Journal of Religion and Health, Vol. 43, No.

4, Winter 2004 (
2004)

A Jewish Spiritual
Perspective on
Psychopathology
and Psychotherapy:
A Clinicians View
ISRAELA MEYERSTEIN
ABSTRACT: This paper will present a Jewish Spiritual Perspective on clinical work by examining
key underlying values and attitudes in Judaism that relate to human behavior, mental health and
illness. Common symptom presentations and family issues that have roots in culture will be
explored. Contemporary and ancient spiritual coping tools will be suggested for use in clinical
work and personal growth.

KEY WORDS: spirituality; Jewish spiritual perspective; psychotherapy; spiritual coping tools.

The familiar haunting melody of the Avinu Malkenu, a communal prayer

recited by Jews for centuries during the High Holidays, sets the stage for self-
examination, repentance, and forgiveness. It harkens us to the theme of a
persons capacity to turn around and begin anew through making changes in
ones life. Embedded in this prayer is Judaisms view that people can repair
relationships through improved behavior, and can extend and receive for-
giveness, modeling G-d-like qualities. This prayer reflects a Jewish Spiritual
Perspective on human behavior that can be applied to clinical work as well,
inasmuch as making personal changes is the essence of psychotherapy.
In the postmodern era we have come to realize that psychotherapy is not a
value free enterprise. As clinicians we try to understand and respect our pa-
tients values, monitoring ourselves so as not to impose our own values upon
them. As a psychotherapist working in private practice with Jewish and non-
Jewish patients, ranging from the completely secular to the very Orthodox, I try
to be a curious, respectful explorer when entering different cultures and reli-
gions. I seek to understand the patients beliefs about functioning in the world,

Israela Meyerstein, LCSW-C, is a marital and family therapist in private practice in Baltimore,
Maryland. She is co-founder of the Baltimore Jewish Healing Network.

329
2004 Blanton-Peale Institute

330 Journal of Religion and Health

about the causes and meanings of illness, and about available pathways for
healing. Asking questions about religion and spirituality is part of learning the
patients language and world view. Understanding the patients context aids in
engagement and forming a therapeutic relationship, making it more likely that
interventions designed will be constructively received by the patient.
Research has shown that religion is an important aspect of patients lives
(Levin, 2001). Dr. David Larson, citing 350 studies on spirituality, describes
religion as the forgotten factor in physical and mental health (Larson et al.,
1997; Larson, 2001). Religion has been found to reduce the impact of stress
through providing coping skills, social support, a coherent world view, meaning,
and a less risky life style (Pargament, 1997; Pargament et al., 1998). The psy-
chological and physiological benefits of prayer have led to its identification as the
faith factor in healing (Benson, 1996; Matthews, 1998). Patients with more
stress and less social support are more likely to turn to G-d or a higher power.
A 1996 study in USA Today found that 63% of patients feel that doctors
should talk to their patients about spirituality, yet only 10% of doctors do so
(Larson, 2001). Many psychotherapists are secular, perhaps reflecting the
view of religiosity as a mental illness (Freud, 1961; Ellis, 1971). However, this
does not excuse helping professionals from exploring spirituality, because
patients want these issues addressed. The key is to ask; patients do not mind if
their physician is not religious, but they do mind if he or she is not interested
in their religious needs.
Today therapists are faced with the challenge of clinical integration: should
it be implicit (i.e. discussing spirituality only when the client brings it up) or on
the explicit continuum (i.e. initiated by the therapist). Recent Joint Commis-
sion on the Accreditation of Health Organizations requirements mandate that
spirituality be integrated into clinical practice, and that we learn to become
spiritually sensitive clinicians. However, are we even knowledgeable enough
about our patients religious persuasions to participate intelligently? Do we
distinguish between spirituality, the need to voice ones inner search for
meaning in life, and religion, the specific formal language in which it is
expressed? (Cardin, 2003). Have we inquired about patients cultural behaviors
or would we tend to confuse unusual religious practices with psychopathology?
Therapists today would benefit from adopting a biopsychosociospiritual
perspective (Meyerstein, 1995), and conducting a spiritual assessment
(Davidowitz-Farkas, 2001), or a state of the spirit (Weintraub, 2000), as well
as using DSMIV. Describing the patient as despairing, lonely, inspired,
or courageous, broadens and humanizes the analysis. Differentiating be-
tween a patient who feels solutions are in G-ds hands versus one who feels
that G-d helps those who help themselves suggest different paths for
intervention. Moreover, spirituality and religion can be useful resources in
therapy, whether through strengthening the patients hopefulness, providing
specific coping tools, including clergy persons as part of the treatment team, or
involving the patient in his/her faith community.
Israela Meyerstein 331

A Jewish spiritual perspective

Probably you have heard the saying: Two Jews, three opinions. Or the story
about the wise old rabbi who listened fondly as his two brightest students
engaged in a polemical discussion. The first presented his argument with
passionate conviction. The rabbi smiled approval. That is correct. The other
student argued the opposite, cogently and clearly. The rabbi smiled again.
That is correct. Dumbfounded, the students protested. Rabbi, we cant both
be right! That is correct, said the wise man.
As this story suggests, Judaism is pluralistic, not monolithic. There are
several main branches and many offshoots within Judaism. I consider myself
a polyglot(one who speaks many languages), with numerous roots in this
tree: I practice traditional Judaism, my children have attended a modern
Orthodox day school, and I worship at a Conservative synagogue. I admire
Reconstructionist ideas, Reform social consciousness, feel Zionistic, and am
most interested in spiritual renewal. For me, spirituality is a search for a
meaningful existence, moral guidance, and creating a relationship between
the self, others, and G-d. Various threads have been woven into my Jewish
fabric by life experiences. I am claiming only to present my own personal
meaningful version of a Jewish Spiritual perspective.

In the beginning: origins of Jewish values. The Torah and its derivative
commentaries contain important values relating to illness and health (Dorff,
1998). In the beginning, G-d, the grand architect and designer, created the
heavens and the earth. What G-d created was purposeful and orderly. The
earth, full of G-ds creatures, including humans, belongs to G-d. Humans are
mandated to preserve their own lives, avoid danger, and not destroy the body
at will. Hence, the value of saving a life, loving ones neighbor, a strong
indictment against self-injury and suicide, and a physicians duty to heal.
G-d breathed neshama (the word for both breath and spirit, physical life
and consciousness) into man. There is a daily prayer, Elohai Neshama,
thanking G-d for the pure spirit and breath imbued into man: My G-d, the
soul which you have implanted in me is pure. You created it, you formed it,
you breathed it into me, you guard it within me. (Harlow, 1985).
Judaism views the human being as an integrated whole, with a focus on the
body and the spirit. There is a keen awareness that emotions affect the body
and vice versa; therefore, helping interventions must address both. G-d cre-
ated man and woman in His image. Inside each person is a divine spark,
perhaps our identity, or that which makes us unique. Our challenge as
therapists is often to preserve, strengthen, or restore identity that has been
compromised by trauma.
G-d created humans with a capacity to speak, think, love, have moral
knowledge, and spirituality. Since G-ds creation is good, the body is viewed as
morally neutral, potentially good, and a source of pleasure. We should use our
332 Journal of Religion and Health

bodies fully in the service of living a life of holiness. Man and woman have
been given the resources and gifts with which to live. On the seventh day, G-d
rested, modeling for us the importance of rest and reflection, of pausing to
revive our energies and spirits, while appreciating G-ds blessings. As thera-
pists we can teach our patients the value of pausing. Therapy creates a
healing time and space where reflection can occur.
During the week we are important partners with G-d in finishing the work
of creation. Our helping profession is dedicated to tikkun olam, the repair of
the world. The purpose of human existence is to restore the wholeness of the
world. Saving a life, saving a soul, is the equivalent of saving the world.
Viewed in this way, ours is a profession of service filled with many blessings.
The story of Adam and Eve illustrates that man and woman have the free
will to choose. Choices imply that there are consequences from paths taken
and actions chosen. People can make their own decisions with head and heart,
own them, and change. This bespeaks a therapy of accountability, of choice,
and of commitment. And when things did not work out for Adam and Eve in
the Garden of Eden, they moved on and continued living.
Two other fundamental values inform my work. One is the concept of
shalom bayit or peace in the household. Perhaps this led to my being a
couples and family therapist, seeking to negotiate conflicts, improve commu-
nication and interpersonal relating in family life. The second is honor thy
father and mother. Judaism places an emphasis on community and multi-
generational continuity. This wisdom highlights a clinical strategy that works
nearly universally in disturbed families: that is, where there is appropriate
hierarchy and executive functioning, woven together by parental unity and
surrounded by respectful communication across generations, family life
works. The Bible does not preach democracy, only understanding with respect.
Perhaps our quintessential experience as Jews is the Exodus, commemo-
rated by Passover, the most widely observed holiday for secular and religious
Jews, which celebrates a justice seeking spirituality. (de V. Perry and Rol-
land, 1999). We went from slavery to freedom. Our identifying with our peo-
ples enslavement helps us to be sensitive to the experience of the
downtrodden and disenfranchised, and urges us to be concerned with issues of
poverty and social justice. The Passover idea that because you were slaves in
Egypt, you know the heart of the stranger, is repeated 36 times in the Torah .
Perhaps this is the idea we are most expected to adopt, a cause that is easy to
subscribe to but more difficult to practice.
The Exodus from Egypt symbolized a break from oppression to a liberation
that was earned through trials and tribulations. For years the people of Israel
wandered in the desert, faced great hardships, witnessed miracles, took risks,
received the Torah, and journeyed to a Promised land. These G-d sponsored
feats created a mentality of faith, hope, and courage. We can empathize with
the wandering, the searching, the despair, and the act of trusting in ourselves,
in a higher power, and in the future. It is a mentality of resilience. The Bible is
Israela Meyerstein 333

full of human suffering side by side with the enduring capacity to repair and
go on; the bitter and the sweet. This message defines Jewish purpose and
identity: do not recreate the narrowness of Egypt wherever you go; instead, do
justice, treat others fairly, respect the environment, honor the dead, give
charity, love your neighbor, teach your children, and care for the widow and
the orphan.

Judaisms views on mental illness. In the Bible, the Jews wandering in the
desert became impatient and despairing over Moses delayed return with the
10 Commandments, so they built a Golden Calf. Upon Moses descent from the
mountain, he witnessed his people worshipping the Golden Calf. Moses then
shattered the first set of the 10 Commandments. Even after another fresh
set of tablets was handed down, these broken tablets were carried along with
the new whole ones and later put in the Holy Ark. It is said that this was
meant to convey that G-d cares about a shattered world and accepts people
who are cracked and broken. It also suggests the importance of including all
parts and members of the community. Social network connection benefits
those feeling sick, afraid, and alone. We are expected to carry gently those
broken parts of our patients and ourselves. Perhaps that is why when we view
a person with a disability, Judaism instructs us not to recoil, but to say a
prayer (Dorff, 1998): Praised are you, Lord our G-d, meshaneh habriyot.
(who created us differently) (Harlow, 1985). There is actually a blessing when
we see a person created differently; it reminds us of the wonder and diversity
of G-ds creations. This prayer could be useful when one is struggling with a
difficult patient: say this blessing to yourself, and see if something shifts in-
side.
How does Judaism regard mental illness? The Hebrew work choleh (ill)
is related to the word for emptiness or hollowness. According to the Talmud
(Soncino Talmud, 1936), one who is depressed is said to have brittle bones, as
mind and body are connected. It has been said that soul loss, or the exis-
tential despair of meaninglessness (Frankl, 1965), is a source of physical and
mental illness. Meaninglessness . . . is the equivalent to illness, according to
Jung (Jaffe, 1965).
In the Bible (Encyclopedia Judaica, 1971) there are frequent references to
states of mental disturbance that we would label today, such as epilepsy,
phobias, and melancholy, but they were not then viewed as illness. Deu-
teronomy (28:28) identified madness as a punishment for disobedience.
According to the Bible, possession by spirits was punished by stoning to
death the afflicted one, although it is not clear how often that actually was
carried through (Leviticus 20:27). The ill person is described as a man or . . .
woman that divineth by a ghost or a familiar spirit.(Tanakh, 1985). In the
Book of Kings, King Saul experienced suicidal depression and homicidal
paranoia, and was probably the first patient treated by music therapy,
administered by David on his harp. There were also numerous instances of
334 Journal of Religion and Health

prophetic ecstasy. Hallucinations were often viewed as proof of divine con-

tact; the prophets seemed to express the deep emotions stirring within the
consciousness of the nation.
Historically, mental illness was generally not viewed as a moral flaw, and the
goal was to disenfranchise the person as little as possible, although the insane
were exempted from responsibilities and obligations under ritual and civil law
(Spero, 1980). The Talmud dealt with mental illness from a legal standpoint,
calling it shtut, or mentally incompetent (i.e. one who has lost the ability to
reason or make reality based judgments, or who has lost control). The Talmud
asks and answers: Who is deemed insane? He who goes out alone at night, who
sleeps in the cemetery, and tears his clothes. ..(Tosef. Ter. 1:3). Who is
deemed insane? One who destroys everything given to him (B. Hagigah 3b4a).
There was an awareness of psychosis in medieval times, and The Book of
Medicine refers to disturbed behaviors (Encyclopedia Judaica, 1971). Physi-
cians frequently encountered melancholia, mania, psychosis, anxiety states,
and psychosomatic conditions. Maimonides, who lived in the 12th century,
may have been the father of psychosomatic medicine, emphasizing the influ-
ence of emotions on the body, and viewing good physical health as a pre-
requisite for mental health. In Guide to the Perplexed, Maimonides stressed
the importance of balance for the spirit (Spero, 1980). Self-discipline and
mental calm were thought to aid the soul. Prevention was viewed as impor-
tant, and treatment equated with the mandate to save a life.
Maimonides urged the mentally ill to avail themselves of a physician of the
mind. (Code 1:2) and there has certainly been no shortage of Jews in psy-
chiatry, psychology, social work, and the helping professions. Maimonides also
understood the dilemma of an adult child caring for severely mentally ill
parents, and offered a way out, while still honoring father and mother, for the
child to find alternative caregivers.
Treatment is hinted at in Proverbs (11:22): Understanding is the well-
spring of life. The Talmud states that love eradicates pain (Nedarim 30a),
and a person cant heal himself, because a prisoner cant free himself from
prison. (Berakhot 56). In the 18th century mental illness was viewed as a sign
of possession by a dybbuk, and suggestive treatments were introduced by holy
men to exorcise the dybbuk and pacify the patients mind. The study of Kab-
balah provides a model for self improvement and perfection of the nefesh, or
soul through prayer and meditative meanings.

Common Jewish Symptom Presentations. Today, Jewish patients come with

a variety of symptoms (Encyclopedia Judaica, 1971). Prominent among them
are psychosis, neurosis, depression, manic-depression, melancholy, affective,
eating, and personality disorders, and substance abuse. Paranoia and neurosis
are more common in Jews than non-Jews, and in women more than men. Jews
have fewer alcohol and drug problems than non-Jews.
Israela Meyerstein 335

Emotional states characterized by heavy amounts of guilt are pointed to,

certainly by comedians, as being characteristically Jewish. The overbearing
mother, who is probably responsible for the survival of the Jewish family
unit, has paid dearly for her role in books such as Portnoys Complaint, and in
the following story about the Jewish man who went to see a psychiatrist and
says: Everyone I see reminds me of my mother. My wife, the newscaster, even
your secretary reminds me of my mother. Im obsessed. I go to sleep and I
dream about my mother. I wake up, cant get back to sleep, and I have to go
downstairs and have a glass of tea and a piece of toast. The psychiatrist says:
What? Just one piece of toast for a big boy like you?
Victor Frankl calls anxiety, including existential despair, the disease of
our time (Frankl, 1965). One manifestation of dread and anxiety is what I
call the kinainahorah syndrome, named after the folk custom that after a
compliment or good event, one should say kinainahorah, or against the
evil eye. The anxiety is: if things start to go well something terrible will
happen. This is the counterpart to if I experience joy, I should suffer and be
punished.
Perhaps anxiety is a Jewish disease that has echoes in our history: uncer-
tainty bred by wandering and homelessness, paranoia fueled by persecutions,
and today, dread and unpredictable terror of suicide bombers walking up to
children at bus stops and exploding themselves. Anxiety also manifests itself
in somatic and psychosomatic conditions, as well as in obsessive compulsive
behavior. At times strict religious practice operates to bind anxiety in a coping
sense. Because there is an overlap of psychological and cultural factors, it is
important to gain familiarity with religious customs so as not to over
pathologize foreign behaviors, nor to ignore ritualistic behaviors that are
overemotionally charged or taken to an extreme. The dilemma of deciphering
religious versus cultural versus pathological behavior recommends the notion
of a cultural consultant to help therapists gain familiarity with different
cultural practices (Waldegrave, 1990). Certain strict religious practices, such
as tearing toilet paper ahead of the Sabbath or strict rules about covering
oneself for modesty may be religious practices requiring sensitivity on the part
of the clinician.
Often asking the question, why now? in understanding symptomatic
behavior is most revealing. It is useful to know that Jewish holidays can be
important triggers for illness events. Because holidays are so family oriented,
they may evoke fantasies of what could be, but no longer is, or actually never
was. Mourning days such as Yom Kippur and the lesser known Tisha BAv,
which occurs during the summer, can trigger reactions. A chaplain colleague
relates the story of a young hospitalized woman she met, who sat on the floor
of her hospital room, wearing sackcloth and ashes on her forehead, reciting
some foreign lamentations by candlelight in faithful observance of the
destruction of the Temple. Staff who did not know these were actual ritual
practices took recourse to pathologizing descriptions, and tried to prevent and
336 Journal of Religion and Health

interrupt her practice. Perhaps there would have been a better way to join
with this patient.
My impression is that as family units, Jewish families tend to have child
behavior problems revolving around too much sensitivity and catering, out of a
desire for the child to be happy and express him or herself fully. Inadequate
limit setting and hierarchy often result in entitlement in the child. Parents
may be overly responsive and protective, enabling inappropriate behavior and
tantrums, inadvertently increasing fears, and anxiety bred by too much power
in a child. The upwardly mobile focus on academic achievement and hurrying
the child add extra tensions to family life. Benign neglect, sometimes known to
foster independence and initiative, is not a strategy that sits well with Jewish
parents. Elements of enmeshment, overprotection, triangulation, and conflict
avoidance, identified by Salvador Minuchin in psychosomatic families may
also be present (Minuchin et al., 1978). On the other end of the spectrum are
situations where mental illness and inadequate parenting created neglect and
abuse, with children carrying trauma into adulthood.
Mental illness carries stigma and shame perhaps more so in the tightly
woven Jewish community because of a concern over appearances (the way
we would like to be see versus the way we are). The stigma is further
complicated in the case of shidduchin, or arranged marriages, quite com-
mon in the very Orthodox community. Mental illness or developmental dis-
ability in a relative could be a hindrance to making a match. Suicides are
often hidden for the same reason, creating a secrecy that adds to the trauma
and isolation of the family. When suicide is due to depression or mental
illness, there are no proscribed negative consequences, such as burial outside
a Jewish cemetery.
Over time the idea of seeking psychological counseling is becoming more
acceptable. There is less stigma and an attempt to be more inclusive of persons
of difference, which was the original intent of the blessing cited. Jews are
certainly both major consumers and providers of mental health treatment. I
think it is important to take a broader cultural perspective when under-
standing mental illness in Jews in the 20 and 21st centuries. The Holocaust
was a major unprecedented trauma that became the central event in many
peoples lives and led to personality alterations, delayed symptoms, and syn-
dromes of depression, worry, fear, guilt, overprotection, not only in survivors
of the camps, but in their relatives, children and their families. It is important
for clinicians to ask questions about family background, migration patterns,
religious and cultural experiences. I was completely amazed one day in talking
with an 8-year-old girl who showed fears and separation anxiety, that her
main worry was how much her mother missed her grandfather (mothers
father). The grandfather, who had died several years before, and who had
suffered in the Holocaust, had been the pillar of the family.
While a cited study showed a high percentage of elderly Jewish survivors
suffering from anxiety, loneliness, inability to concentrate, depression,
Israela Meyerstein 337

insomnia, and psychosis related to long term remembering, the majority of

survivors were not crippled by severe psychopathology, but rather went on the
rejuvenate families and live productive lives (Marcus and Rosenberg, 1989).
The dilemma of handling survivor guilt and embracing life is beautifully
illustrated in the movie, Left Luggage, about the variety of paths taken in
handling grief after the Holocaust. In one family a young woman watches her
obsessed father dig up sections of town in search of left luggage he buried
before the war. At the same time, her mother bakes cakes and wont talk about
the past, while secretly and helplessly aching for her husbands pain. In
another family, the strictly Orthodox father is unable to show love to his young
son who resembles fathers youngest brother. The Nazis hung fathers youn-
gest brother and fathers father before his eyes in a concentration camp.
Or the case of Mark, age 38, who became suddenly seriously depressed.
Despite being happily married, employed, and the father of two children,
Mark progressed swiftly into despair, feeling nothing is enough. After
entering a hospital for treatment, it unfolded that Marks mother was 38 when
deported to Auschwitz. Nothing could ever make up for his mothers suffering,
and a flood of grief and mourning was begging to be let out. Fortunately, Mark
was seen by a spiritually sensitive therapist who recognized the need for
grieving and meaning, and was familiar with certain rituals of Jewish reli-
gion. Together with the therapist, Mark created a confession (Vidui), a
memorial prayer, and lit a Yardzheit (memorial) candle. Mark helped heal his
sadness through rituals such as planting a tree in Israel for his children and
being called up to the Torah in the synagogue with his family. Mark was able
to make meaning out of his suffering and mobilize spiritual resources. He was
able to do what Victor Frankl, a survivor of Auschwitz and author of Mans
Search for Meaning, suggested as a key to survival through great adversity:
Every person needs to have a task or song that is his/her own, so that he can
keep his dignity with a sense of hope and can transcend even the most des-
perate circumstances.

Using spiritual resources in treatment. The use of spiritual resources in

therapy is a growing arena, and the matter of clinical integration: deciding
whether, how, and when to include spirituality is a whole subject of its own.
The inclusion of spiritual problem as a V code in the DSMIV is a step forward,
although unfortunately, not a reimbursable one. It is important to be aware of
the religious level and practices of patients and families. For example, when I
work with Orthodox Jewish couples who have rather traditional relationships,
reinforced by a patriarchal system with highly defined roles, I must temper my
feminist leanings out of respect for the system the couple has embraced, and try
to orchestrate change from within their framework.
Working with religious values can sometimes be a minefield, and the
disparate values can reflect underlying structural dysfunction. Recently, a
newly born again Christian woman selected me as a therapist because of
338 Journal of Religion and Health

my Hebrew name, thinking I would reinforce her strict religious values with
her oppositional rebellious adolescent daughter (who was receiving encour-
agement from her secular Jewish husband). Mothers dive into religion
coincided with covert sexual tensions within the marriage and her daughters
entering adolescence. Treatment at first required respecting her values while
not being co-opted to side with her and alienate both her husband and her
daughters, so that a relationship could be built with each member. Individual
sessions with each daughter helped them see me more multi-dimensionally,
and not just as mothers agent. After gaining mothers confidence, I was able
to challenge the ineffectiveness of her methods, as well as make overt her
husbands undermining. As treatment unfolded, severe issues of marital
strain and strong sexual differences emerged, which would not have been
accessible unless the trust had been won with both religious and secular
members of the family.
Through my involvement in the Baltimore Jewish Healing Network, I co-
facilitate spiritual study/discussion groups for patients and families dealing
with medical illness (Meyerstein, 2002). There I have learned to use specific
traditional spiritual tools, such as prayers, psalm clips, texts, rituals, and
music as resources for coping. They are most readily usable with Jewish pa-
tients who have a spiritual openness or religious commitment, but many are
universal, transferable or have analogs in other religious traditions as well.
I have used these spiritual coping tools in psychotherapy as well. For in-
stance, a traditional Jewish Orthodox woman I was working with despaired
about how to deal with her husband who would repeatedly provoke her by
figuratively pulling the rug out from under her. At these times she felt stuck,
enraged, and paralyzed as to how to respond. She had learned to temper her
diffuse explosiveness, which only escalated tensions and let her husband off
the hook, because he could then focus on her over reactivity. She wanted to
develop some more thoughtful and strategic ways of responding, but felt
blocked. I asked if she would be open to a psalm that might aid her and she
eagerly nodded. I shared with her a tune: Min Hamaytzar Karati Ya, Anani
Bamerchavya. (Out of my narrowness, G-d, please answer me with expan-
siveness. (Psalm 18). She was able to hum this tune to herself the next time
she felt stymied, and reported that it gave her distance and an opportunity to
think things through and find new options. Therapists, too, might find this
psalm useful when feeling stuck with a challenging patient.
And what about us as healers? The image of the wounded healer is Jacob,
who received a blessing after wrestling with and being injured by an angel. We
all need to use our woundedness in the service of connecting more deeply
with our patients and collaboratively working on healing. This is how Rachel
Naomi Remen defines our profession: not one of fixing or curing, but healing
through being with and serving a life that is holy (Remen, 2000). Being a
blessing means helping others feel more whole. For me healing involves cre-
ating a holding environment, slowing things down a bit (like a glimmer of
Israela Meyerstein 339

Shabbat), helping clients inhibit over reactivity, challenging the certainty of

counterproductive beliefs, helping them face developmental imperatives,
shape new actions, find new meanings, and shift the locus of control back to
the patient (Meyerstein, 1994).
In ancient Greece, therape was treatment of the whole person and was
seen as a sacred task. Do we approach our work with a notion of holiness? Are
there moments of awe, wonder, and radical amazement in our work? Are our
personal values coherent with our professional values? What is our self image
as healers? If G-d is the source of healing, what kind of vessel are we? Do we
pray for patients? Do we pray for ourselves as healers? How do we face des-
pair, do all that we can, and then let go? How do we help our patients preserve
their unique sparks in face of the challenge of illness?
I would like to share a personal prayer that I wrote for times when I face
difficult patient situations, when I want strengthening, and when I need to
remember my limits and my place.

A healers prayer

Dear G-d, Source of light and healing, thank you for entrusting me with the
task of promoting healing. Help me to open my heart with compassion. Grant
me vision and wisdom to guide my patients as they struggle with dilemmas in
their lives. Give me strength to challenge my patients to take new steps of
growth.
Please protect me with your healing love so that I remain healthy in face of
the pain and suffering to which I am exposed. Help me to share and then
release burdens and responsibilities which are not mine as I serve as a witness
to your healing power.
I would like to conclude with a psalm, adapted by Stephen Mitchell (1993)
that calls upon us now to strengthen our commitment to our work and growth
in this sacred profession.

PSALM 90

Teach us how short our time is;

Let us know it in the depths of our souls.
Show us that all things are transient,
As insubstantial as dreams,
And that after heaven and earth
Have vanished, there is only you.
Fill us in the morning with your wisdom;
Shine through us all our lives.
340 Journal of Religion and Health

Let our hearts soon grow transparent

In the radiance of your love.
Show us how precious each day is;
Teach us to be fully here.
And let the work of our hands
Prosper, for our little while.

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