While working in a clinical setting with a severe diagnostic population, Dr. Eva Klostreich was able to incorporate client Christianity into treatment. “Having been raised watching people’s lives transformed by the power of God, it was the natural course of events,” says the author. Psychologists would ask, “Why are your clients getting better? What are you doing that we are not doing?” Dr. Klostreich reveals the answers to these questions and more in a stunningly thought-provoking book, The Theory of Christian Psychology .
According to Christian Research, the Christian population now makes up one-third of the world’s population. This has given birth to a need for psychotherapy that reflects Christians’ spiritual beliefs. Studies show that the dominant form of training currently used in Psychology is Transpersonal Psychology, which is drawn from a pantheistic base. Pantheism and the singular God of Christianity are antithetical. In an effort to meet the psychotherapeutic demands of one of the world’s largest religion, some practitioners use “Christian Psychotherapy” and “Christian Counseling” by attempting to superimpose the Christian belief system upon Transpersonal Psychology training. But since these two hold opposing philosophies, both the treatment for the client and the mental health of the practitioner are compromised. There is still a need to bring the two together without sacrificing one or the other.
The Theory of Christian Psychology comes from the worldview that sees humanity as the object of a love relationship with Jesus Christ. As Buddhists, Hindus and New Age Practitioners draw from a Transpersonal psychology base coherent with their beliefs, this book presents a theoretical psychology base for Christians coherent with Christian beliefs which is flexible in foundation, addresses personality with full humanity dimension and integrates principles of clinical psychology found in Psychoanalytic Psychodynamic Psychology. Thoroughly Biblical and non-denominational, it focuses on key precepts that bind Christianity together. The Theory of Christian Psychology bridges clinical psychology and theology in an intersection of power accessibility. According to Dr. Klostreich, sound psychological principles are inherent throughout the Bible. There is no dichotomy necessary.