How a Buddhist helped a Christian love God

Abstract

A description of how a Buddhist psychotherapist used a threefold approach to the treatment of a fundamentalist Christian diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and presenting with obsessive religious thoughts and fears. One element is the frame of the more traditional psychotherapeutic supportive approach; another element is the Zen Buddhist spiritual perspective with the associated "cognitive set" of oneness and respect for the common human struggle with "opposite thinking;" the third element is the Organic Mind Energy (OME) Psychotherapy techniques incorporated into the therapy. These techniques are especially useful with someone with "rigid" religious beliefs as they allow for a relaxation of the mind that in itself promotes openness and healing. There is no challenging of the client's beliefs and no attempt to change them. © 2006 Blanton-Peale Institute.