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Reason and Speech: Timeless Truth and Secular Echoes

Introduction to Ancient Christian Wisdom and Aaron Becks Cognitive Therapy: A Meeting of Minds Father Alexis Trader
Could an ancient mystical path of inner transf ormation, most rigorously pursued and explored by monks and hermits, possibly bear much resemblance to what now seems to be establishing itself as the standard psychotherapeutic approach to living an ef f ective and rational lif e? Would they not of necessity lie worlds apart, ref lecting two dif f erent mindsets, one pre-modern and the other modern and indeed post-modern one rational and secular, and the other mystical and sacred? As the f irst century Christian theologian Tertullian asked: What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?[1] And the Word was made f lesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, f ull of grace and truth.[2] In this short verse, f rom the prologue to the Gospel of Saint John, the Beloved Disciple and Evangelist of the Word proclaims the apostolic experience of revelation to be the f ount of the highest f orm of knowledge. But this needs to be properly understood not as the statement of a dogmatic claim, accessible only to f aith, but rather as an invitation to a dimension of noetic or mystical experience that can lead to a radical transf ormation of the soul. T hrough the transf iguring experience of beholding Christ in glory, the apostles and saints experienced their senses being ref ined, their thoughts being made luminous, and they believed that they came to know the truth about humanity and the rest of creation. T his knowledge attained through theosis, glorif ication or deif ication in Christ, together with the knowledge gained through their earlier experiences of purif ication [katharsis] f rom the passions and illumination [phtismo] by the Holy Spirit[3] f orm the empirical f oundation f or the saints counsels about the healing of the human person and the cleansing of the divine image within, counsels which ref lect various aspects of that conceptually rich Greek term logos rendered according to context as reason, speech, and wisdom of God. Since antiquity, philosophers and ascetics alike have known that reason and speech are the keys to the world of thought at both a personal and collective level. In the course of two thousand years, the saints (those who have pursued most successf ully the threef old path of purif ication, illumination, and theosis) of ancient, traditional Christianity (which this study will maintain persists as a living tradition today in the Eastern Orthodox Church) have explored and recorded the mechanics and dynamics of spiritual transf ormation, known generally as metanoia or repentance, which begins with a change in a persons thought-lif e through the therapeutic use of reason and speech, and ends with the cure of the illness of the soul that since the time of the ancient church has been called hamartia, literally missing the mark, the disease of alienation of the soul f rom its truest end of joyf ul vision of God and things divine, that is, in short, sin. T he saints have also f ound that self ish thoughts, lef t unchecked, lead a person to sinf ul acts, passions, habits, and eventually alienation f rom God and neighbor; whereas godly thoughts, when cultivated, guide a person by the grace of God to virtuous actions, habits, and ultimately purif ication f rom the passions, illumination by the Holy Spirit, and deif ication in Christ. Beneath the surf ace of this outwardly simplistic scheme lies an ocean of patristic texts providing a wealth of counsel and direction f or making this good change a reality. Remarkably, in our own very secular society, cognitive therapists are echoing these patristic f indings, albeit in a noticeably altered key and in ontologically thin, but theoretically elegant f orm. T hese enticingly comparable, yet elusively dissimilar, resonances call f or a nuanced Orthodox Christian response. Cognitive therapys taboo-breaking discourse about the reality of mental states is surely a step f orward f rom its immediate historical predecessor, behaviorism. Behaviorism was a scientif ically f ramed psychological theory

quite apt at predicting the reward-driven behavior of rats threading mazes, pigeons pecking f eeders, and gamblers pulling slot machines, but highly unsatisf actory in dealing with the f reedom and complexity of the human soul.[4] In responding to behaviorism, the Orthodox Christian could readily acknowledge the reinf orcing inf luence of anticipated reward (e.g., the joy of mystical union with God, which since ancient times has been called theosis) or punishment (f or instance, the anguish of separation f rom God) on human behavior. Notwithstanding, the Churchs vision of humanity based on her experiential knowledge of the saint and sinner in the image of God could never be encompassed, much less elucidated, by the f acile reductionism and crude, mechanistic determinism of American behavioralism. By the 1970s, however, the vast landscape of American psychology had been radically altered by the accumulated weight of a series of studies indicating that statements about the ef f ects of cognitive processes could be reliably predicted and scientif ically tested. In this milieu, which would come to be known as the cognitive revolution, the clinical psychiatrist Aaron Temkin Beck (1921-) completed research studies on depression, yielding results that were at marked variance f rom the expectations of the Freudian hypotheses being tested. T hese f indings, together with Becks clinical observations about the relationship between transient thoughts and emotions, led him to develop an evidence-driven procedure and a well developed theory of psychotherapy that would come to be known as cognitive-behavioral therapy.[5] Alongside of Aaron Beck, other cognitive theorists, such as Albert Ellis, Donald Meichenbaum, George Kelly, Maxie Maultsby, William Glasser, Arnold Lazarus, Michael Mahoney, Vittorio Guidano, and Giovanni Liotti, developed similar therapies. [6] Among these f igures, two thinkers are preeminent: Albert Ellis, the f ounder of rational-emotive therapy, of ten ref erred to as the grandf ather of cognitive therapy and Aaron Beck, widely known as the f ather of cognitive therapy. Our study will f ocus primarily on the writings of Aaron Beck and his coworkers[7] f or several reasons. First, Becks writings are more scientif ic in their f ormulation, less dogmatic, and more well researched [8] than those of Ellis. Second, Becks approach not only subsumes Elliss system based on the action-belief -consequence paradigm,[9] but also adds a vertical dimension, including deeper underlying layers of belief s that are the ultimate source of problematic thinking.[10] T hird, Elliss system has been marginalized in clinical practice by Becks approach.[11] Finally, Elliss commitment to atheism and a sometimes-coarse hedonism lead him to judgments about rationality at such variance with Christian teaching that any f ruitf ul dialogue is obstructed f rom the very outset.[12] Succinctly def ined, Becks cognitive therapy is a system of therapy that attempts to reduce excessive emotional reactions and self -def eating behavior by modif ying the f aulty or erroneous thinking and maladaptive belief s that underlie these reactions.[13] On account of the empirical support demonstrating the ef f ectiveness of cognitive therapeutic treatments, it has become f or many syndromes the assumed and preeminent f orm of short-term therapy implemented in the United States and the United Kingdom.[14] In practical terms, this means that most psychiatric hospitals have programs in cognitive therapy; most university psychology curricula are required to teach courses about cognitive therapy; and insurance companies will only co-pay cognitive therapeutic treatments f or certain disorders.[15] Given the expanding inf luence of therapy in Western culture and the shrinking authority of Christianity,[16] given the ubiquity of psychological modes of thought and the paucity of theologically inf ormed ways of thinking in modern society,[17] Christian pastors would be well served by a balanced patristic evaluation of the tenets and techniques of cognitive therapy. Secular therapists, too, may be pleasantly surprised to discover that the territory they are just beginning to explore has been exhaustively mapped over two thousand years by intrepid voyagers of the spirit in the Eastern Church, men and women of whom the West has rarely been cognizant, let alone conversant. And it is hoped, too, that the lay reader may also take a certain interest in the exploration of the meeting of the mindset of ancient Christian asceticism and modern scientif ic rationality.

At f irst glance, the similarities between patristic pastoral tradition and cognitive therapy are indeed striking. Byzantine epistemology with its unity between theoria and praxis has been f unctionally described as rationalism and empiricism,[18] the very terms that could be used to characterize the epistemology utilized in cognitive therapy. In f act, the church f athers, as empiricists,[19] f ollow the pathway that underlies cognitive researchclinical observation f ollowed by theoretical composition,[20] or put dif f erently, empiricism and then rational discourse.[21] Both the f athers and cognitive therapists are committed to honesty and avoiding deception.[22] Both assume limited f reedom and a partial determinism.[23] Both are motivated by compassion f or suf f ering people and a desire f or their restoration to health.[24] Both recognize that talking can be a means f or behavioral change.[25] Both af f irm the centrality of the thoughtlif e or meaning-making structures of cognition in psychological f unctioning.[26] Both view unhealthy thoughts about the self , the environment, and the f uture as a source f or psychological problems.[27] Both recognize that the correction of the thoughts[28] or the purif ication of the thoughts is the f oundational dimension of the return to health and wholeness. Both see the use of reason as instrumental in better human f unctioning.[29] Both assert that a human being is able to exert personal control over thoughts and behaviors that promote change in a healthy direction.[30] Given such similarities, it is not surprising that psychiatrists with training in Orthodox theology such as Fr. Vasilios T hermos and Fr. Adamantios Augoustidis identif y patristic examples of what are currently known as cognitive therapy techniques.[31] Fr. George Morelli, an Orthodox Christian cognitive psychologist, is even more emphatic, stressing that cognitive psychologists, using their own technical vocabulary, have demonstrated empirical evidence f or processes described in ascetic literature.[32] He even goes so f ar as to conclude that the Christian spiritual tradition, including the prayers and practice of the Church, scripture and the writings of the spiritual f athers lends itself to an elegant integration with the cognitive therapy methods noted above.[33] Although an elegant integration may be possible, care is required lest that integration either distort patristic teaching by putting it to f oreign use or dull cognitive therapys cutting edge by mixing it with material extraneous to strictly scientif ic method. Two simple yet related f acts should always be kept in mind. First, the f athers were not cognitive therapists treating people suf f ering f rom anxiety or depression, but human beings striving to f ollow the commandments of Christ, to acquire the love that seeks not its own,[34] and to reach union with God. Second, cognitive therapists are not church f athers seeking to describe humanity in its ideal state or to answer ultimate questions, but mental health prof essionals attempting to reduce the symptoms of those suf f ering f rom various disorders so that these patients can f unction better in society.While certain domains of concern between cognitive therapists and the f athers coincide, the material that does not overlap will inevitably be considered more signif icant by purist cognitive therapists as well as by ardent f ollowers of the patristic tradition. Establishing and then evaluating a relationship between patristic pastoral tradition and cognitive therapy is an enterprise requiring both a brief comparison of worldviews underlying each orientation and an extensive juxtaposition of the discrete components that constitute each approach. On the one hand, a terse comparison between Orthodox anthropology based on revelation and the philosophical anthropology assumed by cognitive therapy should highlight stark dif f erences between the two. On the other hand, an indepth contrast between the constituent elements of cognitive therapy with their counterparts in the patristic tradition should point to startling similarities. Together, both perspectives should lead to an inf ormed and f air Orthodox Christian response to cognitive therapy as well as an appreciation of Orthodox ascetic theology by cognitive therapists. Of course, preliminary convictions inevitably inf luence subsequent conclusions. It is necessary to be f rank about training and commitments at a personal level, f or two reasons outlined by Dr. David Entwistle: A valid critique can only come f rom the position of a person who is suf f iciently inf ormed so as to be working with actual disciplinary concerns, rather than a mere caricature or limited sample of disciplinary content[35] and T he theorists personal commitments will invariably inf luence the model that he or she proposes.[36] In terms of training, the writers graduate work and personal lif e as an Athonite monk have been centered on Orthodox spiritual lif e and theology. Notwithstanding, earlier training in chemistry has provided the writer

with suf f icient grounding in the scientif ic method to appreciate its application in works written f or mental health prof essionals.[37] In terms of commitments, the writers ultimate loyalty lies with the patristic teaching of the Orthodox Church, whose practical guidance f or striving to embody the virtues of the Gospel and to participate in the Churchs mysteries begins with daily lif e and stretches into eternity. T his devotion, however, in no way precludes a healthy respect f or empirical f indings in psychological research utilized as applications to reduce human suf f ering. Obviously, prior commitments and training orient the writer toward some sort of approach involving dialogue, if such a dialogue is indeed consistent with patristic tradition. To decide whether that hypothetical if can become a statement of f act, we will next turn our attention to historical relationships between patristic theology and secular knowledge in order to discern a proper model that will guide those Orthodox Christians sojourning in the desert of contemporary society, so that they might constructively make use of cognitive therapy, the present-day equivalent to the Passover gold of the Egyptians. Without the guidance of Moses, the children of Israel took that gold and made a molten calf to their perdition. With his guidance, they made an altar of gold f or the tabernacle of the law to their sanctif ication.[38] Whosoever readeth, let him understand.[39] From Ancient Christian Wisdom and Aaron Becks Cognitive Therapy: A Meeting of Minds , by Fr. Alexis Trader (Peter Lang Publishing, 2011). Available f rom Amazon.com or Peter Lang Publishing. See book f or endnotes.