Religion, Psychotherapy and Making Suffering Sufferable

1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-28959-3
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 120 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

Religion, Psychotherapy and Making Suffering Sufferable explores one of humanity's most profound questions: how do we cope with undeserved suffering? Drawing from the biblical story of Job, this groundbreaking work examines how individuals from diverse religious traditions navigate life's most devastating losses.

Through the lens of Job's existential odyssey of "having a world, losing a world, and replacing a world," Paul Marcus presents a comprehensive analysis of how people from eight major spiritual traditions—Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, and Taoism—utilize their religious resources to make suffering sufferable. The book introduces the concept of "creative suffering," characterized by steadfastness, patience and humility, which allows individuals to maintain faith and reconstruct meaning after traumatic experiences. Marcus combines rigorous analysis of key religious texts with clinical insights drawn from his extensive experience as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. The work addresses not only those who maintain their faith through extreme circumstances but also those who struggle with guilt, shame, anger, and hopelessness when their beliefs are challenged by life's tragedies.

This book will be of significant interest to academics and scholars in psychoanalytic studies, spirituality, religious studies, and trauma and resiliency research. Mental health professionals, religious counselors, and anyone seeking to understand how faith intersects with psychological healing will find valuable insights for both theoretical understanding and practical application.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate, Professional Practice & Development, and Professional Reference

Autoren/Hrsg.

Marcus, Paul

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Psychologie / Allgemeines & Theorie Psychologische Theorie, Psychoanalyse Psychoanalyse (S. Freud)
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Bibelwissenschaften Altes Testament: Exegese, Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Religion and Psychotherapy  2. Judaism: A Toxic Marriage 3. Christianity: A Wife Who Died 4. Islam: A Son Who Died 5. Hinduism: A Dysfunctional Intimate Relationship 6. Buddhism: Grappling With Depression 7. Jainism: Being Fired from a Job  8. Confucianism: A Wife Who Says She Now is a Lesbian  9. Taoism. A Wife with Breast Cancer 10. Implications for Psychotherapy 11. Addendum, the “Faith” of Atheism: A Man Dying of Lung Cancer

Über Autor(innen)

Paul Marcus is a training and supervisory analyst at the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis in New York City. He holds the position of Co-Chair of the discussion group Psychoanalysis and Spirituality at the American Psychoanalytic Association and is the Editor of the Psychoanalytic Review.