priest as Healer According to St Gregory the Theologian stresses that the priesthood is...

Genres: Religion, Christianity

465 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

His Eminence Hierotheos, Metropolitan of Nafpaktos and Agios Vlassios in Greece, is regarded as one of the foremost authorities on the Orthodox spiritual life. A prolific writer, he has authored more than fifteen books, many of which have been translated into English. His Eminence’s theological vision may be summed up in the following quotation, taken from his The Science of Spiritual Medicine: “The whole therapeutic method of the Orthodox Church is not aimed simply at making human beings morally and socially balanced, but at re-establishing their relationship with God and one another. This comes about through the healing of the soul's wounds and the cure of the passions through the Sacraments and the Church's ascetic practice.”

Reviews

[davidalromany · Rating 3 out of 5]

الكتاب جيد جدا لكاتب لأول مره اسمع عنه
فند العديد من الافكار من فلسفات يونانيه مختلفه والرد عليه من الاباء والقدسين الأوائل

[Christeen Shafeek · Rating 4 out of 5]

* الكتاب: عِلم الطب الروحي [تفعيل الطب النفسي الأرثوذوكسي ].
* المؤلف: المطران إيروثيئوس.
* المُترجم: د/ نيفين سعد
* عدد الصفحات: ٣٩١ صفحة.
* أجزاء المحتوى: أربعة أجزاء.

الكتاب أكتر من رائع لأنه بيسلط الضوء على أفكار كتيرة ومعقدة، لكن بيشرحها بطريقة بسيطة وسلسلة معتمد فيها على أقوال الآباء القديسين ..
فمثلاً الكاتب بيفرق مابين العلاج النفسي اللي بيخاطب العقل والنفسية وما بين العلاج الروحي الارثوذوكسي اللي بيعالج الخطية كونها مسببة المرض الأساسية..

بيفرق برضه ما بين الفلسفة (فلسفة برلعام ) وما بين معرفة الله بالروح..

على أن أكتر ما شدني في محتوى الكتاب، الأجزاء اللي بتتكلم عن الكهنوت وإباء الإرشاد (الإعتراف) واللي بتضمن مسؤوليتهم تجاه الرعيّة وكونهم مشفيين قدر الإمكان عشان يقدروا يساعدوا غيرهم على الشفا.
برضه الفصول الخاصة بتربية الأطفال والتعامل مع المراهقين اللي الكاتب أعطى فيها شرح مُسهب لكتابات القديس يوحنا ذهبي الفم مع أمثلة بسيطة وسهلة للتطبيق..
كمان الأجزاء اللي بتعالج المشاكل النفسجسمية من منظور روحي مع سرد للمشاكل دي زي الكبرياء/ الهوى/ الحسد .. وغيرها بطريقة لطيفة وخفيفة على ذهن وقلب القاريء..
وأخيراً جزء عقيدي، ودا يعتبر اتقل جزء في الكتاب بيتكلم عن قضية "تألّه الإنسان" بالنعمة عن طريق اتحاده بالله وبقوته..

الكتاب تحفة بكل المقاييس، نافع للمعرفة وللعلاج وللتهذيب والتنقية استمتعت على مدار ١٥ يوم بقراءته، والجميل إنه مش زى كتب ال pop corn (اللي بتتقري مرة واحدة وتتركن) خالص، ينفع تقرأه أكتر من مرة وبنفس الإنتباه🌹
أنصح بقراءته جداً

تقييمي للكتاب: ٤.٥ من ٥✔️

[Ramy · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب رائع يوضح فكر الكنيسة الأرثوذوكسية من خلال النظام العام و النظام الشخصى بوجه خاص و يركز على المراحل التى تقود الانسان لمعاينة الله الحقيقية