In this series, "Navigating Mental Health: New Age to Catholicism," Noelle describes her mental health journey as she transitioned from New Age practices to Catholicism.
BY NOELLE KAISER
Navigating Mental Health
Throughout this series, I will focus on how I was navigating mental health, categorized into three stages that align with the Deliverance Roadmap:
Down The Rabbit Hole: How my mental health was influenced by New Age and occult practices.
Into the Woods: The changes in my mental health when God called me out of the occult.
Into the World: My mental health after deliverance, including the challenges I faced as a Christian.
By sharing my experiences, my goal is to spread awareness about mental health. I want to educate readers on the often-overlooked factors that can influence mental health, inform about the dangers of seeking healing in the wrong places, and offer encouragement to those who might be facing similar struggles.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health is a broad field and the youngest branch of Western medicine. So, before diving into the more nuanced parts of my journey, let’s cover some basics.
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It is an integral part of our overall health.
Emotional well-being in short is about how we feel and respond to our emotional experiences.
Psychological well-being involves a more cognitive aspect, how we think about ourselves and our lives, including topics like personal growth or life purpose.
Social well-being refers to the quality of relationships, interactions and a sense of belonging within a community or society.
As we can see, mental health is a complex topic and involves more than just the absence of a mental disorder. It is experienced differently depending on one’s personal, cultural, and social context.
How is Mental Health Affected?
Mental health can be affected by emotional, psychological, or social changes, challenges, or trauma. These areas, in turn, are influenced by multiple factors, which can be divided into primary and secondary categories:
Primary factors would include things that have a direct impact on our psyche, emotions, cognitive faculties, and behavior, stemming from the biological or environmental causes, that impact our brain and body:
Physical Factors: genetics, physical trauma (brain injuries), intoxication through environment or substance abuse
Psychological Factors: high levels of stress, emotional trauma
Secondary factors include things that have an indirect impact on our mental health through external or environmental conditions that can create circumstances that can trigger mental health issues:
Social Environment: social isolation, conflicts in relationships
Culture and Society: cultural stigma around mental health, societal expectations, economic factors such as financial stability, access to resources like healthcare and education
lifestyle and behavior: diet, exercising, sleep deprivation
It is important to keep multiple factors in mind that can influence mental health. Not only to determine what a person might need to change in their life but also to be more aware of the complexity of this topic, especially when there are multiple factors coming together and interacting with one another.
Is There a Spiritual Factor?
As Christians, we believe that not only emotional, psychological, and social factors influence mental health but also spiritual factors. Since God created us with a body, mind, and spirit there is a spiritual component that influences health as well.
I want to be cautious about making broad statements regarding spiritual factors that can affect mental health, either positively or negatively. However, a Christian worldview, which considers sin, temptation, spiritual warfare, prayer, and the sacraments, is often left out of modern psychology and psychotherapy.
Other spiritual aspects—such as renewing the mind, growing in virtue, sanctification, and accepting suffering within the context of God’s sovereignty—are also essential when discussing mental health.
What About Worldview?
Worldview is often categorized under cultural or societal factors, but it deserves its own attention.
A distorted worldview can exacerbate other factors, making us more vulnerable to mental health issues. When we operate against our true nature—essentially, against reality—it becomes difficult to assess what might be contributing to our struggles. Whether we are dealing with genetic issues or external circumstances, a distorted worldview can lead us to seek healing in the wrong places or accept false, harmful solutions.
What Is a Mental Disorder?
According to the World Health Organization, 1 in every 8 people worldwide live with a mental disorder (mental illness, mental health condition), most common with anxiety and depressive disorders.
There are different types of mental health conditions, all are characterized by a disruption of normal function, a cognitive, emotional, and behavioral impact, and significant distress.
In summary, there are anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, Schizophrenia, eating disorders, disruptive behavior and dissocial disorders, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
What Should We Do If We Struggle Mentally?
There are different seasons in life. Every person has their unique struggles and trials to go through. Sometimes we might feel stressed, overwhelmed, or even depressed.
If we generally
Feel well supported by our social environment
Find strength, courage, and hope through prayer
Have good coping strategies
Get out of that season sooner or later
we usually can manage tough emotions by ourselves.
But there are certainly seasons, that we might not be able to cope with everything that life throws at us on our own.
In those cases, it is suggested to seek professional help.
This might mean turning to a priest or pastoral care, but if symptoms are severe or lifelong, seeking a professional therapist is crucial. A clinician can assess your situation and provide diagnostic exams to guide treatment.
There are many good Catholic therapists who acknowledge spiritual influences on mental health and work in alignment with the sacraments and spiritual practices to help navigate struggles.
ABOUT NOELLE KAISER
Noelle Kaiser, Blog Manager of Spirit Sanctified, is dedicated to helping Christians navigate mental health challenges, particularly those emerging from New Age deception and spiritual bondage. Having been delivered from occult practices through a powerful encounter with God during the unassisted home birth of her second son, Noelle experienced the grace and sovereignty of Christ. This life-changing moment sparked her passion for educating women on biblical perspectives of fertility, pregnancy, and childbirth, areas in which she was once misled.
As a wife, mother of three, native German, and prayer warrior, Noelle is also passionate about studying and writing about the saints and church history, sharing hope and encouragement with those seeking deliverance and healing in Christ.
ABOUT SPIRIT SANCTIFIED
Spirit Sanctified educates Christians on spiritual warfare through multi-media productions and products. We comprise advocates and creators who work together to help Christians stand against occult worldviews by purifying their beliefs and practices.
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