THIS is an interesting book for readers of the Church Times to consider, as the author describes himself as an agnostic atheist. Infinitely preferable to certainty, this allows Jeremy Holmes (no relation) to consider the idea of spirituality as a dimension in the psychotherapeutic consulting room. There are many who would indicate that they are “spiritual but not religious” (SBNR is a thing, it seems). Endorsed by various colleagues, notably Dr Gwen Adshead, our recent Reith Lecturer, this is a welcome addition to the rather meagre amount of literature encouraging practising psychotherapists to consider the place of spirituality in the consulting room.
Holmes argues that “psychoanalytic psychotherapy can make a vital contribution to a healthy and emerging twenty-first century culture, as well as being a necessary foil to the hegemony of commodified, short-term, solutionist therapies that are the prevailing psychotherapeutic genre”. So far, so very welcome. The introductory chapters favour his belief in the ethos of psychotherapy as one of secular spirituality owing to our world’s being one of radical uncertainty (author’s italics). He cites neuroscience and Friston’s idea of minimising free energy or restricting informational energy. Our brains compare and correlate our working models of the world “top-down” with incoming information, as derived “bottom-up” from our senses.
The early chapters are not a particularly easy read and have put off one or two of my colleagues. I encourage them to persist. Holmes identifies the problem of defining spirituality in Chapter Three before devoting two thoughtful chapters on the place of psychotherapy in contemporary culture, and spirituality as therapy, respectively. Further chapters embrace Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Tolstoy’s War and Peace as allies in his discussion of secular spirituality and the importance of embracing uncertainty. Winnicott’s thinking about transitionality and Bowlby’s attachment theory give psychotherapeutic weight to his argument.
There are occasional false dichotomies: faith is equated with certainty, and religion and psychotherapy each “form part of the cultural repertoire our species has devised to facilitate and enhance . . . mind-healing processes”. Holmes seems not to have explored the apophatic way of the mystics or considered the importance of doubt in espousing a religious faith. He risks reducing God to an attachment figure, part of our secure base. While eschewing the fundamentalist certainty of a Dawkins-like atheism, Holmes could learn from the paradox of living a religious rule of life while remaining open to the absence of certainty in a fixed view of God.
What I welcome about this reflection on spirituality is a recognition of the mystery of certain therapeutic encounters. There are times when one is in awe of the depth of the encounter, both with individuals in the consulting room and — a dimension omitted by Holmes — during some experiences in groups.
In conclusion, this is a worthy addition to the psychotherapeutic canon and should be read by all practitioners, especially those inclined to dismiss religious faith as a defence against confronting mental pain.
The Revd Dr Anne C. Holmes, a former NHS mental-health chaplain, works as a psychotherapist and SSM in the diocese of Oxford.
The Spirit of Psychotherapy: A hidden dimension
Jeremy Holmes
Karnac Books £19.99
(978-1-913494-80-3)
Church Times Bookshop £17.99
