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In Finding God in the Psalms,Tom Wright de- �onal regula�on, stress reduc�on and trauma
scribes the paradoxical nature of the Psalms in recovery by providing a structured language to
this way: This is the place of intense pain and express and process difficult emo�ons, such as
intense joy, the sort that perhaps only music grief, anger and despair. All of which are basic
and poetry can express and embody’. In his emo�ons for people in pain. The Psalms offer a
book Le�ers to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria framework for connec�ng with a spiritual
Rilke encapsulates something of the spirit of source, fostering hope and iden�ty with oth-
paradoxical discovery when he writes, “Be pa- ers’ struggles, serving as a “spiritual reservoir”
�ent toward all that is unsolved in your heart during hardship and a tool for mental and emo-
and try to love the ques�ons themselves.” �onal healing. This prac�ce involves reading,
reflec�ng on, and discussing psalms, poten-
Journey of the Psalms �ally in therapy or personal devo�on, which
We should be aware that the Psalms are not can deepen a person’s rela�onship with God
sta�onary. They are mobile and head in a psy- and lead to increased self-awareness and inner
chological direc�on, as Brueggemann points peace’. I am going to do more work on the
out in his classifica�on of Psalms. He sees three Psalms and see how they can be used in the
psalm classifica�ons that take us on a psycho- treatment of chronic pain related to PMR, GCA
logical, emo�onal and spiritual journey. These and Fibromyalgia. If you are already working on
are: this or would like to inves�gate it further, I
would love to be in contact.
• The Psalms of Orienta�on. All is well with
my life. aandvpalmer@gmail.com
• The Psalms of Disorienta�on. All is not well Conclusion
with my life, The mystery of pain has not been solved in this
• ThePsalmsofReorienta�on.Ihavejourneyed paper. However, we have been able to explore
through the ‘dark night of the soul’ and pain from a variety of perspec�ves, and to ac-
have emerged into a new way of looking knowledge its mul�focal impact on sufferers’
at life, a new way of living. 30 lives. It now falls to us who prac�ce psychology
to con�nue this inves�ga�on into new ways to
give hope to those in pain. To offer in the clos-
Josh Moody in his book, Journey into Joy writes ing words of The Salt Path, “Life shaped by
that ‘the Psalms were wri�en to help us put our hope.” 32
feelings in the right place’. To reorientate and
to recalibrate us. The Psalms, according to
Moody give us what someone has called
“Psalmnotherapy”. References
Allender, Dan B and Longmann III, Tremper. The Cry of the Soul
(Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2015)
The Psalms in our Prac�ce Bullmore, Edward. The Divided Mind (London: New River
Obviously, a lot more work needs to be done Books, 2025)
before we can begin to use the Psalms as part Emerson, Alain. Luminous Dark (Edinburgh: Muddy Pearl, 2018)
of our psychological prac�ce. We need to ex- Hurst, Lawrence D. The Evolu�on of Perfec�on (Princeton, NJ:
Princeton Press, 2025)
periment with psalms ourselves. We need to Lapine, Mathew A. The Logic of the Body. Retrieving
iden�fy the psalms that fit the context and con- Theological Psychology (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020)
di�on of the client. We need to learn how to Moody, Josh. Journey into Joy. The Psalms of Ascent (Wheaton,
use psalms in ways that help to bring about IL: Crossway, 2013)
psychological stability. But note, what AI Thernstrom, Melanie. The Pain Chronicles (New York, NY:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010)
Overview 31 reports, ‘the Psalms are already Zimbardo, P.G. and Johnson, Robert L. Psychology according to
being used in psychology to help with emo- Shakespeare (Guildford, CON: Promethius Books, 2024)
29 See Parker Palmer and G.K Chesterton on ‘Paradox’ 31 A I Overview. Accessed 04/10/2025
30 W. Brueggemann, The Message of the Psalms. 32 Raynor Winn, The Salt Path. Audio book accessed 07/08/2025
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