Maybe Therapy Is the Reason You’re Still in Bondage
Updated: Oct 6
Randomly, I’m lying in my bed, not feeling the best, coughing and sneezing, when something drops into my spirit: Write about therapy. LOL.
So here I am, writing this between coughs and sneezes. Maybe this is an urgent word for somebody…
Let’s get into it.
Therapy is an interesting topic because I’m seeing more and more Christians embrace it—which, by itself, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The problem is that sometimes we are doing therapy exactly the way the world does it, then simply putting the word Christian in front of it.
And that should concern us.
The Bible has a lot to say about the mind, anxiety, fear, worry, trauma, grief, forgiveness, bitterness, relationships, thought patterns, peace, wisdom, and counsel. God clearly cares about our emotional and mental well-being. Scripture doesn’t only cover our spiritual health; it also speaks to the mind, emotions, and body.
Scripture tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). It tells us to take thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). Philippians 4:6–8 gives us a strategy for anxiety and even tells us what to set our minds on. Proverbs repeatedly speaks about the importance of wise counsel.
So seeking counsel isn’t the problem.
The question is: What is the counsel rooted in?
We are body, soul, and spirit. Our soul includes our mind, will, and emotions, and sometimes healing touches multiple areas of our lives. But if we are spiritual beings and completely remove the spiritual dimension from healing, we can end up treating symptoms while completely missing the root.
My Experience With Therapy
My own experience with therapy exposed two dimensions I believe we need to understand.
A few years ago, I went to therapy.
I had never really been someone who felt like I needed therapy, but because of the sensitivity of what I was dealing with at the time, I decided to go.
Looking back now, I realize something: I didn’t primarily need therapy. I needed spiritual maturity.
First Dimension: What Is the Counsel Rooted In?
My therapist identified as Christian, but when she presented her approach, everything centered around her professional training, credentials, and therapeutic methods. Her faith seemed completely separate from her profession.
At the time, I didn’t recognize that as a red flag.
Today, I would.
Because if you are a Christian therapist, your faith cannot simply be something you practice on Sunday while your profession operates from an entirely different worldview and ideology.
That doesn’t mean every sentence has to begin with, “The Bible says…”
You don’t have to quote Matthew 6:33 every five minutes to give biblical counsel.
But the foundation of your counsel should agree with God’s Word.
Let me paint a picture.
I’m a recruiter, and yes, my professional experience matters. My knowledge matters. My skills matters. But I’ve also had moments at work where I genuinely didn’t know what to do next—and I had to stop and ask the Holy Spirit for help.
My expertise doesn’t eliminate my need for God. I still need the Holy Spirit to help me do what I’ve been professionally trained to do.
So when I encounter a faith-believing professional who believes God must be completely separated from their profession, something feels off.
God should be the bedrock—not an accessory.
Here’s another example from this same therapist. And before I tell this story, please understand—I do not think she was a bad person. I genuinely believe she had good intentions and wanted to help.
But that’s exactly the point: good intentions don’t automatically make advice biblical.
She gave me and someone advice that was rooted more in the wisdom and systems of this world than in the wisdom of God & even made the situation WORSE….
Good heart. Good intentions. Wrong foundation. 😭😂
Now, let me tell you what happened…
The therapist was trying to give us tools to navigate conflict, and one of those tools was that it was okay to go DAYS without speaking to each other so we could calm down and process.
Now, there was some truth in that advice—but there was also a BIG “but.” 😂
Yes, people need time to process. Sometimes you need to step away before you say something out of anger that you’ll regret.
But processing should not become prolonged silence into days.
Scripture tells us to be “slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19), but Scripture also pushes us toward forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace quickly. Paul says, “Do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26). This verse gives us a timeline. There’s an urgency there—don’t allow anger to sit, grow, and create unnecessary distance.
So yes, take time to process. Calm down before you speak. But don’t allow “I need space” to become days of unresolved anger and silence.
And guys, remember—the therapist was a Christian. 🙃 That’s what made this such an important lesson for me.
Looking back, that particular advice subtly encouraged distance when what we really needed were tools that helped us process without disconnecting, communicate without exploding, forgive without keeping score.
Second Dimension: Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Just Emotional or Mental
This is another area where I believe Christian therapy has to be different.
Sometimes what a person is experiencing is emotional.
Sometimes it’s psychological.
Sometimes there are physical factors involved.
And sometimes there is a spiritual issue underneath everything else.
We need wisdom to know the difference.
In my situation, I eventually realized there was a gap in my knowledge of God. I needed to mature spiritually. I needed deeper revelation of His character, His Word, and my identity in Him.
No amount of therapy could substitute for that growth.
I could have sat in therapy week after week analyzing my emotions, triggers, and experiences—and some of those conversations may have been useful—but they could never replace what I actually needed: To know God more deeply.
And this is where therapy can become dangerous for believers when it operates outside biblical truth.
You can spend years learning how to explain your bondage without ever becoming free from it.
You can learn the vocabulary for every wound and still never allow God to heal it.
You can understand exactly why you behave the way you do while continuing to behave that way.
Awareness is valuable. But awareness is not the same thing as transformation.
Check the Counsel
What saddens me is seeing believers receive advice in therapy that directly contradicts Scripture—and sometimes they don’t even recognize it.
Why?
Because if we don’t know the Word of God, what are we measuring the counsel against?
This is something I think Christians need to understand: No psychological framework is completely neutral.
Every psychological framework carries assumptions about human behavior, identity, morality, relationships, healing, sexuality, forgiveness, the purpose of life, and what ultimately makes a person whole.
And those ideas have foundations.
Some have been shaped by secular philosophies. Some draw from ideologies that do not recognize God’s word and principles at all. Some therapeutic ideas and practices have been influenced by alternative spiritual beliefs, Eastern religions, or other worldviews that directly contradict Scripture.
Something can sound therapeutic, compassionate, progressive, and even wise—and still lead you away from biblical truth.
As Christians, we cannot blindly accept every piece of advice simply because the person giving it has letters behind their name.
Professional credentials deserve respect.
But credentials do not outrank God’s Word and principles.
And let me be clear: I am not saying therapy is bad.
What I am saying is that Christians must discern the counsel we receive.
A therapist can help you identify patterns, process experiences, and develop tools. But therapy should never replace the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, prayer, and spiritual maturity.
Because sometimes what we call a mental battle has a spiritual root.
Sometimes “protecting our peace” is unforgiveness.
Sometimes “setting boundaries” becomes an excuse to avoid biblical reconciliation.
Sometimes “being true to ourselves” conflicts with what Christ is asking us to surrender.
And sometimes we become so skilled at explaining our bondage that we forget Jesus came to make us free.
You can know every trigger, attachment style, childhood wound, and reason you respond the way you do—and still be bound.
Understanding where the chains came from is not the same as breaking them.
I believe we are going to see more truly faith-based therapists rise in the marketplace—professionally trained, wise, compassionate, and skilled, yet unwilling to separate their faith from their profession.
Therapists who understand psychology without making psychology their god.
Therapists who don’t just help people cope, but point them toward truth.
Therapists who know when someone needs practical tools—and when someone simply needs to go deeper with God.
Therapists who understand the mind while still making room for the Holy Spirit.
Because God is interested in the whole person: our minds, emotions, bodies, and spirit.
He desires His people to walk in truth, wholeness, and freedom.
Don’t let therapy hinder your growth with God because you would rather keep analyzing and talking about an issue than go deeper with Him.
There are things you cannot talk your way into. At some point, you have to take what you are wrestling with before God, search His Word, allow Him to expose what is underneath it, and let His truth do the deeper work.
I’ll close by saying this …
Therapy may give you language for your pain.
But language alone cannot set you free.
Only the power of truth—God’s Word—can make you free.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” — John 8:32
🎶 Music Time
Kaestrings - Rahama 🙏🏽
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