The Christian Psychologist: Mental Health for 21st Century Christ Followers

Episode 37: Doing Versus Being

Episode Summary

In this 37th episode, Dr. Knabb tackles an incredibly important topic within the Christian life: doing versus being. Specifically, he explores the secular psychology literature, discussing how to shift from the "doing" mode of the mind to the "being" mode of the mind when responding to unpleasant inner experiences. He also compares and contrasts this understanding with action and contemplation in Christianity, turning to the story of Martha and Mary in Luke's gospel. To conclude, he offers a short contemplative practice, anchored to the Christian faith tradition, to practice shifting from "doing" to "being" in God's presence.

Episode Notes

References

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Frenette, D. (2012). The path of centering prayer: Deepening your experience of God. Sounds True, Inc.

Green, J. (1997). The gospel of Luke. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living. Bantam Dell.

Knabb, J. (2016). Faith-based ACT for Christian clients: An integrative treatment approach. Routledge.

Knabb, J. (2018). The compassion-based workbook for Christian clients: Finding freedom from shame and negative self-judgments. Routledge.

Knabb, J. (2021). Christian meditation in clinical practice: A four-step model and workbook for therapists and clients. InterVarsity Press.

Knight, J. (1998). Luke’s gospel. Routledge.

Lee, S. H., & Cho, S. J. (2021). Cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depressive disorders. In Y. Kim (Ed.), Major depressive disorder: Rethinking and understanding recent discoveries (pp. 295-310). Springer.

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Williams, J. M. G. (2008). Mindfulness, depression and modes of mind. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 32, 721-733.