🫂

I am fully aware of the support that I have, and I will never dismiss those who don't have it. Thanks for taking the time to listen to the pod. Take care!

Hi @Patsantosan, I just want to say that I really appreciate the thought and effort you have given to express your honest feelings about this. I agree with you that the people you have mentioned should be remembered but don't you think it's too early to think that they are for granted? Who knows what this podcast can do to touch their lives right? I understand the agony of hopelessness, emptiness, colorlessness and the misery of life, I really do because I myself had my fairly unfair share of that, I am all of that (painfully so). I am all of that, perhaps even more and believe me when I say she's all that also (tragically and painfully so), it's just that circumstances changed by God's grace this time and we are grateful for all the support she has right now, thank you for your support too. Please do listen again to our future EPs, I hope to hear more of your thoughts again!

@@jetlogisme Hello, I didn't mean to say "taking for granted" as-is, it is only a warning of mine. I'm very sorry if I have been misleading. I look forward to more episodes as well.

thank you so much Darlene. 🥺🫶

🥺🥺🤍

Thank you!

💝

Therapists aren't just "people you talk to." Not everyone who has the desire to help others has the ability to pick the right words to say in (close to) perfect timing and pace. In short, not everyone can do what therapists do. People in need of help aren't seeking for a good advice. They're seeking for the BEST advice from people who can provide educated practical and personalized steps who can also distinguish when's the right time to listen and give an advice in certain situations. Therapists aren't just banks of inspirational and/or motivational quotes. They're not just people who know how to sweet talk somebody and make them smile. Let me put it this way: Would you trust a pilot with no license? Would you let someone who hasn't studied any amount of medical education tell you what medicines you're supposed to take and surgeries you need to undergo? We should realize that people who seek help are the ones who might really really need it. Many of us have friends who genuinely care, but even the closest friends you have can't give you the exact help that you need. There's a reason why we call them "professionals" in this area. Now as far as why they're supposed to get paid is simply because it's a profession that they studied years for. It's still their job. Medical help is also needed and doctors get paid for their services. They still need to eat, pay bills, pay rent, etc. "While it would be lovely if therapists could work for free, if no one pays them, they would have to have a second job on the side to pay their bills, which sounds unreasonable, at best." BESIDES, there are clinics out there that offer free consultations in various extents. It's not impossible to get professional help without spending a single peso. It's not that people who suffer from depression and other mental illnesses don't have people to talk to (at least not all of them), but they are in need for the RIGHT people to talk to. I believe that God gave them the wisdom to provide the right kind of help that they need. The "prayer isn't enough" title is supposed to challenge the belief that the reason why we suffer mentally is because we're not praying that often. It was never to diminish the power of prayer, but to extinguish the existing belief that people who seek professional help lost their faith in God and instead put their trusts on other people. Prayer and therapy aren't supposed to be clashing against each other. They work best together in certain situations. Whenever we pray, somewhere in there, we ask God to work in our hearts and in our situations. We surrender ourselves and our circumstances to Him. If we truly leave it all up to Him, why can't we trust the possibility that the existence of therapy and therapists is one of His ways to answer our prayers? I hope you're well po. God bless!

@@caramelizedpatis thank you both for this healthy exchange of thoughts and personal convictions! my heart's desire is to start a conversation integrating faith and mental health. <3

@@caramelizedpatis "Easier said than done". It's honestly infuriating when they always say about therapy being a harsh profession because they had to hear the problems of people with complex problems and provide "best" curated solutions for their own problems. Like, isn't that the case of every person trying to help their friend go through their tough circumstances? That it's also a matter of life and death? The only big difference between the two is that the money is on the line for the therapist, and the title they "happily" hold. Of course, not anyone can do what the therapist can do, not everyone is a good talker. BUT, there's always another way of helping rather than just having to "talk it out". That's why we, humans, are created to help each other in many ways and get through difficult times. Therapists aren't the only ones to have the "best" solutions. When you say it that way, it's not really different from "you only want to hear what you want to hear". I don't mean something "good enough as is" advice, I meant the same thing how He uses the word "good" occasionally. Also, I did not say anything about them as banks of inspirational and motivational quotes and sweet talk their patients. It is true that licenses are important, however, they aren't the all-in-all the zenith for those title holders, only the time has changed when it's a requirement to make a license to prove you are capable of something. After all, everyone could make their fake licenses and get away with it. That's why we gain the wisdom and sense from the Holy Spirit to distinguish and make a better judgement according to everything around us. Of course it's become a profession. Even gaming has become a profession. Anything could turn into profession because of where the world is going. With the rise of epidemic of depression, the therapists are now much more demanded. If anything, it's a great opportunity for them to make some money from people who are depressed, no? If you take a look at the current disparity of the world, it's become incredibly depressing (war, famine, migration problems, social media censoring, etc.). And they're only giving free consult if they happen to be merciful. Really, it's just not different as an advice or a helping hand from a friend. "It's not impossible to get professional help without spending a single peso." yeah, because it's a profession. You make it sound like getting a good advice is strictly locked behind the paywall. While there are good therapists out there, there are also a lot of bad ones and they would always win, because they GET the money. It's more depressing to know they are the only trusted people to get an advice from because they are "professionals". People who are depressed are in their weakest state, and I believe those are the weak people that He mentioned in the bible. Some people don't have someone to talk to until the end of their lives, and they don't have the right person to talk to, you're right about that. And it is not only them that He gives them wisdom, the people around them are also given the wisdom from Him. The people around the depressed ones could be as responsible as the one dealing with life. It is one of the tasks He gave to humanity to communicate and help one another, because He did so on the first place. I truly understand what they're trying to convey, but "prayer isn't enough" is much less of a challenge and more of an opinion to make as one of coping mechanisms. I do understand that prayer brings people and help from them, but money shouldn't involve in just seeking an advice. Words alone cannot help another person in need, that's why there are lending hands. They don't "require profession" to help someone, and it should NOT be a profession. Shouldn't it be that we don't need a therapy and a therapist if we truly leave it ALL to Him? And if we truly leave it up all to Him, it's as if we are like spoiled children to not think at all. That is why we need wisdom from Him. The most genuine therapy comes from only His words. If we can look at the world from the bible, we can also look at the bible from the perspective of the world. And I don't mean to sound like an unbeliever, this can be also a challenge to know "both sides" of the story, right? To know both how He sees the world, and he the world sees Him. May He bless and guide you as well!