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EMBODYING INTEGRATION: PART A
Neff and McMinn Review Assignment: Part A
Liberty University
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EMBODYING INTEGRATION: PART A
Abstract
The book review in this paper is of Anna Neff and Mark McMinn's book, Embodying
Integration: A Fresh Look at Christianity in the Therapy Room (2020). The writers advocate the
incorporation of Christianity into therapy. The father-daughter team's own experiences and
perspectives are abundant in the book. The essay's beginning section outlines the key themes of
each chapter. Lamenting is characterized as a process including the client, the counselor, and the
surroundings. The second chapter discusses Ecclesiastes, a Bible passage, and offers guidance on
how to grow in an unpredictable environment. The final chapter concentrates on lessons from
God's Image for clients and counselors. This paper explores my influence as a reader. It also
includes a personal reflection and the implications for me as a future counselor. The essay also
discusses ethical concerns that a counselor should consider while working with a client.
Following the readings, I also evaluate my spiritual development.
Keywords: Lament, integration, Christianity, client, counselor
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EMBODYING INTEGRATION: PART A
Neff and McMinn Assignment Rewiew:Part A
Modern interrogators will find "Embodying Integration: A Fresh Look at Christianity in
the Therapy Room" helpful. This book is about two generations of counselors, and it provides a
model for theological dialogue with resilient themes. The book presents readers with models and
points of view to help them examine challenging challenges and find answers. God imagining is
covered in Chapters 1-3. The first chapter examines why lamenting is necessary and how it helps
people understand their deepest sorrows. In chapter two, the author discusses how humans might
live well or make meaning in a world full of adversity. Chapter three explains how God
manifests in the world. The first section provides chapter summaries, implications, and the
applicable ACA code of ethics. While the last half of the paper is a personal reflection and my
spiritual growth as a future counselor.
Chapters 1-3, Summary
The first chapter of the book delves into lament. Lamenting is an outcry that expresses
grief, rage, sadness, and other painful feelings to a listener. Why would an integrating book begin
with a lament? The explanation was that the world is full of tragedy and agony, but grief and the
pain we experience from living in a broken world are often left untreated. The writers stated that
pain prompts tough questions, which should be complained to God. According to the authors,
when people lament, they gravitate their anguish toward others. The chapter reveals that lament
can take two forms: individual lament and collective lament. Individual lament refers to personal
pain, whereas social lamenting refers to the unjust and complex society in which individuals live.
According to the author, lamenting is vital since it brings people closer to God. Lament is
healthy and acceptable when individuals are going through difficult times (Neff & McMinn,
2020).
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Neff and McMinn (2020) describe numerous ways through which a counselor can allow
lamenting to occur during sessions. The first is to learn to make space for both lamentation and
hope. Counselors can aid clients in pain and suffering by helping them to explore their feelings.
Through offering help, clients can accept that loss and other forms of pain are a part of life and
can be managed healthily. Counselors are encouraged to fully embrace clients' feelings (Neff &
McMinn, 2020). This implies recognizing that those who are suffering will often try to numb
themselves from the pain. The final implication of therapy is to embrace the full self, including
physical and emotional wellness (Neff & McMinn, 2020). It suggests that Christians have
difficulty identifying physical health as a priority in Gnosticism.
Recalling the ACA Code of Ethics (2014) when relating to a client during a period of
lament. The Code of Ethics (2014) emphasizes self-disclosure and Christian therapy. According
to ACA Code A.4.b, counselors should not impose their opinions, attitudes, or beliefs on clients.
When trying to keep these limits in place, the counselor should get special training, especially if
the counselor and the client have different views (ACA, 2014).
In chapter two, the authors discussed uncertainty, meaning, and enjoyment with the
follow-up question, "Does anything make sense when the world is such a mess?" Neff and
McMinn (2020) explore the book of Ecclesiastes in this chapter. Ecclesiastes illustrates human
tendencies when they are helpless, exposed, and uncontrollable. During difficult times, people
seek security from different avenues, including overworking, hoarding, and getting addicted to
something, among other things. The authors looked at the meaninglessness of life and offered
advice on how to cherish life. However, the authors discovered that the word "meaningless" in
Ecclesiastes was not translated into an exact English translation. "Hebel" is the proper
translation. Hebel represents the fact that nothing that humans do is eternal.
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According to Neff and McMinn (2020), "Everything isn't useless; everything is
ephemeral," as in the smoke from a boiling teapot. Everything humans accomplish is like smoke
or breath, is transient and transitory, like dew on the early grass. Nothing is eternal, and
everything is "running after the wind," beyond human comprehension (p. 78). Neff and McMinn
(2020) then examine the world's chaotic atmosphere and destruction. Clients are distressed in an
uncertain world, which produces anxiety and bewilderment about life and its meaning. Clients,
even those of the Christian faith, experience existential crises when problems in their lives
remain unsolved or ambiguous. The authors instruct us to embrace the Ecclesiastes term
"Hebel."
What role do we play as counselors in this Hebel life? Counselors are just like Job and
his friends. They will not always have the answers; instead, they must learn to sit, listen, and be
present, just as Job's friends did (New International Version, 2011, Job 2:13). Another gift is the
ability to enjoy the present moment. Counselors can advise clients to take time away from work
to spend with family and friends. Encourage a client to unwind by doing something they enjoy.
All of these things help to reduce anxiety and allow you, as a counselor, to be present in the
client's suffering. Another present we may provide our client is by demonstrating and promoting
thankfulness in all situations. Gratitude is essential for both clients and counselors.
In chapter three, Neff and McMinn (2020) argue that before debating God, we must first
examine mankind's origins concerning God and the gods of the Ancient Near East (ANE).
According to Neff and McMinn (2020), the ANE gods created humanity to replace the working
gods for selfish reasons. Whiles humans, on the other hand, were made in the image of God.
Theology sees humanity as a reflection of God's image, but psychology provides God with ideas
based on interactions, principles, and societal influences, according to Neff and McMinn (2020).
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As a result, the tone for how we think about God's image (imago Dei) is set in this
chapter. Humans' actions are a reflection of God. It emphasizes how we thrive as humans
through our interactions with others and with God, whereas the proleptic worldview is still
evolving as mankind progresses (Neff & McMinn, 2020). Each viewpoint depicts how we see
and experience God. Individuals evaluate information based on their prior experiences and
perspectives (Neff and McMinn, 2020). Information is processed both implicitly and explicitly.
Explicit views are principles we know to be true. These are internal principles that encompass
our thoughts and ideas (Neff & McMinn, 2020). These notions shape our perceptions of God,
and when horrible things happen, these perceptions are put to the test.
As counselors, our awareness of God's image shapes how we view and interpret
interindividual. Hoekema believes that the imago Dei, or divine image, is an important part of a
Christian view of man. Hoekema, like other great reformers, divides the image of God into
structural and functional components. The structural image is about who the man is, whereas the
functional image is about what man does. For starters, man is similar to God in terms of
decision-making, rationality, and aesthetic sensibility. This structural notion of God's image,
albeit injured, was not lost in the Fall. It's just that the practical sense, or how a man should
behave in the presence of God, has been lost. The structural image depicts who the man is,
whereas the functional image depicts what man does. In the book "created in God's image," the
author concentrates on how sin has marred God's image and what this means for our daily lives
in the second half of the book. As counselors, this understanding aids us in dealing with difficult
situations. This biblical anthropology encourages people to think about things like their self-
image, sin, and the body-soul link (Hoekema, 1986).
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When working with clients, we must remember that everyone has a different perspective
on God. As a result, we must exercise caution while counseling individuals who hold opposing
beliefs about God. In his book on the integration of psychology and the Christian religion,
Entwistle (2015) emphasizes that when combining Christianity and therapy, the counselor should
have a clear understanding and firm grasp of the theories, ideas, and principles from both sides of
the coin to provide a well-rounded approach to the client. This allows for a client-centered
conversation rather than Christian theology or psychological theory and goals.
Furthermore, the ACA (2014) Code of Ethics expressly states that there is a responsibility
not to harm or force values on clients (Standards A.1.a, A.4.a, & A.4.b). As a result of these
ethical concerns, counselors should consider doing two things regularly. One is to self-check
regularly to verify that our view of God does not affect our clients.
Reflection
Personal Experience
The first concept in the book is a lament. According to the authors, lament begins with
suffering. But pain alone isn't enough. Second, mourning necessitates articulation, expressing the
deepest anguish. It's a state in which we beg for attention. Third, lament challenges the status quo
and invites others to participate in grief and action (Neff & McMinn, 2020). It will be
meaningful for me to bemoan this. As a future counselor, I believe it will be extremely beneficial
for me to cure myself of any past trauma. It assisted me as a future Christian counselor in seeing
my weak areas of sadness and in assisting others in recognizing the phrase. According to Neff
and McMinn, we are all concealing our feelings (2020).
In my Ghanaian culture, when someone dies or a terrible disaster occurs, we have a
tradition that believes in mourning. But in instances when a woman miscarries, the Ghanaian
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culture either blames spiritual forces or the woman. It is believed that crying will hinder a
woman from having another child if she has lost a child after birth. Many women suffer in
silence as a result of stillbirth or miscarriage. I went through three terrible miscarriages and was
indirectly blamed for them.
These concerns put me and my family on hold. I was never able to enter the misery. But
rather I thought of having another child to give me the satisfaction of losing a pregnancy.
Hawkins and Clinton (2015) investigate the issue of addiction. They stated that pain relievers,
eating, shopping, video games, and other distractions are all things people engage themselves in
to help forget the pain they go through. Addictions rob us of the pleasure or pain of the present
moment. My addiction was the need to have another child to fill the gap in my heart. I began
reading books, modifying my lifestyle, and eating only organic foods, among other things. I had
to set strict rules and regulations for myself, staying away from all sorts of fun.
Would you blame me? Just after the miscarries, my in-laws were already asking when I was
going to have another child.
I started looking for solace in other things, ignoring my overwhelming emotions. I could
not even cry after all the trauma I experienced. After going through the readings, I feel I needed
to express myself, even if it meant questioning God. All I kept hearing in my pain was that God
knows best and we mortals have no right to question his ways. I believe this is the moment to
complete any unfinished business with grieving. I agree with Neff and McMinn (2020) that good
physical health is inextricably linked to excellent mental health. Weak emotions result in poor
physical health. This appears to be the case for me. Even though I believe my doctor's
appointments are going well, I am concerned about my health. I am not sure what's going on, but
I can see how the discomfort I ignored is now causing me problems.
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EMBODYING INTEGRATION: PART A
We live in a world that craves solutions, but there aren't always any available. When we
try to fix all of our client's problems, we set ourselves and others up for failure. It is indeed
preferable to assist people in grieving rather than try to solve their difficulties. Some problems
are insoluble. According to Neff and McMinn, hope and lamenting go hand in hand. They
believe it is impossible to avoid one another while being pursued. Both, in my opinion, add
meaning and substance to actual living. How can we serve our clients if we do not set a good
example? Counselors must keep in mind that life is just a puff of smoke. Our clients need us
more than they need the most recent therapy or spiritual help.
Spiritual Formation
Reading the information has strengthened my Christian faith. Because of
Jeremiah and Job, I know that crying out to God about my feelings isn't a sign of regressing.
When people are experiencing suffering, they often look to Job for inspiration, but they forget
that Job was never silent. In actuality, he wept, yet God did not consider him a sinner (New
International Version, 2011, Job 3). I have always viewed God as an African father to whom you
should only speak with respect and about vital matters. I felt it is disrespectful of me to
complain. Ever since I thought about and looked at these chapters, I know that God can handle
everything I throw at Him without taking it personally.
He understands my emotions and knows what I am going through at every moment. Now
I know that God is always present and ready to hear my heart's cry. Is not obvious that
everything in life is vapor and that escaping the circumstance or numbing the agony is not the
way forward? Every season has its meaning in life. Now I know those horrible things won't
happen in my life because I am sinful. Nothing lasts forever. I cannot avoid pain, but I have to
embrace it.
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Talking about the image of God, our awareness of God's image affects how we view and
understand the individuals we counsel (Hoekema, 1994). Often, the unconscious impression of
God shapes our conscious and mental ideas about God. Neff and McMinn (2020) mentioned that
our understanding of God shapes our cognitive processes and behaviors, affecting how we
counsel clients. God desires a biblically shaped God-image to guide one's God-image
transformation so that it gradually corresponds to God's self-revelation in Scripture.
In conclusion, I will like to add that, I have a relationship with God, but I desire to know
Him better through experiencing Him and communing with Him. which will be through diligent
study of the Scriptures, a meditation on the word, and prayer.
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References
American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of
ethics. https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2014-
code-of-ethics-finaladdress.pdf
Entwistle, D. N. (2015). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity: An introduction
to worldview issues, philosophical foundations, and models of integration (3rd ed.). Wipf
and Stock Publishers. https://ebookcentral-
proquestcom.ezproxy.liberty.edu/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=4534457.
Hawkins, R., & Clinton, T. (2015). The new Christian counselor: A fresh biblical &
transformational approach. Harvest House.
Hoekema, A. A. (1986). Created in god's image. Eerdmans.
Neff, M. A. & McMinn, M. R. (2020). Embodying integration: A fresh look at Christianity in the
therapy room. InterVarsity Press.
New International Version. (2011). BibleGateway.com. http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/
New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/#booklist
