At the recent Winter Family Weekend, the church service included a symposium about depression. It stimulated a number of us there to consider what a person can do to stave off or get past depression. This presentation includes an expansion on one of the strategies for doing just that.

Many people today think that it’s old fashioned to follow God’s rules about sex. Sexual promiscuity is a way of life for many single people. And many marriages and relationships break up because of infidelity. We would never try to convince anyone against their will that God’s rules are for our own good. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t explain how his rules, when applied, save people a lot of heartache, and even mental illness.

Did you know that a relationship develops between victims and perpetrators when some one is held captive or coerced? There is even a name for it. It’s called the trauma bond. Even though we see it every day, most of us are not aware of it. We are naïve. It doesn’t just happen in banks in Stockholm, or in Waco Texas. It happens all around us.

 In 1973 some bank robbers strapped dynamite to the chests of hostages and held them for 5 days. When released the hostages all sided with the robbers and considered them victims of society. While this may be the most famous example of Stockholm syndrome, it is not the only example. In fact, this syndrome is around us everywhere, often even at Church.

It seems to some, that everyone thinks they have PTSD, and that every therapist thinks they do too. PTSD is the new fad diagnosis. So how do we tell who has it and who doesn’t? How do we know if we have it? Listen or read this presentation to know the difference.

In the 70’s pop psychology emphasized “self-esteem” as a necessity for mental health. Never mind that federal prison inmates scored high on self-esteem scales. Clearly, how we see ourselves, has a profound effect on our mood, productivity, and behavior, but how? What does the Bible say about how we ought to see ourselves?

Most of us know that grief can occur when we suffer loss. But what does that look like in real life? And what do we do to get through it? Our latest presentation details some of the strategies and provides solid information—good for helping others as well as ourselves.

The Bible uses the terms “evil” and “wicked” to describe behavior we might call “psychotic,” “narcissistic,” “sociopathic.” Consider this issue further in this presentation that aims to bridge Biblical teaching and contemporary psychology.

Do you, or do you know people who, focus tightly on order, neatness, and control? If so you might be looking at obsessive compulsive behavior. This type of behavior can be mild or so severe that those afflicted are miserable. The Bible has somewhat to say about the topic. Learn more in this presentation. And learn strategies to overcome the condition.

In a series about Mental Health and the Bible, there has to be discussion of psychological defenses. What are they? What, if anything, does the Bible tell us about them? Can therapy help with them in Christian life? These are some of the questions we address in this presentation.