Emmaus Companions Newsletter - November 29, 2021
Hello Everyone,
Its been several months since I've been able to produce a new issue of our Emmaus Companions Newsletter. It is a testimony to the flurry of activity both personally and professionally that has been taking place through the Fall.
I have very much appreciated recent feedback on how valuable this resource has been for individuals and am committed to getting back on track!
This month's issue features a set of materials released over the last while surrounding research into the benefits of spiritual and religious practice in mental health outcomes. In particular, you will find references to a 2015 study on the relationship between religious practice and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a more recent piece featured in Scientific American titled "Psychiatry Needs to Get Right with God", as well as a recent conversation with Bishop Robert Barron of Word on Fire Ministries on this article.
As the Advent season begins, I pray that you and those you love may experience the healing and consoling graces you need most.
Peace and God Bless,
Deacon Eric
Let us pray for persons experiencing mental health challenges, and their families, that they may find effective treatments, support, and understanding and acceptance in society.
Lord, hear our prayer!
"While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him...As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them." - Luke 24:15-16;28-29
Dec
16
Next Support Meeting
7:30pm-9:30pm
Via Zoom
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
From The Emmaus Family Support Blog:
Discernment of Spirits and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Recently I was engaged in a conversation with one individual who was in the early stages of the UofR online therapy program. As they described the core approach of CBT; becoming aware of the thoughts and emotions being experienced, understanding whether these are helpful or unhelpful in the current circumstance, and making choices based on that understanding, I couldn’t help but think of the Rules for the Discernment of Spirits as outline by St. Ignatius of Loyola...
The Word on Fire Show with Bishop Robert Barron: Why Psychiatry Needs to Get Right with God
Psychiatry Needs to Get Right with God
The only group to see improvements in mental health during the past year were those who attended religious services at least weekly (virtually or in-person): 46 percent report “excellent” mental health today versus 42 percent one year ago. As former congressional representative Patrick J. Kennedy and journalist Stephen Fried wrote in their book A Common Struggle, the two most underappreciated treatments for mental disorders are “love and faith.”
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