International conference on Church Care for Mentally Ill People

Below are papers read at the International conference "Church care for mentally ill people: religious mystical experience and mental health"
November 7-8, 2019, Moscow (continuation)

"Sober inebriation" as antithesis of passion for alcohol drinking

Archpriest Alexiy Baburin

Health, as defined by WHO (World Health Organization), is a state of "complete physical, mental and social well-being"¹. I want to note that this definition contains the idea of "well-being".

Jesus Christ says that "There is only One who is good"². At the same time, the Lord calls on His followers to conform unto God, to gain spiritual wealth through God, saying, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect"³.

I want to note that in the IV century BC the ancient Greek philosopher and physician Aristotle the Stagirite came to the conclusion "that the ultimate purpose of human existence, and therefore of human society as a whole (since man as a political animal cannot exist outside of society), is to achieve a life similar to God"⁴.

This means that the achievement of complete well-being, both for a person and for society, relates directly to the renewal and enrichment of our mentality, to spiritual and moral development.

The human potential is not fully revealed through the ordinary, habitual, so-called "normal" state of consciousness, special states of consciousness, such as sleep, hypnosis, meditation, drug intoxication, drunkenness, etc. Renewal and enrichment of the mentality implies recognition of mystical and religious forms of consciousness.

Religious and mystical experiences are important concepts. "Various descriptions of phenomena, cross-culture, and historical immutability are the most important reasons to consider the descriptions of mystical experiences trustworthy," said the religion scholar A.M. Mironova⁵.

The American philosopher and psychologist William James (January 11, 1842, New York - August 26, 1910, Chokorua, Carroll County) wrote in his book "The Varieties of Religious Experience" (1902): "…our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different. We may go through life without suspecting their existence; but apply the requisite stimulus, and at a touch they are there in all their completeness, definite types of mentality which probably somewhere have their field of application and adaptation. No account of the universe in its totality can be final which leaves these other forms of consciousness quite discarded".

According to James, religious experiences are higher than mystical ones. People, to the best of their ability, only come into contact with the mysterious realm in their mystical experiences, while in religious experiences a person unites with the Divine. Apostle Paul says about such a union: "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me"⁶.

How do these comments of William James relate to the theme of this report?

It's that providing care for mentally ill people, working for their good we often encounter in them addictive disorders. So, in particular, the medical scientists' studies show that "10 to 40% of patients with schizophrenic disorder suffer from alcohol and drugs addictions"⁷.

How should the priest position himself looking at this problem?

The "father of modern psychology" gives us a clue. He rightfully considers drunkenness a part of mystical consciousness.

Here's what he said about it:

"The sway of alcohol over mankind is unquestionably due to its power to stimulate the mystical faculties of human nature, usually crushed to earth by the cold facts and dry criticisms of the sober hour. Sobriety diminishes, discriminates, and says no; drunkenness expands, unites, and says yes. It is in fact the great exciter of Yes function in man. It brings its votary from the chill periphery of things to the radiant core. It makes him for the moment one with truth. Not through mere perversity do men run after it. To the poor and the unlettered it stands in the place of symphony concerts and of literature; and it is part of the deeper mystery and tragedy of life that whiffs and gleams of something that we immediately recognize as excellent should be vouchsafed to so many of us only in the fleeting earlier phases of what in its totality is so degrading a poisoning. The drunken consciousness is one bit of the mystic consciousness, and our total opinion of it must find its place in our opinion of that larger whole"⁸.

Yet, St. John Chrysostom says, "Wine can inebriate one who has not even tasted it, and one can still be sober though drinking wine"⁹. It turns out that one can also experience spiritual sober inebriation.

What is the mysticism of this state?

Dwelling on the issue of spiritual inebriation in mysticism of Simeon the New Theologian, "very close to the subject of ecstasy and mystical joy", the memorable Archbishop Vasily (Krivoshein) [July 17 (July 30) 1900, St. Petersburg - September 22, 1985, Leningrad], Athos ascetic and pathologist, writes that "the pagan poetry and religious literature of the Greeks, Plotinus and the Gnostics have already intimate knowledge of the subject, and Philo, who constantly used this topic in his allegorical interpretation of the Bible, apparently borrowed it from them. Philo probably is the author of the famous oxymoron "sober inebriation", so vividly perceived by the Christian patristics".

A prominent representative of Jewish-Greek philosophy, Philo of Alexandria (c. 25 BC - c. 50 after Christ) used the oxymoron "sober inebriation" (Greek "Νηφάλιος μέθη"; lat. Sobria ebrietas), in his treatise "On Flight and Finding" (Περί φυγής και ευρέσεως; De Fuga et Inventione).

His main theme is the question: what are the Bible runaways running away from, what and how do they find? The author begins his commentary with the story of the flight of Hagar from Sarah and her finding by the Angel of the Lord at the spring on the way to Sura (Genesis 16, 6-12). According to Philo, in the same way that the Angel of the Lord, and not a man, finds Hagar near the spring, symbolizing the Wisdom of God and Life, and convince her to return to her mistress and submit to her, so also the chosen, without their own effort, can attain the sacred wisdom which they are reveling in, remaining in a sober mind (διετέλεσε μεθύων τὴν μετ ὀρθότητος λόγου νήφουσαν μέθην)¹⁰.

Philo also devoted special writings to the problem of inebriation and sobriety, "De ebrietate" (On inebriation) and "De sobrietate" (On sobriety).

Prof. Richard J. Brunner, German linguist, analyzed the work of Hans Lewy "Sobria ebrietas. Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der antiken Mystik" ("Sober inebriation. A study on the history of ancient mysticism")¹¹, published in 1929, and showed that, Philo's oxymoron "sober inebriation" is a proper expression to indicate the borderline between wisdom and rationality. Philo distinguishes between the rationality of the sophist and the wisdom of a true scientist in the treatise "De sobrietate". Brunner notes: "Hellenistic rationality, according to Philo, does not comprehend the secrets of human life, it is only a remedy for stupidity disguised in religious orgies and bacchanalias. Wisdom, founded and affirmed in asceticism, due to its source and origin, is a God-pleasing way of life that can lead to the knowledge of the Divine Revelation truth and the observance of God's covenants.

Philo sees the true meaning of "rationality" in making the Word of God, which is always present in a veiled symbolic form in Scripture, tradition and historical events, audible and understandable. God speaks to us through history and Scripture, but what He says must be deciphered by a sober mind.

It is only in the light of wisdom that one can understand the truth of Scripture and the history recorded in it. Thus, σοφία (wisdom) is a source of the true faith"¹², according to the analyst Richard Brunner.

I can't but quote here monk Andronik (A.F. Losev): "Faith is the requirement of an extremely developed mind"¹³.

The theme "sober inebriation" has been brought up by many famous saints, starting from Cyprian of Carthage (210, Tunisia - September 14, 258, Carthage, Tunisia), who wrote in a letter to Cecilia: "The Lord's cup will so inebriate drinkers that it will make them more sober"(calix Dominicus sic inebriet ut sobrios faciat)¹⁴. They interpreted the biblical texts mainly allegorically and symbolically: about the inebriety of Noah; about the prayer of Anna, the mother of the prophet Samuel; about the Cup, which inebriates; about the rapture from the fat of the house of God; about the wine that amuses a person's heart; about the feast of Wisdom; about the "inebriety" of Apostles at Pentecost; about the Last Supper; about the rapture of the Holy Spirit.

In the descriptions of the Holy Fathers, the God inspired souls experience indescribable joy, delight, sweet, rejoicing, ecstasy, amazement, selfless ecstasy, reasonable and sober inebriation, when they are in contemplation of the One, in a reverent prayer unity with God, in Eucharistic communion with God, rapture the Word of God. "It is such a joy that is not overshadowed by any sinful filth"¹⁵. The ecstatic state of the God-loving and humble Christians is a gift of the Holy Spirit, "sober inebriation", but not self-excitation.

The "sober inebriation" oxymoron sounds most impressive in the hymn of St. Ambrose (c. 340, Augusta-Treverorum, Belgica, Roman Empire - April 4, 397, Mediolanum, Italy, Western Roman Empire) "the Radiance of the Father's Glory " (Splendor paternae glia)

In the Fourth Homily, the Monk Macarius of Egypt (c. 301, Lower Egypt, the village of Zhizber - 391), according to other sources, Simeon of Mesopotamia answers his discourser to the question of whether a person can constantly enter into a state of true, undistracted, selfless prayer experience. In his answer, the ascetic compares the prayer to the lamp: "Sometimes the fire flames out and kindles more gently and mildly. The light that it gives kindles up at times and shines with unusual brightness; at others it abates and burns low. The lamp is always burning and shining, but when it is specially trimmed, it kindles up with intoxication [inebriation] of the love of God (ἐν μέθη ἐξετάζεται τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ); and then again by God's dispensation it gives in, and though the light is always there, it is comparatively dull"¹⁸.

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev), a theologian and patrologist, doctor of philosophy and theology, in his monograph on St. Isaac the Syrian, Bishop of Nineveh (c. 640, Qatar - c. 700, Nineveh, Iraq) concentrates in detail on the topic of spiritual inebriation in the mystical theology of the great Father of the Church.

St Isaac says the following about the effect of a prayer on the ascetic soul: "Do you want to beutify your tenement through toilsome standing, or may be you want to make your soul pleasing to God? Then say just five words thoughtfully and you will be embosomed by inebriation"¹⁹. Metropolitan Hilarion sees the Jesus prayer in the mention of the reverend father about "five words" - a brief, continually repeated prayer consisting, in its most classical form, of five words: "Jesus, Son of God, have mercy"²⁰.

Eusebius Pamphilus (263, Palestine - May 339, Caesarea National Park, Caesarea, Israel) uses this expression in his commentary on the Psalm of David (35:9): "They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights". He calls the House of God His Church. He understands the abundance of the house as spiritually beneficial God inspired words that cause sensible and sober inebriation (μέθη δὲ σώφρων καὶ νηφάλιος)²¹.

St. Ambrose of Milan says that the abundance of the house of God that is "an abundance of grace", and "the flow of rapture is the Holy Spirit²²".

The Christian writer Didimus the Blind, a representative of the Alexandrian theological school, interprets the same verse in a similar way, referring to the house of God as Church, full of ecclesil teaching, that can lead to sober inebriation (νηφάλιον μεθυσθήσονται μέθην)²³.

St John Chrysostom (circa 347, Antioch - September 14, 407, Comans of Pontius, Pontus) spoke of the same true drunkenness when he quoted the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians: "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit"²⁴. "Here is a wonderful inebriation; saturate your soul with the Spirit, so as not to saturate it with drunkenness; this is what your soul first should be filled in like a cup so that the devil can no longer put anything into it; you need not only to receive communion of the Spirit, but be filled with the Spirit, psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that you have filled today"- the archbishop preached to his beloved parishioners for Easter in 395²⁵.

It is to note that the Universal Teacher defines alcohol drunkenness "as an unnatural dullness of the soul, a perversion of thoughts, a lack of reasoning, absence of consideration." And he adds: "And this does not come just from the intoxication of wine, but also from anger and indecent lust drunkenness". And further down the line: "no drunkard can crave after divine sayings"²⁶.

In the preface to the "Dobrotoliubie" (Philokalia) translated by St. Paisius (Velichkovsky) into the Slavic language, St. Nicodemus the Hagiorite (1749-1809) invites Orthodox people to "get drunk with truly sober inebriation" (και μεθύσετε από μέθη πραγματικά νηφάλια)²⁷, comparing reading of this book with a spiritual feast.

On the cusp of the 1st and 2nd millenniums, St. Simeon the New Theologian (949, Galatia - 1022, Chrysopolis) turned to a description of the features of divine inebriation, based on his personal mystical experience, in the 23rd Catechetical Discourse "On confession and fear of God ". "In order to heal from a deadly disease, what sin is, you must first recognize it, this action is driven by the fear of God, turn to God and implore Him for your salvation. God always answers our call, intervenes miraculously, saves, "dragging us by the hair ", and rewards with His gifts, the fruits of repentance, peace, dispassion and ecstatic joy, similar to spiritual inebriation, a vision of the light or the sun," says the holy Father Simeon²⁸.

Unfortunately, people often substitutes their innate aspiration for the grace-filled sober inebriation of the God's love and the joy of mutual communication in God, by a sinful passion of drunkenness, which leads to the death of the soul. Man again faces a decisive moral choice. Through the ages God continues to appeal: "…I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years... "²⁹.

Saving a person who has chosen life free from sin slavery, our Lord Jesus Christ invites us to commune in the sacrament of the Eucharist, by way of bread and wine, His True Body and True Blood, which release us from the seed of aphids and feed us for glorious eternal life.

The Lord said to the apostles: "you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom"³⁰, as the Holy Fathers interpret them, mean Love as food and drink, bread and wine, which are eaten by those who love God in His Kingdom. In this regard, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) quotes St. Isaac the Syrian in his book on the Holy Father: "This is the wine which maketh glad the heart. Blessed is the one who partakes of this wine! Licentious people have drunk this wine and become chaste; sinners have drunk it and have forgotten the pathways of stumbling; drunkards have drunk this wine and become fasters; the rich have drunk it and desired poverty, the poor have drunk it and been enriched with hope; the sick have drunk it and become strong; the unlearned have taken it and become wise"³¹.

Thus, the Holy Fathers show us that repentance, prayer for salvation, warship, understanding the Word of God, partaking of the mysterious Food, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, attainment of the Holy Spirit and being in It, lead to the all-embracing joy, which ascetics of piety compare with spiritual, reasonable, sober inebriation and, finally, with the delightsome deification.

Let us compare the state of drunkenness caused by addiction to alcohol, drugs, other psychoactive substances and psychoactive actions, anger, indecent lust and similar addictions, with the rapture of love for God.

Both types of inebriation cause euphoria, help to escape from earthly cares, give a feeling of overcoming one's own boundaries. The difference is that the drunkenness from addictions leads to loss of self-control, dullness of mind, inadequate perception, memory loss, health and personality disorder, enslaves, violates interpersonal relationships, causes anxiety, sense of shame, sinfulness and guilt; and spiritual inebriation, on the contrary, enlightens the mind, makes a person sober, chaste, trustworthy, responsible, releases from sadness and guilt, vivify, helps him to transcend himself, strengthens faith, inspires, gives hope for salvation, gives an indelible, gracious sensation of joy and comfort.

So, let us, fathers, brothers and sisters, revel by sober rapture, and abstain from drinking!

¹Off. Rec. Wld Hlth Org., 2, 100.

²Mt. 19:17.

³Mt. 5:48.

⁴S.V. Mesyats. Blago. (Goodness) // P.P. Gaidenko, M.A. Solopova, S.V. Mesyats, A.V. Seryogin, A.A. Stolyarov, Yu. A. Shichalin. Antichnaya Philosophiya (Antique Philosophy): Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M .: Progress-Tradition, 2008.- P.209.

⁵Mironova A.M. Metodicheskie problemy essentsialistskikh opredeleniy ponyatiya "misticheskiy" opyt. (Methodological problems of essentialist definitions of the concept of "mystical" experience). // Alina Mikhailovna Mironova. - Nauchnaya mysl' Kavkaza (Scientific thought of the Caucasus). - 2019. No. 2. P.20.

⁶Gal. 2:20.

⁷Shlyomina I.V. Clinica i terapiya shizotipicheskogo rasstoystva (maloprogredientnoy shizophrenii), sochetayuschegosya s alkogolizmom (Clinic and therapy of schizotypic disorder (sluggish schizophrenia), combined with alcoholism) // Psikhicheskoe zdorovye (Mental health). 2009. No. 5. P.39.

⁸Cit. ex William James. The Varieties of Religious Experience/translated by V.G. Malakhieve-Mirovich and M.V. Shick - M. Nauka (Science), 1993.

⁹Slovo protiv upivayuschikhsya i o voskresenii. Tvoreniya svyatogo ottsa nashego Ioanna Zlatousta, Arkhiepiskopa Konstantinopoljskogo, v russkom perevode. Tom 2, kniga 1. ( St. John Chrysostom Homily Against drunkards and on the Resurrection in Russian translation. Vol.2, part 1) St.Petersburg, Izdanie S-Peterburgskoy Akademii, 1896 (St.Petersburg Theological Academy Edition, 1896), P.475.

¹⁰URL: https://el.wikisource.org/wiki/Περί_φυγής_και_ευρέσεως (logging in date: 31.10.2019).

¹¹Hans Lewy. Sobria ebrietas. Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der antiken Mystik.(Sober enabriation. Study on the history of ancient mysticism) Gie?en: T?pelmann, 1929. - 174 S.

¹²Brunner, Richard J.: Sobria ebrietas - Nuchterne Trunkenheit. Uber eine den Kirchenvater Augustinus stark beeindruckende rhetorische Figur. (Sober enabriation. About one impressive rhetorical figure of the Holy Father Augustine). URL: https://www.augustinus.de/einfuehrung/86-texte-ueber-augustinus/215-sobria-ebrietas-nuechterne-trunkenheit (logging in date: 09.12.2018).

¹³Protoierey Alexey Baburin. "Bog vsyo predvidit i vsyo predopredelyaet". Izvlecheniya iz besed monakha-philosopha Andronika (A.F.Loseva) s tserkovnosluzhitelem-medikom Alexeem Baburinym. 1980-1988 gg.// Sbornik materialov Mezhdunarodnoy nauchnoy konferentsii "XVI Losevskie chteniya - Philosov i ego vremya: K 125-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya A.F.Loseva", prokhodivshey 17-20 oktyabrya 2018 g. M.: "MAKS Press", 2019. - C. 794 (Archpriest Alexey Baburin. "God foresees everything and predetermines everything. "Extracts from conversations of the monk-philosopher Andronik (A.F. Losev) with the clergyman-physician Alexei Baburin. 1980-1988 // Collection of materials of the International Scientific Conference "XVI Losev Readings - The Philosopher and His Time: On the 125th Anniversary of the birth of A.F. Losev ", which was held on October 17-20, 2018, Moscow: MAKS Press, 2019. - P.794).

¹⁴See: Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum latinorum (CSEL). Vol. III. Pars I. S. Thasci Caecili Cipriani Opera ex recensione G.Hartelii. Epistulae LXIII. Cyprianus Caecilio Fratri S. - P. 710.

¹⁵Amvrosiy Mediolansky; ep. Sobranie tvoreniy [Text] : na latinskom i russkom yazykakh/ svt. Amvrosiy Mediolansky: [perevod s latinkogo D.E. Afinogenova, prot. A.Grinya,M.V.Gerasimovoy ; perevod so staroslavyanskogo F.B. Alibrekhta]; Pravoslavny Svyato-Tikhonovsky gumanitarny universitet.-T.1.- O tainstvakh. Beseda 5.3. Slovo:17.- Moskva: Izd-vo PSTGU, 2012.- S.241. (St. Ambrose; bp Collected writings [Text]: in Latin and Russian / St. Ambrose; [trans. from lat. D.E. Afinogenova, prot. A. Grinya, M.V. Gerasimova; trans. from the old Slavs. F. B. Albrecht]; Orthodox Sant Tikhon's University of Humanities - Vol. 1. - On the sacraments. Conversation 5. 3. Part: 17. - Moscow: Publishing house PSTGU, 2012. - P. 241.

¹⁶Cf.: "For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink". John 6:55.

¹⁷Christusque nobis sit cibus,
potusque noster sit fides;
laeti bibamus sobriam
ebrietatem Spiritus.
Sobranie tvoreniy [Text] : na latinskom I russkom yazykakh/ svt. Amvrosiy Mediolansky: [perevod s latinkogo D.E. Afinogenova, prot. A.Grinya,M.V.Gerasimovoy ; perevod so staroslavyanskogo F.B. Alibrekhta]; Pravoslavny Svyato-Tikhonovsky gumanitarny universitet.- Moskva: Izd-vo PSTGU, 2012.- T.6/ [sost. N. A. Kuljkova]. - 2016. - C.322-325. (Collected writings [Text]: in Latin and Russian / St. Ambrose; [trans. from lat. D.E. Afinogenova, prot. A. Grinya, M.V. Gerasimova; trans. from the old Slavs. F. B. Albrecht]; Orthodox Sant Tikhon's University of Humanities - Moscow: Publishing House PSTGU, 2012. Vol. 6 / [complier N. A. Kuljkova]. - 2016. - P.322-325.

¹⁸Dukhovnye slova I poslaniya [Text] : novoe izdanie s prilozheniem grecheskogo teksta, issledovaniyami i publikatsiey noveyshikh rukopisnykh otkrytiy/ prp. Makariy Egipetskiy (Simeon Mesopotamsky); podgot. A.G. Dunaev i ieromonakh Vinsen Depre pri uchastii M.M. Bernatskogo i S.S. Kima. Moskva: [b. i.], Svyataya Gora Afon: Izd. Pustyni Novaya Fivaida Afonskogo Russkogo Panteleimonova monastyrya; 2015.-S.311-312. (Spiritual homolies and epistles [Text]: new edition with the application of the Greek text, research and publication of the latest handwritten discoveries / St. Macarius of Egypt (Simeon of Mesopotamia); preparation by A.G. Dunaev and Hieromonk Vinsen Depre with the participation of M.M. Bernatsky and S.S. Kim. Moscow: [publishing house is not mentioned], Mount Athos: publishing house of the Deserts of the Thebaid New Athos Russian St. Panteleimon monastery; 2015.-P. 311-312.

¹⁹Episkop Ilarion (Alfeev). Dukhovny mir prepodobnogo Isaaka Sirina. Izdanie vtoroe, ispravlennoe i dopolnennoe. Spb.: Aleteya, 2002. - S.336. (Bishop Hilarion (Alfeev). The spiritual world of St. Isaac the Syrian. Second edition, revised and supplemented. St. Petersburg: Aletheia, 2002. - P. 336.

²⁰Ibid.

²¹PG 23, 321 АВ.

²²"Domus ergo Ecclesia est; ubertas domus, redundantia gratiarum, torrens voluptatis, Spiritus sanctus". Sancti Ambrosii Episcopi Mediolanensis Opera ("Therefore House is the Church; the abundance of the house, thanks to the overflow of voluptuous streams, Holy Spirit." St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan works ) [SAEMO]: Opera omnia di Sant'Ambrogio. Vol.7. Commento a dodici salmi. Commento al salmo XXXV, 19. P. 135.

²³Fragments of the interpretation of the psalms. Psalm 35:9a. Didymi Alexandrini. Expositio in psalmos. Psalmus XXXV. Vers. 9 A. //Patrologia cursus completus [Series Graca]: ... omnium ss. patrum, doctorum, scriptorumque ecclasiasticorum sive Latinorum sive Gracorum (Vol 39), Jacques-Paul Migne, 1863. - P. 1336.

²⁴Eph.5:18.

²⁵Slovo protiv upivayuschikhsya i o voskresenii. Tvoreniya svyatogo ottsa nashego Ioanna Zlatousta, Arkhiepiskopa Konstantinopoljskogo, v russkom perevode. Tom 2, kniga 1.( St. John Chrysostom Homily Against drunkards and on the Resurrection in Russian translation. Vol.2, part 1) St.Petersburg, Izdanie S-Peterburgskoy Akademii, 1896 (St.Petersburg Theological Academy Edition, 1896), P. 477.

²⁶Ibid. P.475.

²⁷Cit. ex: O.A.Rodionov. Predislovie k slavyanskomu "Dobrotolyubiyu": istoriya teksta. Kapterevskie chteniya. Sbornik statey. Vypusk 12. Moskva, 2014. S. 180. (Preface to the Slavic "Philokalia": the history of the text. Kapterevsky readings. Collection of articles. Issue 12. Moscow, 2014. P. 180.

²⁸Apkhiepiskop Vasiliy (Krivoshein). Prepodobny Simeon Novy Bogoslov. Chast' II. Puti k Bogu. 1. Pokayanie [Electronny resurs]. URL: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Simeon_Novyj_Bogoslov/prepodobnyj-simeon-novyj-bogoslov/2_1 (data obrascheniya: 31.10.2019). (Archbishop Vasily (Krivoshein). St. Simeon the New Theologian. Part II Ways to God. 1. Repentance. [Internet resource]. URL: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Simeon_Novyj_Bogoslov/prepodobnyj-simeon-novyj-bogoslov/2_1 (logging in date: 31.10.2019).

²⁹Deut. 30:19-20.

³⁰Luke 22:30.

³¹Episkop Ilarion (Alfeev). Dukhovny mir prepodobnogo Isaaka Sirina. Izdanie vtoroe, ispravlennoe i dopolnennoe. Spb.: Aleteya, 2002.-S.336. (Bishop Hilarion (Alfeev). The spiritual world of St. Isaac the Syrian. Second edition, revised and supplemented. St. Petersburg: Aletheia, 2002. - P. 336).

Human flourishing: a promising construct at the interface of religion and psychiatry

Peter J. Verhagen

Introduction: Flourishing

Nowadays, there is a growing awareness on what is called positive psychology and positive psychiatry. In short, the whole idea of positive psychology and positive psychiatry is based on a shift from predominantly weakness-oriented thinking and practicing to strength-oriented thinking and practicing (Oades & Mossman, 2017, pp. 7-23). Health, well-being and flourishing are more than alleviation of symptoms. This change of orientation presents us with new questions. What are the factors that enable a person to flourish, even in case of a physical or mental illness? What are characteristics of flourishers? What makes a person flourishing intra-personally (biologically, emotionally, cognitively), interpersonally (relationally) and collectively (culturally, even globally)? Personally I think this is a very important and promising development. Therefore I want to reflect on the meaning of human flourishing as a construct of wellbeing, and I will connect this to religion and spirituality, since religion and spirituality are clearly components of human flourishing (see also Schotanus-Dijkstra et al., 2016).

There are several wellbeing constructs: wellbeing (with a number of adjectives like hedonic, eudaemonic, psychological, social, positive and optimal) mental health, life satisfaction, happiness, and flourishing (Oades & Mossman, 2017, pp. 8-10). As Oades and Mossman comment, all constructs combine in a certain way 'feeling good and functioning well' (2017, p. 8). The reason why I prefer the construct of flourishing is that according to VanderWeele, flourishing encompasses more than the constructs of wellbeing and life satisfaction do, human flourishing includes 'something beyond psychology', 'something more than one's mental state and how one feels about various aspects of life', as he writes (2017, p. 8149). Flourishing indicates a state of wholeness, contrary to languishing (Chan et al., 2017). I look for a construct that is broader than psychological wellbeing. Flourishing seems to offer that, as we will see.

Clinical, functional and personal recovery

To start with, one of the interesting and promising consequences of strength-oriented thinking is the following. This is an important change going on in mental health care with regard to our understanding of recovery! Until very recently our view on recovery meant clinical recovery. And clinical recovery meant in the first place, and it still does, cure in the sense of reduction of clinical symptoms and signs. A reduction that we can measure in an objective way. And in fact that reduction is rated by the clinician, and it applies in almost every clinical case. Moving beyond clinical recovery, there is functional recovery: restoring the premorbid level of social functioning (e.g., employment, education, social functioning, and daily functioning).

However, what we have discovered is that some patients report themselves as being recovered, even when they experience ongoing symptoms. This is a new perspective, a new understanding of recovery, and it is called personal recovery. This is very important and represents a fundamental shift in the values of mental health services. Of course, it does not mean that clinical and functional recovery is no longer important. They really are, but it basically is a weakness-oriented approach, and that is no longer the only way of looking at recovery. Despite clinical und functional impairments, it is possible to live a valued life.

So what do we mean with personal recovery, and in what way is it different from clinical and functional recovery? Personal recovery, to start with, has a different focus than clinical and functional recovery. Personal recovery emphasizes the centrality of hope, of identity, of meaning, and of personal responsibility. Personal recovery is not a state of remission of symptoms, but a process, it is subjectively defined by the person him- or herself, it is evaluated by the person him- or herself, who is considered the expert on his or her recovery. And of course, formulated this way, recovery means different things to different people, although many aspects are shared by a lot of people (Chan et al., 2018; Slade & Wallace, 2017, p. 25).

To determine the thoughts to some extent, here is one, out of many, definition: 'Recovery is a deeply personal, unique process of changing one's attitudes, values, feelings, goals, skills, and/or roles in view of physical and mental illness. It is a way of living a satisfying, hopeful, and contributing life even within the limitations caused by illness. Recovery involves the development of new meaning and purpose in one's life as one grows beyond the catastrophic effects of mental illness' (Slade, 2009, p. 38; Slade & Wallace, 2017, p. 25). This means a fundamental shift in psychiatric thinking and in our therapeutic approach. It is not just about weakness (e.g., symptoms, disorder, and illness); it is about strengths (e.g., connectedness, identity, empowerment, meaning and purpose).

Human flourishing: determinants and pathways

We can put it in another way. Human well-being or flourishing is not just a matter of a single disease state, or a positive outcome on a certain clinical measure. Human well-being or flourishing consists in a much broader range of aspects of life, of course it includes mental and physical health, but it also encompasses happiness, life-satisfaction, meaning and purpose, close relationships. In fact based on empirical studies we are able to identify the major determinants of human well-being and flourishing. In fact there are five major determinants for well-being (VanderWeele, 2017, p. 8149):

1) happiness and life-satisfaction

2) health, mental and physical

3) meaning and purpose

4) character and virtues

5) close relationships

Based on empirical research we are also able to distinguish pathways that lead to and sustain flourishing in the sense of these five determinants. By pathways VanderWeele means those aspects of human life that have a relatively large impact on each of these fives domains. There are four major pathways (VanderWeele, 2017, p. 8150):

1) family

2) work

3) education

4) religious community

These pathways contribute to the domains of flourishing and there is empirical evidence for the effects of each of these pathways. Each pathway is connected with the five domains of human flourishing. The conclusion of all this is that supporting participation in these pathways has impact on flourishing.

Thus, personal recovery could be defined as a personal way to well-being and flourishing despite remaining signs and symptoms of mental illness. And although the pathways are often harder to handle for people with a mental disorder than for people without such a disorder, these pathways are not different for both groups, and must be included in a treatment plan, and broaden the scope of recovery beyond merely clinical and functional recovery. In fact personal recovery can on its own have impact on flourishing regardless clinical stability and functioning (Chan et al., 2018).

If it is the case that the family, work, education and religious community are important pathways to the various aspects of human flourishing and well-being, than this must have implications for mental health policies. In fact structures, policies, laws, finances that contribute to family, work, education and religious communities are important contributors or obstructions to a flourishing society itself! (VanderWeele, 2017, p. 8153)

Human flourishing and religious community

We now focus on the importance of the religious community, or local church with regard to human flourishing, especially when one has to cope with a mental disorder.

It is clear from a lot of empirical research that participation in a religious community or local church is associated with the domains of flourishing. Attending religious services is associated with better health, greater longevity, lower incidence of depression and better outcome, lower rates of suicide, better survival from cancer, and other outcomes (Koenig et al., 2012; VanderWeele, 2017, p. 8152). It is the communal form of religious practice that is helpful, in different ways. It may be healing, it may that the community is a safe haven, or that the community helps to control and to canalize deviant behaviour.

Attending the religious community is associated with greater meaning in life, happiness and life satisfaction. The relationship between religion and virtues is positive for pro-social behaviour, generosity and social engagement. Encouragement to prayer increases forgiveness, gratitude and trust. And finally, attending religious services is positively correlated with making new friends, enduring relationships and social support.

Let us have a closer look at these findings. Recovery is not just relief from mental illness, but also from its emotional, physical, intellectual, social and from its religious and spiritual consequences. And today we become more and more aware of the fact that mental health services can support healing in this broad sense, including religious and spiritual development. Slade presents a list of recognizable spiritual (and religious) themes that are important and helpful (Slade, 2009, pp. 94-97):

• to nurture or restore a mature view of the self, connected e.g. with self-compassion with regard to difficulties and setbacks.
• to perform religious practices like reading scripture, prayer, attending the religious community, promoting forgiveness.
• to foster secular experiences through exposure to art, literature, poetry, music, science and nature.
• to create opportunities for self-discovery in therapy, in keeping a diary, in writing a letter to someone important, writing a life narrative.
• to give back to others in voluntary work, in having responsibility for something or someone.
• to learn other thoughts, e.g. by learning to meditate.
• to develop social and cultural activities.
• to participate in mutual support groups.
• to work according to a personal recovery plan.
• to learn to take time to think.
• to learn to engage in life rather than disengaging from life.

It is immediately clear from this list that spirituality is used in a broad sense. If you do not pay attention everything becomes spiritual. That therefore requires sensitivity to what spirituality means for this or that patient. It asks at the same time for a different way of working in mental health care, but it promises to be worthwhile. And, it asks for partnership among mental health professionals and other care professionals and care providers, including pastors, fathers, and other volunteers.

The religious community or local church can take part in all of this, and in my view they should take part in it. Not because the church knows best in a rather self-convinced way, but because church is of all places the community where the treasure of all these human issues is to be found. And by doing so, church will foster its beneficial and salutary meaning and grace upon those seeking refuge and support, to find and to discover the givenness of the truth that the Lord's strength is being fulfilled in our weaknesses.

Religious and mystical experience

With regard to religious and mystical experiences, the descriptions of elite people of their mystical experiences should be taken as descriptive in an exemplary way and not as being exclusive, isolated or rare (Steinbock, 2007, p. 31). It is what is 'already going on in the inter-Personal sphere' - Personal with a capital P - (the inter-Personal sphere with the Holy), it is already going on 'for all of us and open in principle to all of us' (Steinbock, 2007, p.31), including the weak, the disabled, and people suffering from psychiatric illnesses. Mystical experiences are not limited to the healthy; that would be very stigmatizing.

Religious and mystical experiences are also not limited to experiences of union only; 'rather, it consists in service to God, the redemption of the world, and the participation in establishing loving and justice' (Steinbock, 2007, p.26).

Human flourishing: A theological theme

Human flourishing became also a theological theme and several theologians (e.g., Karkkainen, 2015; Kelsey, 2009) have paid a lot of attention to it, and I'll concentrate on Volf and Croasmun (2019) and what they propose in their recently published book.

In fact human flourishing is not new in theological thinking. The good life is a classical theological theme. And if I understand them correctly, Volf and Croasmun want to develop a positive theology. A positive theology is focused on a positive goal: the good life as it is lived for God. That seems somewhat parallel to what we call positive psychology and positive psychiatry: a shift from weakness-oriented to strength oriented-thinking, without wanting to fall into one-sidedness. At the same it is their claim that theology, as they understand it, is an indispensable partner in the (scientific) search for a 'genuinely flourishing live' (Volf & Croasmun, 2019, p. 51).

Their inspiring point of departure is St. Paul's statement in his letter to the Romans, ch.14, vs. 17: 'For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.' Volf and Croasmun point to the parallel between these words of Romans 14: 17 and Galatians 5: 22 (love, joy, and peace; 2019, pp. 164-170). Love, as that which sums up the law, together with peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, based on our freedom by our salvation through Jesus Christ, spell the flourishing life, even under the unfitting conditions of our fallenness, from a Christian perspective. It means life led well (righteousness, love), going well (peace) and feeling as it should (joy). Love is the heart of it, peace is about flourishing circumstances particularly in relationships, and joy is affective flourishing. So their approach helps us connect our concept of human flourishing with profound theological insights! What is more: with the Gospel.

Conclusion

The concept of human flourishing seems to be an enriching concept; it broadens the scope of recovery. Personal recovery actually has a salutogenic effect on human flourishing. Together with family, work and education, the effect of a religious community can be significant. This requires major changes in mental health care and policies and interdisciplinary collaboration including with clergy and spiritual and humanistic caregivers.

References:

1. Chan, R.C.H., Mak, W.M.S., Chio, F.H.N., & Tong, A.C.Y (2018). Flourishing with psychosis: A prospective examination on the interactions between clinical, functional, and personal recovery processes on well-being among individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 44(4), 778-786. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbx120
2. Karkkainen, V-M. (2015). Creation and humanity. A constructive Christian theology for the pluralistic world. (Vol. 3). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
3. Kelsey, D.H. (2009). Eccentric existence. A theological Anthropology. (Vol. 1). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.
4. Koenig, H.G., King, D., & Benner Carson, V. (2012). Handbook of religion and health (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
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7. Slade, M. (2009). Personal recovery and mental illness. A guide for mental health professionals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
8. Slade, M., & Wallace, G. (2017). Recovery and mental health. In M. Slade, L. Oades, & A. Jarden (Eds.), Wellbeing, recovery and mental health (pp. 24-34). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
9. Steinbock, A.J. (2007). Phenomenology of mysticism. The verticality of religious experience. Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
10. VanderWeele, T.J. (2017). On the promotion of human flourishing. Proceedings of the national Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Retrieved from www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1702996114
11. Volf, M., & Croasmun, M. (2019). For the life of the world. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press.