Mental Health and The Gospel Part I--Healing through the Atonement

For some time I have let incubate in my mind thoughts on how to best reconcile the teachings of the restored Gospel with philosophy and practice that I continually learn as a grad student in clinical psychology. These two camps are sometimes divergent, but are actually more similar than one might think; in fact, I have come to believe that part of my earthly mission is to dispel among church members the oft-held myth that the study of behavior and the mind is antithetical to the study of the Savior. The only antithetical thing about that statement is the statement itself. The next two posts will be dedicated to shedding light on this mystery of the Kingdom. My hope is to empower the weakest of us, and inspire the strongest of us to find the Savior in even the greatest and least understood of our challenges. I stress that these thoughts are purely my own; as such, I invite all who read to ponder them, and follow the Spirit while interpreting the words that follow.

In 1986 then Elder Boyd K. Packer, a master instructor, shared this nugget:

"True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the Gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior."

To the untrained eye, this quote by President Packer may seem to deflate my ideas before they even get moving; the answer to all the ails that we feel must be that if we just study and study and study, we will be guided to better behavior. I believe this to be true, for it has worked in my own life. Some months ago I was inspired to study twice a day in stead of my post-mission tradition of just reading at night; the results have been remarkable, and I have seen an added measure of growth in my own life.

I consider myself fortunate to have been able to grasp the scriptures commensurate with increased study and prayer; but what about those for whom it doesn't so easily? Are they who haven't learned good Gospel study habits forever destined to be slower in learning to follow the Savior? I think not! The Savior is explicit about who he allows to partake of His goodness:

"And after their temptations, and much tribulation, behold, I, the Lord, will feel after them, and if they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them. (Doctrine and Covenants 112:13:13 )"

This does not just apply to the learned, but anyone who hearkens unto the Savior, not stiffening their necks against him. It does not speak of those who are more intelligent or have a greater capacity to learn, but it is anyone who willingly comes unto Christ.

So what does this all mean for President Packer's quote? As I see it, it means that our behavior changes as we study the Gospel, but as we do so at our own pace. For those of us who study temporal things (including behavior), it is important that we follow the prophet Nephi's counsel:

But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God. (2 Nephi 2:29)

For me, this means taking a philosophical stance toward the science-religion debate that places the nature of man at a point of imperfection. As such, man is not able to "comprehend all the things that the Lord can comprehend (Mosiah 4:9)," but is able to obtain truths "line upon line (see Isaiah 28:10; D & C 98:12)" as God sees fit. As a behavioral scientist, it is ever important that to recognize this, and to see scientifically-derived truths for what they are--a small drop in a large bucket of eternal truth.

With that said, I do not regret my choice to enter into the mental health field, as I see a unique challenge in building the kingdom, which will for me inevitably last for the remainder of my life. In fact, I "feel it a pleasure to serve (Hymns, 19)" in this capacity, and know that the Lord will bless my in my temporal endeavors as I strive to put Him in the forefront. I know this to be true of all people, and I know that all people are susceptible to degenerating in the face of temptation. Let us all be diligent and prayerful that we might make it through those times, that the Atonement may lay hold upon us, sanctifying us in preparation for the great and dreadful day of the Lord (see Malachi 4; 3 Nephi 25).

Have a great week!

BEST OF ME: Commitment to a Cause

Hello everyone! In the spirit of Independence Day I decided to re-post an article I wrote two years ago...Enjoy!


ORIGINAL POST DATE: JULY 5th, 2009


I would first like to wish everyone a Happy Birthday, for if you are American, it is your birthday. One thing that has pressed on my mind more than ever this Independence Day Weekend has been the importance of t he formation of this great country in realizing the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There was no other place at that time in which such a singular event could take place, and if not in America, the Restoration would have been delayed for literal decades. Go America! With that said, there has been another topic that has been weighing down on my mind this last week, being the idea of commitment. Some people have this in spades, and others (e.g. all men in regards to relationships) require a little more coaxing and encouragement. Where does the difference lie?

In researching "Commitment" in the Topical Guide, I was impressed first with how many scriptures listed refer to worshiping with "all your heart." For example we find this in the Book of Joel:

Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.

--Joel 2:12

What is it about the individual that causes him or her to be willing to, and then to actually offer the full conviction of heart? It is is my belief that it is a result of a personal conversion to and love of a principle that causes action. Take Ammon as an example. In Alma Chapter 17 we see that Ammon was committed to serving King Lamoni and the Lamanites, stating that he intended to serve them "perhaps until the day I die" (v. 23). Ammon loved Lamoni and his people, which love was perpetuated by the Gospel, and Ammon's conversion to it.

And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.

--Alma 17:9

Ammon and the Sons of Mosiah desired nothing more than to be instruments in the Lord's hands. This is another characterstic of commitment to a cause--the selfelss desire to perpetuate it, not looking for any gain but the personal satisfaction that comes from helping others become converted to that same cause.

I am grateful for the Founding Fathers who also had this in pespective. They knew their cause was just, and they knew that they were instruments in the hands of the Lord. They were committed, and for that I am also grateful. In this season I hope to be able to emulate their examples, as well of all the other more immediate Gospel heroes. To end, I am reminded of the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith:

Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.

--Doctrine and Covenants 128: 22

Have a great week!

The Secret Combinations in Our Souls

And behold, in the end of this book ye shall see that this Gadianton did prove the overthrow, yea, almost the entire destruction of the people of Nephi.

Behold I do not mean the end of the book of Helaman, but I mean the end of the book of Nephi, from which I have taken all the account which I have written. --Helaman 2:13-14

In the Book of Mormon we read many stories about individuals and groups who actively rebelled against the Lord and His people. Although their rebellion often hit a culmination out in the open, their planning, devising, and promises were often carried out in secret. These began with Laman and Lemuel devising to kill Nephi and their father, Lehi. Later on we read about Nehor and his "order," and then about the "kingmen" and then Gadianton, Kishkumen, and their "secret combination" of robbers who made oaths to overthrow the judges each time they were elected. Secret combinations transcend even the Book of Mormon, and Cain is considered the first among them, conspiring against his brother Abel. In his landmark talk "Beware of Pride," President Ezra Taft Benson said:

"Pride results in secret combinations which are built up to get power, gain, and glory of the world. (See Hel. 7:5; Ether 8:9, 16, 22–23; Moses 5:31.) This fruit of the sin of pride, namely secret combinations, brought down both the Jaredite and the Nephite civilizations and has been and will yet be the cause of the fall of many nations. (See Ether 8:18–25.)"

Now, surely if the pride that fuels secret combinations has proven and will yet prove the destruction of many nations, it must first destroy those who fuel the fire of enmity in the first place; As one who studies group dynamics, I know that no one act is done in isolation, and that interaction with people creates reciprocal behavior between aggressor, recipient, and observer; and though the whole is usually greater than the sum of the parts, individuals are still affected. With this said, I think it behooves us to look at the effects that pride and enmity have on our own souls, irrespective of the influence we have on others and which they likewise have on us.

In the same talk, President Benson said,

"Pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves. Most of us consider pride to be a sin of those on the top, such as the rich and the learned, looking down at the rest of us. (See 2 Ne. 9:42.) There is, however, a far more common ailment among us—and that is pride from the bottom looking up. It is manifest in so many ways, such as faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting, murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another, and being unforgiving and jealous."

It seems to me that here are diverse ways that we might do wrong or commit sin, but if we follow the counsel of the prophets new and old, I am assured that we will be able to fend off the pride that seeks to silently "combine" within us until we are overtaken by it. To again take from the prophet:

"Let us choose to be humble.

We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are. (See D&C 38:24; D&C 81:5; D&C 84:106.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement. (See Jacob 4:10; Hel. 15:3; D&C 63:55; D&C 101:4–5; D&C 108:1; D&C 124:61, 84; D&C 136:31; Prov. 9:8.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by forgiving those who have offended us. (See 3 Ne. 13:11, 14; D&C 64:10.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by rendering selfless service. (See Mosiah 2:16–17.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others. (See Alma 4:19; Alma 31:5; Alma 48:20.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by getting to the temple more frequently.

We can choose to humble ourselves by confessing and forsaking our sins and being born of God. (See D&C 58:43; Mosiah 27:25–26; Alma 5:7–14, 49.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives. (See 3 Ne. 11:11; 3 Ne. 13:33; Moro. 10:32.)"

I know that we can choose to submit ourselves in all things to the Savior, to become meek like unto Him. therein will we be able to conquer the secret combinations of the soul, and be enabled as sons and daughters unto the Most High, and to be esteemed as friends of God.

Have a great week!

Fearing What We Might Find

But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves,
and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God,
and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord,
even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish.
And now, O man, remember, and perish not.
--Mosiah 4:30

I am a firm believer that the Atonement of Jesus Christ can penetrate every fiber of our being, and create a change in us that only the truly faithful and learned in the ways of God could have anticipated. It happens as we slowly, grace for grace become aware of our many weaknesses and frailties. learning that at the end of the mountain is yet another, which in many ways dwarfs the pinnacle we have just overcome. And often as we get in touch with reality we look back at what now to us seems easy in comparison to the impending trial, and long for those ways. We may say to ourselves, "why can't I go back to that simpler time?" or "don't I deserve a rest right now?"

While such an attitude may be undesirable, it is quite admirable when compared to when we don't even attempt to see the height of the initial mountain. Very often we don't look inward for fear of what we might find. We may fear that in fact we have so much farther to go than we could ever imagine. If we refer to King Benjamin, we notice that such errors when not corrected can be deadly. In order to qualify for eternal life, we must do as King Benjamin directs, and watch our thoughts, actions, words, and deeds. I believe that as we do this that we will gain greater access to the Atonement, and thereby be able to move closer to God, and be enabled to serve.

This week's thought is short, but I would like to simply admonish you to notice your inner self, and upon gaining understanding quietly and confidently seek the Lord's help in becoming a saint.

Have a great week!

Softening Hearts and Baseball Gloves

Over the last couple of days I have pondered on the state of our hearts, and how they can become hardened if we do not continually work to soften them. "The heart" is an age-old metaphor for that which is in our core, that which truly defines us when no one is looking. It is in the heart where our deepest desires lie, as well as our sincerest intentions, be them good, evil, or some complex mix in between the two. The softness or hardness of our hearts is greatly influenced by the culture in which we reside, and more importantly by how we appraise that culture. Great examples come from the scriptures, including the account of the house of Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah. As many know, Sodom and Gomorrah were two of the most wicked cities in known history, but Lot and his family were more righteous followers of God. The Lord warned Lot to leave the land, as the two cities would be destroyed in a rain of fire and brimstone. Angels hastened the escape of Lot, his wife, and his two unwed daughters, but as we remember,

"But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt." (Gen. 19:26)

How often do we go about our daily walk, and unwittingly do like unto Lot's wife, "looking back" to the things that don't matter toward our salvation, and that in fact pull us away from the Savior? I dare say that this happens all too often! A member of our stake presidency today told our Elder's Quorum that in these latter days Satan's greatest tool is preoccupation--deceiving the children of men in a way so subtle as to keep them from righteousness long enough until it's too late. I believe that the adversary doesn't care if we fail to merit outer darkness; he'd be content if we just separated ourselves long enough from the Spirit that we don't receive the greatest of all blessings, that is, immortality and eternal life. The adversary counts as a win against the saints of God anything less than perfection.

With this in mind, it is ever important that we fight against the wiles of the adversary by constantly seeking to soften our hearts. How do we do so? Well, because mixing metaphors can be so much fun, let's think about a baseball glove. Anyone who has seen "The Sandlot" knows that a brand-new baseball glove looks like a piece of plastic, and really isn't good for much. However, baseball gloves can be made useful through time and effort: the first, more tedious way is to just play with the glove for hours and hours, hoping that it will take the proper shape through use in practice and games; the second, more effective, quicker, and safer way to break in a glove involves use, but also involves culturing, massaging, and setting the glove for some time outside of a game situation. This second way requires care that only the educated can perform, but getting such an education can mean the difference between booting a ball or digging out a screaming grounder. And even after initial "breaking" of the glove, it still requires constant care to keep it in ideal playing condition.

Likewise, the most effective way to soften our hearts is through the cycle of continual education, culturing, massaging, and testing in game use. We receive our education by studying the words of the prophets, both ancient and modern, and pondering on how to apply their teachings. We also educate ourselves as we take our study before the Lord, seeking the Spirit to guide us toward greater understanding of how to personally apply what we learn.

The game is played every day in our minds, our hearts, and with our hands, as we are daily bombarded with messages contrary to the principles we learn. Though this step may seem painful it is absolutely essential. Just as the infielder doesn't know how good his glove is until it sees adversity, so to must our hearts be tested. The prophet Lehi said:

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so...righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. (2 Nephi 2: 11)"

If we must endure trials and study the scriptures to ready our hearts, what is the middle step of culturing and massaging? This, of course, is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We learn the Gospel and we go out into the world, but it is through the Atonement of the Savior that we are healed from all that damages. It is the Savior who took upon himself all the pains, sufferings, and afflictions of this world, that our hearts and gloves might not have to be hardened beyond repair. Elder Kent F. Richards spoke of this in the April 2011 General Conference:

"The Savior is not a silent observer. He Himself knows personally and infinitely the pain we face.

'He suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children.'

'Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.'

"Sometimes in the depth of pain, we are tempted to ask, 'Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?' I testify the answer is yes, there is a physician. The Atonement of Jesus Christ covers all these conditions and purposes of mortality."

I add my testimony that there is a Balm in Gilead, and when applied it covers all pains that we ever have had or will have to bear. I know this not of myself, but of the Spirit which has constantly borne record of it to me. My friends, the Atonement is real. It really works. It will keep us from being deceived, keep our hearts from hardening to a point of disrepair. Of this I testify in the name of He who provides such a Balm, even the Savior of all mankind, Jesus the Christ.

Have a great week!

The Plantar Fasciitus of the Soul

Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many;
but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee,
even unto the end of thy days.
--D&C 24:8

As I continue to gain new and what seem to be increasingly more difficult experiences, I am struck by the increasing striving that it takes to feel that I'm "doing okay." By this I mean the feeling that I am in good standing with the Lord, and that I am even deserving of the richest blessings which I desire. However, I know that there is a Balm in Gilead, and it is called the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This balm, when applied in diligence and sincerity, can foster healing to the point that there is no sign of the burn caused by our iniquitous behavior and cognition. A temporal yet salient example comes from my own life just yesterday.

As a part of my often feeble efforts to get in shape, yesterday I decided to go for run. The weather was perfect: mid-70s with bright sunshine. I set out from my house with the intent of going through my neighborhood, cutting through a church parking lot, and then making a gradual rise to the side of the Provo Temple, about 2 miles round trip. However, about three minutes into my run I reached a fence where i thought there wasn't one, and was forced to make my ascent around the temple, and not directly to it. I decided that I would give this route a try, only to see a daunting task ahead of me: a steep, windy incline to the top of the bench of Y Mountain. I toiled up the hill for what seemed like forever, but persisted. I made it to the top (admittedly with a couple of stops to breathe in the thin air), and coasted for much of the return trip, passing the temple from the top, and not from the bottom as I had originally anticipated.

I made it home, ragged and dehydrated from about 30 minutes of running and hiking. As my body began to regain homeostasis, I noticed a pain in the bottom of my left arch. This pain reminded me of a running injury I sustained two years ago, developing a condition known as plantar fasciitus, where the arch of the foot experiences excess swelling when under stress. I was reminded of the pain that improper running had caused, and reminded of the consequences that I still must live with.

Now, there is a type in this story. How often is it, that as we strive to improve, strive to go through the process of cleansing, that we are reminded of our tendencies toward spiritual wear and tear? This is a natural consequence of trying to fit godliness into the ungodly. The Savior said unto Moroni:

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. --Ether 12:27

How grateful am I for this reassurance! This scripture means that if I am striving to give myself to the Savior by coming unto Him through obedience and repentance, he will show unto me my weakness. The Savior's people are a humble people, whether they decide to humble themselves, or if they are compelled to humility through trial and tribulation. For "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. (Matt. 19:24; Mark 10:25)."

I know that we receive trials as a consequence of the perfect love of God towards us. Trials are necessary in the Eternal Plan of Happiness, a Plan which has each and every one of us living with God again, taking up our first estate in the Kingdom of Heaven. I am grateful that I cannot know what God knows, for in such ignorance I may be led by faith on the Savior, ever striving to put off the natural man in favor of a new creature. Let us remember that He is always with us, and be patient through our many afflictions. If we do so, one day we WILL be able to say that we were able to give all of ourselves, and at last we could do so without the pain of imperfection returning. May we be faithful until that day arrives!

Have a great week!

BEST OF ME: Empathy--More than an inkling, more than a feeling

Hello! I hope everyone is having a wonderful Sunday! On this day, let us strive to always remember the Savior, and all that he has done for us. For those of us who are fasting, let may our fast not be in vain, but be counted in Heaven for our good, and for the good of he or she for whom we wish a special blessing.

As a part of my "Best of Me" series, I chose to bring back a post from about 18 months ago on fasting. Enjoy!


EMPATHY--MORE THAN AN INKLING, MORE THAN A FEELING

ORIGINAL POST DATE: SEPTEMBER 20, 2009

I'm Baaack!! Thanks to all those who patiently awaited me getting my act together. It has been a little precarious trying to figure out my Sunday schedule, i.e. when I would take the time to sit down and write a good, thoughtful blog post. I hope that this week does not disappoint; rather, I hope it does the exact opposite, providing direction to those who earnestly seek it.

My thoughts today are a culmination of over two weeks of contemplation, and as such, may seem a bit disjointed, but I will do my best to pull it all together. I want to discuss the doctrine of fasting, but I want to do so in context of the construct of empathy.

The word empathy is derived from the Greek empatheia, which connotes a combination of affection and suffering. It is defined as an intellectual identification with or a vicarious experience of another’s feelings. The definition seems pretty dynamic, but I submit that it has the potential to be even more applicable. Oftentimes empathy can only be reached through learning from personal experience, and then aptly applied to similar situations of others.

Let’s take fasting as an example. From a scholar’s perspective, fasting is going without food or drink for two meals or up to 24 hours, donating the money that would have been used to the needy of the Church, and praying for both personal and impersonal purposes. The scholar perhaps does not see the synergy that these three things produced when righteously combined, but it is invariably unmistakable in the eyes and gait of the true disciple. There’s something about pushing oneself to the edge of their ability, there’s something about putting aside convenience, willingly laying oneself down for a further benefit. This is especially salient when the fast is performed on behalf the welfare of another. This takes faith that one’s own needs will be met as he or she selflessly turns toward someone in greater want, trusting that a loving Heavenly Father will bless others just as the faster has been blessed. He or she who fasts in this vein is overcome with love for God and fellow man, so much that their personal welfare is an afterthought. This is the point at which affection and suffering reach their peak. This is true empathy.

We should all have the goal to reach the point of true empathy, but also understand that we will never fully reach it unless we fully turn to the source of true empathy:

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
--Isaiah 53:4-5


That fount of every blessing (including empathy), of course, is Jesus the Christ. His empathic understanding transcends experience on intellectual or vicarious grounds, for He experienced everything, as is evident in Alma 7:11-12 and D & C 19:16-18:


And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;
17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

I know that the prophecies in the former scripture were fulfilled, and I know that the words in the latter are the honest, literal words of the Savior through a modern prophet. I am grateful to have a source for my striving, to have a reason to give up my own will, and seek the welfare of others. I hope that one day I will be able to have that type of empathy that only requires love, and nothing else. But for all of us, purification process is necessary. Let us all be able to willingly walk that path. Elder Neal A. Maxwell (Liahona, 1999) said the following:

Revealed truths reassure us that we are enclosed in divine empathy. As Enoch witnessed, we worship a God who wept over needless human misery and wickedness (see Moses 7:28–29, 33, 37). Jesus’ perfect empathy was ensured when, along with His Atonement for our sins, He took upon Himself our sicknesses, sorrows, griefs, and infirmities and came to know these “according to the flesh” (Alma 7:11–12).

He did this in order that He might be filled with perfect, personal mercy and empathy and thereby know how to succor us in our infirmities. He thus fully comprehends human suffering. Truly Christ “descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things” (D&C 88:6).

I echo his testimony with my own. May we all continue to emulate the Savior in all that we do! Have a Great Week!