Psychotherapy vs inner healing
What is the difference between “inner healing” and professional counseling? I’ve had this question raised exclusively by Christians, so I will answer under the assumption that this is for someone seeking a type of deliverance or internal soul healing that is rooted in the truth of Jesus. Three of the most popular ministries known for this type of work are Freedom in Christ (Neil Anderson), Bethel Sozo (Dawna De Silva) and Theophostic–now Transformational Prayer Ministry (Dr. Ed Smith). I have received training in and/or personal experience of all three.
If we look at the life of Jesus, we see that he ministered to individuals holistically–forgiving sins, healing physical conditions, speaking truth and dealing with shame or other heart issues. Similarly, Jesus’ modern-day disciples can follow his example, whether in the role of a professional therapist, ordained minister or fellow believer. In highlighting distinctions between inner healing and clinical counseling, please note that I am not talking about pastoral counseling, which normally occurs between parishioners and professional clergy within the long-term relational context of a church community.
In psychotherapy, we may seek inner healing, but the means are different from those used in a Christian ministry. In most ministries focused on inner healing, a lay (non-professional) counselor or minister facilitates an encounter with God. The leader might guide a person to connect with God, identifying barriers formed through life experiences, abuse or wounds that have led them to perceive that God was absent or not good. Through confession, forgiveness, casting out demons, breaking vows, renouncing lies and receiving healing, transformation can occur.
This kind of transformation can also happen in psychotherapy, but one primary difference between inner healing and therapy is the therapeutic alliance—the relationship between the therapist and the client which serves as the vessel facilitating healing. Rather than a one-time meeting between strangers, clinical counseling engenders change and renewal in a person's life as trust between counselor and client (or doctor and patient) is built over time. Since people are wounded relationally, the healing process may need to be experienced relationally. Within the safe confines of confidentiality and comprehensive history-taking, the therapeutic relationship can be an embryonic example of the grace, care and secure attachment a client hopes to experience more fully with the people in their life outside the counseling office.
Another difference between inner healing and licensed professional counseling has to do with training, credentialing and vetting. To practice psychotherapy, a person must go through thousands of hours of accredited coursework and supervised clinical experience to become a licensed clinician (i.e., Psychologist, Clinical Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor or Mental Health Counselor). They must adhere to established ethical codes and continue to develop throughout their career through approved continuing education, facing severe penalties if they fail to adhere to certain standards. Though this rigorous process doesn’t entirely eliminate the possibility of ineffective or harmful counseling tactics, it establishes many gatekeeping processes to greatly reduce risk to the consumer.
Inner healing, on the other hand, is a broad, unregulated term. So the challenge for someone seeking inner healing is in vetting a particular ministry, as well as the maturity, character and capability of a particular volunteer serving in that ministry. If there isn’t standardized training, methodology and accountability, there can be great variability in terms of the experience a recipient could get.
In feedback I’ve heard from recipients of inner healing or deliverance ministry, some report it being powerfully life-changing, others found it somewhat helpful, and some experienced the practitioner as missing the mark or the experience even being harmful. To be fair, I’ve heard similar accounts of people’s good, neutral and bad past experiences of counseling, though with less variability. In inner healing ministry, well-intentioned leaders sometimes have a narrow focus on what they believe the answer is, confidently prescribing a solution (e.g., “You just need to forgive your father” or “The root of your pain is an angry spirit”) without engaging in enough story work to understand the broader context.
A therapist, by contrast, spends a great deal of time understanding a client’s story—being curious, patient, and intentional in placing the problem within the full narrative of their life. Accurate diagnosis and case conceptualization are needed before moving into a treatment plan. As experienced practitioners, mental health professionals perform biopsychosocial assessments and know what to look for based on extensive studies and previous sessions. When we identify something significant, we can efficiently guide the client to the root of the issue using techniques that have worked in similar cases in the past. Mental health professionals are also aware of their limitations and are ethically-bound to refer when a case is beyond their level of expertise. A volunteer inner healing practitioner, however, might unwittingly retraumatize a participant who has tapped into a traumatic memory and is dissociating or abreacting without the necessary support of a professional who is equipped for this.
In conclusion, I think we too often compartmentalize healing—assigning spiritual needs to the church and psychological needs to the therapist—when, in reality, humans are integrated beings. Whether mental, emotional and spiritual wounds are healed through a ministry or clinical setting, people benefit and God gets the glory. As a Spirit-filled, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I pray and prepare to be as competent as possible—with strong interventions, sound knowledge, and a heart ready to serve—while humbly recognizing that God can do far more than I can think or imagine. Whether as mental health professionals or lay ministers, we should be joining Jesus in fulfilling the prophetic call of Isaiah: “to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives…to comfort all who mourn,” and bestow on them “a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
Scott Abbott, LMHC
