1. Spiritual Emergencies
By Samuel Miller, Ph.D., Th.D.
11/25/12
Lest anyone doubt it, spiritual emergencies are just as real as any other
type of mental health crisis. They can be very serious, even deadly, if not
checked and resolved. Madness and suicides have ensued thereby.
Moreover, spiritual emergencies are not just another sort of emotional
crisis. Rather, they cause emotional crisis. What I mean is that trying to
solve the core spiritual problem by psychological means is like trying to lift
oneself out of quicksand. Can't happen. Why? Because the core spiritual
problem, or perhaps better to say emergency, is the insistence upon
having one's own way.
Just as the laws of physics prevent a person from pulling himself unaided
out of quicksand, spiritual laws deny peace of mind and emotional fortitude
to anyone mired in willfulness. It is what it is!
Willfulness is a disorder of the will, not the psyche. Of course it leads
inevitably to psychological disorders and emotional pain. And ironically, the
only real cure for psychological problems with this genesis is the surrender
of insistence on having one's own way-the surrender of willfulness to make
room for willingness (apologies to Gerald May, M.D.).
I am reminded of Carl Jung's description of God as "that power which
thwarts me at every turn." "Your arms are too short to box with God."
Remember?
When it comes to the mania of willfulness, only the willingness to let go
breaks the fever. When self- will is the problem, only defeat can set us
free. As the apocryphal gloss on the biblical dictum goes " The truth will
indeed set you free, but first it will make you miserable!"
As a matter of fact, getting our own way at the expense of another- or
contrary to Divine laws, principles, or intent- is an unmitigated spiritual
disaster. It is the ultimate "pyrrhic victory," to be eschewed at all costs!
