“So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” James 2:17
“Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.” James 2:26
I oftentimes will see a client with a deep desire to rid themselves of the crippling affects of anxiety, trauma, or depression. They come to me saying they’ve tried all the things, and yet relief remains elusive. I’m their last chance at getting back to that previous version of themselves, that self before mental illness took hold of them.
I ask this client, “Where do you put your faith? What do you believe will finally cure this depression?”
“Well, therapy. You,” the client says. “That’s why I’m here.”
Anxiety and depression sometimes become habits for our nervous system. Our bodies remember the feelings, and we either try to avoid it or make it go away, which enforces the loop, that we should be afraid of whatever the stimuli is. By trying to change these feelings, our bodies begin to perceive them as threats. At a certain point, this will begin to cause havoc to our nervous system, either through symptoms like panic, dizziness, derealization, or depressive symptoms like apathy, low energy, fatigue, and loss of appetite. At this point, you’ll most likely start looking for a “cure” for these symptoms, whether that’s talk therapy, EMDR, medication management, hypnotherapy, the Bible, self help podcasts, or checking in with your primary care doctor frequently. But what really creates lasting change?
Honestly, whatever you believe will create that change.
Let me show you.
If you ask some people, medication changed their life. Others, medication caused more problems than they had prior to trying it.
If you ask others, therapy saved their life. And still, for some, therapy did nothing but lose them money.
For some, Jesus became the solution that totally changed their day to day. And yet… for others, life remained the same before and after.
For some, EMDR was a miracle that changed their relationship to their trauma. And for others, EMDR did absolutely nothing.
Why do some things work for some people, but not for others?
Faith. What you put your faith in, there you will find relief. And it makes sense.
If you think about it, if anxiety and depression can become habits, so do our ways of thinking or categorizing events that happen to us. If you’re in the habit of tensing up before every work day, keeping things private, or putting an immense amount of pressure on yourself, then it makes sense that the byproduct of that is crippling anxiety and perfectionism. And if you decided that medication was going to be your saving grace, then it most likely would. Why? Because your system, and your thinking brain, see medication as the disruptor, the solution. If, on the other hand, you believe medication is just a bandaid and not a real solution for the root of your problem, you probably won’t notice the life-changing effects others boast about. That’s not to say that all mental health problems are the result of the placebo effect, but the brain is powerful. The brain WANTS to get better, that’s neuroplasticity. We are capable to rewiring the brain, it just takes time, effort, and choice.
I believe in miracles, I believe in science, I believe in medication. But I also know that not everything works for every person. Try out different things, but see what fits with your core beliefs about change.
For me, I fundamentally believe that change happens when you intentionally challenge negative core beliefs, build a better understanding of yourself and why your system is acting up, and then do exposures to our perceived threats or dangers to slowly build a new way of processing those threats. I believe in the power of prayer, journaling, and putting thoughts on trial. But in order for someone to start doing this kind of work, there needs to be a solid belief that change is possible. If someone only believed that medication was the way to change, I think they would have a hard time coming to talk therapy and seeing results. Their system would be saying how much a waste of time this is and just waiting to book that psych appointment, in the background of all our sessions.
Without proper faith in something to work, the work is dead. It won’t bring real results. No fruit will be produced. The mind is so powerful– what you believe, becomes. Find something that fits in with your belief, and I truly think then you’ll find the change you’re after.
That’s what’s so cool about the Bible. It always backs what science says. Faith without a change of behavior or “works”, yields nothing. Is it even real faith? If you have faith that Jesus is Lord, there will probably be some kind of behavior shift- maybe instead of putting your faith in yourself or your own ability, you start to put your trust in the Lord. Your faith will produce change. So what do you put your faith in?
