Priest Valery Kompaniets

Health is the state of a living organism in which the organism as a whole and all organs are able to fully perform their functions; absence of sickness, disease. The problem of health, of course, occupies a very important place in our lives, because we all want to be healthy, and among our good wishes to loved ones on the occasion of festivities and celebrations, the wish for good health is almost the first.

From the point of view of humanistic ideas - "everything in the name of man and everything for the good of man" - health really claims to take its place among enduring values. Medicine, no doubt, serves the ideas of humanism.

From the point of view of Christianity, health, as a gift of God, is also of great value, and neglect of it is a great sin.

A look at human nature

Traditional medicine is characterized by a materialistic approach to human nature, according to the mechanistic model, when the emphasis is on the physical body and organs, and not on their subtle functions and relationship with the outside world. Much in the structure of the human body seems at times too mechanical, technical, simple. For example, the heart is a simple pump for pumping blood. But the body is not at all a collection of tissues and fluids with telephone cables of nerve fibers penetrating them, but a most complex system of self-regulation, the main principles of which have not been fully studied so far.

According to ancient medical tradition, the heart energy-information center plays a major role in regulating all body functions. The heart is directly correlated with the mental processes in a person's life. So St. Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky), an outstanding scientist, surgeon, in the book “Spirit, Soul and Body” devoted an entire chapter to the human heart (chapter two “The Heart as an Organ of Higher Knowledge”). Here are the lines we find in this chapter: "... our anatomical and physiological knowledge of the heart not only does not interfere, but rather even encourages us to consider the heart the most important sensory organ, and not just the central motor of blood circulation." Sacred Scripture tells us even more about the heart - after all, on almost every page of the Bible, the reader notices that the heart is given importance not only as a central sensory organ, but also as an important organ of knowledge, an organ of thought and perception of spiritual influences: “and more than that, the heart, according to Holy Scripture, it is the organ of man's communication with God, and, consequently, it is the organ of higher knowledge.

In the Christian understanding, a person is a two-part being, consisting of a mortal body made up of elements of physical nature (God created man from the dust of the earth ...) and an immortal soul in which the Divine breath is imprinted (... and breathed into him the breath of life). And some of the holy fathers see in human nature a third component - the spirit that connects a person with God, while they assign to the soul the world of human feelings, that is, that which connects us with the world around us.

Attitude towards treatment

In modern medicine, the focus is on pharmacological drugs that have a rather rough biological effect on the body, and the main attention is paid to the disease, the cause of which is sought, mainly in influence from the outside - in the action of pathogens, toxins, allergens, and most often to treatment. resorted to in the acute or final period of the disease. Such an approach can give brilliant results in the treatment of emergency situations when immediate correction of impaired functions is required. With longer exposure to chemicals, drug-induced illness occurs in most patients. The main problem of modern medicine is the overestimation of its capabilities. We also note that in the hospital many people are treated for the same diseases (if, for example, we take patients from one department), they are treated by the same doctors, in general, using the same methods, but the results are often very different: some recover fairly quickly, others return to the hospital again and again. We will return to one of the reasons for this a little later.

What is Christianity talking about? A vivid illustration is the biblical story about how the Lord shortened the terms of human life. Man was created by the Creator immortal. After the fall, Adam and Eve and all their offspring - the human race - became mortal, but the first people lived for almost a thousand years. With the deeper penetration of sin into people's lives, the life span of the patriarchs (the patriarch here is the head of the clan) was reduced, but still amounted to several hundred years. With a further increase in sin, the Bible gives the following definition of God: “And the Lord said: My Spirit will not be neglected forever by men, because they are flesh: let their days be a hundred and twenty years” (Gen. 6, 3). By the days of King David (about 800 years before the birth of Christ), the Lord, as we see in the words of the Psalm (Ps. 89), further reduced the life of a person - to 70-80 years. This period remains so to this day, despite all the efforts of medicine.

A lot is said and written about health, but, unfortunately, few people take it seriously. Most people have become inert, lazy and prefer to live as they live, without spending either time or energy on taking care of themselves. People do not remember for the time being about ailments and, living in a field of temptations, dutifully surrender to the power of vicious habits.

Christian dogma teaches us that sickness and death were allowed to man after the fall as retribution for sin and as a means of correction. In the earthly life of a person, the soul and flesh make up a single organism, and spiritual diseases - passions (and passion and suffering are the same root words!) cannot but be the cause of bodily diseases. The offspring of passions are sins, first of all unrepentant ones, like a splinter that causes a focus of infectious inflammation, and they are exactly the same radix malorum - the root of evil, from which all kinds of diseases grow. (There are certain statistics that confirm a pronounced correlation between certain types of sins and their accompanying diseases.) And this can be seen as one of the reasons for the different results of treatment - first you need to remove the splinter, and then the abscess must be treated.

Causes of diseases

STP in medicine deserves a special discussion. At first glance, the most noble goals are pursued here - deliverance of a person from the suffering brought by diseases and premature death. The power of medicine is growing noticeably: the number of doctors and hospital beds per capita, tens and hundreds of thousands of drugs and their names, high-tech laboratories, nuclear magnetic diagnostic facilities, organ transplants, cloning, and so on. Why, then, is the number of sick people increasing, and the death rate from diseases is growing, the average life expectancy is decreasing, and the biological limit of human life remains low?

Firstly, the distortion introduced by scientific and technical progress into the God-established order of life inflicts powerful blows on human health, bringing new diseases into the arena instead of plague, smallpox and other expelled by medicine. It is no coincidence that in the second half of the 20th century the structure of morbidity and mortality of the population changed dramatically due to the wide spread of diseases of our time; among them are atherosclerosis, heart attack, stroke, hypertension, malignant neoplasms, diabetes mellitus, allergies, obesity and others. The main reasons: 1) Change in human living conditions, deterioration of the environment and the way of everyday life of a person as a result of technological advances. Our health is threatened by the combined action of many factors - environmental pollution as a result of chemicalization (pesticides, oil products) and urbanization (electromagnetic radiation, high levels of noise and stress, etc.). 2) Changes in the composition and quality of food, unbalanced nutrition and overeating. Add here alcohol abuse, smoking, muscle inactivity - here they are, captivating killers, destroyers of our health.

Where is the exit? After all, progress cannot be stopped. A person needs to change his psychology and return to the healthy lifestyle of his ancestors. Thus, the way to a healthy life is a system of self-restraints (here we are a good help - post!) And functional loads.

Secondly, the direct intervention of God's providence, which suppresses the unpleasing aspirations of mankind. Sinful passions lead to a lifestyle that is detrimental to health, nullifying the efforts of doctors. There are many examples of this, but one of the clearest is AIDS, the spread of which is mainly due to sin. When scientific medicine learned to cope with syphilis that affected lechers and adulterers, the Lord sent AIDS, which struck like a bolt from the blue. This disease, which appeared as if from nowhere in the second half of the 20th century, also affects newly-minted sinners - drug addicts. Of course, our worldly "philosophy" protests: why are the goals of scientific medicine unpleasing? Does God want man to suffer and die from disease? Is all this compatible with the image of the All-Good and Loving God? Yes, of course, if we believe in the Christian doctrine of the coming resurrection. The Church of Christ teaches us that sickness and death (even if it seems premature to us according to human concepts) are always given for good, either by granting the soul eternal bliss, or at least facilitating its afterlife. By the way, this is why Christianity considers euthanasia completely unacceptable in relation to people, although this procedure may look quite merciful in relation to animals that are not destined to eternal life and there is no need for either repentance or atonement.

Christianity says that in the spiritual life, or in the spiritual world, as well as in the material, there are completely objective (that is, independent of people's faith or disbelief) laws, and transgressing them is just as dangerous as neglecting the manifestation of physical laws. in the material world. Should God's punishment be called the severe consequences of violating safety or traffic rules? From childhood, we know that you can’t insert grandmother’s hairpin into an electrical outlet, lick sledge runners or a doorknob in the cold. At the same time, some heed the parent's word, while others are convinced of its correctness in their life experience.

The ten commandments of God were given to us not to limit our freedom, but as hints from the Heavenly Father to unreasonable children - how to be careful when sailing on the waves of the sea of ​​life. God does not wish harm to anyone, does not punish anyone, and diseases (Is it only them? These are our many other everyday problems) are the essence of the consequences of violations of these, as noted, objective laws of being.

bible about healing

If you are careful, you can not help but notice that God has a special concern for the human race. Here are the words of the most wise Jesus, the son of Sirach: “The Lord created a physician, and from the Most High is healing” (Sir. 38, 1-2). The fact that the ancient doctors knew how to heal is evidenced by their very existence, as well as a host of selfless doctors, who were canonized as saints precisely for their “gratuitous healing”. How can one not recall here the holy passion-bearer and healer Panteleimon, St. Luke and many others? The glory of the outstanding doctors of antiquity (such as Hippocrates, Galen and others) has come down to our days. However, doctors of antiquity, both ordinary and great luminaries, had practically no knowledge of human anatomy and physiology. How did they find treatments and drugs? The assumption that the ancient doctors selected methods of treatment purely empirically, through trial and error, does not stand up to criticism, because the entire history of mankind is not enough for this. It is much more reasonable to assume that God taught man at least some methods of healing and gave him an intuitive ability to find medicines in the natural environment. This is what the Holy Scripture says: “The Lord created medicine from the earth ... He gave people knowledge ... With them He heals a person and destroys his disease” (Sir. 38; 4, 6-7). This God-given intuition is also inherent in the best physicians of our time. Even extensive modern knowledge is sometimes not enough to make a scientifically based decision, and the doctor needs to use intuition. Here it is appropriate to recall the ancient oriental medicine, based on the principle “The preservation of harmony, and not the correction of disorder, is the highest principle of wisdom. Treating a disease after it has arisen is like digging a well when you feel thirsty, or forging weapons when a war breaks out.”

Let us once again pay attention to the words: "The Lord created medicine from the earth." Long before the development of scientific pharmacology, man found many drugs in the surrounding animate and inanimate nature. And if you remember that some plants contain a whole pharmacy of medicines in the right doses, then you have to admit: natural medicines are not an accident, but a gift from God.

conclusions

To summarize: by the grace of God, mankind had sufficiently effective medicine long before it received scientific support. Moreover, since modern doctors are not able, unlike the ancient ones, to treat without artificially created medicines, it is clear that scientific medicine has largely forgotten how to use natural medicines, the negative side effects of which are much less than those artificially created by man. Scientific medicine, gaining a lot, loses a lot.

The transition to scientific medicine also gave rise to a number of intractable moral and ethical problems associated with abortion (and even more so with the possibility of treating people with drugs made from the cells of the bodies of murdered babies, not to mention their use in cosmetology!), Here are the problems of cloning and the same euthanasia. God did not ask all these and many other questions to man, but man himself loaded them onto his limited mind and now groans under their weight in spiritual exhaustion.

So it turns out that the well-known proverb “In a healthy body - a healthy mind” is good if you read it exactly the opposite (“With a healthy mind - a healthy body”). Nevertheless, caring first of all about spiritual health for a grace-filled stay in eternity, we, with the help of God (and medicine), will be able to receive those 70-80 years of earthly life promised by God that are necessary for salvation in eternal life.

Health, like life itself, is a gift from God, which is not appreciated until it is lost. The disease puts us in an uncomfortable position, it is always inopportune, not to mention the fact that the disease is pain, it is a lack of freedom, it is a real opportunity to die, including from treatment. It is generally accepted that health is the norm of human existence, and illness violates this norm. Orthodoxy has a different view of the problem of illness and health. The Holy Fathers believed that illnesses and sorrows could serve the spiritual growth of a person, help him come closer to God.

From the Orthodox point of view, illness is the lot of man on earth, since in the fall of the forefathers Adam and Eve, human flesh changed its qualities - it became weak, prone to illness and old age, death and decay. Illness is a natural phenomenon also because a person voluntarily or involuntarily falls into sins, which also lead to illnesses.

"The cause of the disease is sin, one's own will, and not any necessity," said St. Ephraim the Syrian.

It is known that the saints also had illnesses, often incurable. The Apostle Paul, for example, writes: "... a thorn in the flesh was given to me... so that I would not be arrogant." Some saints prayed to God that a disease be sent to them as a test, making it possible to perform a purely spiritual feat.

Thus, the holy fathers did not consider illness as revenge for sins, but only as a means of correcting sins.

In the twentieth century, disease began to be understood narrowly, usually only as bodily suffering.
This is an expression of a general wrong attitude to man as a clot of thinking matter, or to life as only to the movement of matter. The Orthodox understanding of the disease is wider than the medical one.

“Sick, brethren, together with you,” says St. Cyprian. “It does not comfort me in my illnesses that I myself am healthy and unharmed.

Not only sin, but also pregnancy, for example, in the last century was called a disease, and on the other hand, childbearing for a woman is saving just like hard work for a man. In the Old Testament, “work and sickness” often stand side by side, and in magnifying the holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian, the church people sing: “... and we honor your sickness and labor, you labored in the image of Christ in the gospel of Christ ...” Hence, illness can serve to preach the gospel.

A special disease, even from a medical point of view, is old age as a process of gradual physical decrepitude of a person with a general weakening of all bodily functions. Often in this state, personality traits (the soul and spirit of a person) are revealed in a special way, which, in contrast to physical decrepitude, can have extraordinary strength, attractiveness and beauty: we are not an old man, but an old man who evokes a pious feeling. Such Christians with an icon-painting face can most often be found among the Orthodox. Goodness, however, does not come by itself, but is the result of their labors and patiently endured illnesses. The external and internal beauty of such personalities makes us think about their holiness and the truth of the Orthodox ways of saving the soul.

We believe that the death of a Christian is a transition to a new existence, a new reality - the eternal life of the human soul with God. What is the significance of bodily health in the temporary, earthly life of a person from the point of view of his eternal destiny?

From the Orthodox point of view, bodily health is of lesser value than spiritual health, for it is obvious that with the underdevelopment of the Christian worldview, bodily health can be disastrous for the soul, since it is easier to break some commandments of the Law of God when you are healthy than when you are weak. Physical health is certainly a blessing, and we are called to preserve it. The Old Testament sage advises us: "Before you get sick, take care of yourself..." (Sir. 18, 19). But in the Orthodox understanding, illness is also a blessing, for it can serve to save the soul of a person, making a moral revolution in him, turning him to God. For non-Orthodox or non-believers in Christ the Savior, the assessment of the "benefit or harm" of endured suffering is beyond human understanding.

In the story "Living relics" ("Notes of a hunter") I.S. Turgenev described a man whom an incurable disease gradually led to an internal renewal.
The peasant woman Lukerya, clever and the first beauty, was bedridden. At first, by her own admission, she was "very languid", then she "got used to it, got used to it" and even began to regard her position as the best in comparison with those who have no shelter, who are blind or deaf. She thanks God for what she sees, hears, smells of flowers and herbs, for the fact that she always has "stored spring water". In her miserable position, she comes to the conclusion: God knows best what she needs. "He sent me a cross, which means He loves me..." - this conviction allows her to preserve her inner peace and endure suffering for Christ's sake. “They said,” writes I. S. Turgenev, “that on the very day of her death she kept hearing the bell ringing ... However, Lukerya said that the ringing did not come from the church, but “from above.” She probably did not dare to say: from sky".

An illness can serve the spiritual growth of a person, but only when it becomes free suffering - a feat in which a sick person consciously, in accordance with the Divine will, agrees to endure suffering. Thus, a person discovers the virtue of patience, humility and obedience, which does not remain without a reward: firstly, the Lord, through the prayers of the sick person and his loved ones, eases the suffering of the sick person up to the miracle of healing; secondly, the Lord sends a doctor.

The desire to recover should include a spiritual feat - prayer, fasting (many diseases are cured by restricting certain types of food or even starvation), as well as turning the sick person to the Sacraments of Confession, Sanctification of the Unction, Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. Some patients with this limit their desire to improve their health, refusing medical assistance, relying in everything on the will of God. Such a decision, if it is made without the knowledge of the confessor, is sinful, since in relation to ourselves we do not always correctly understand the will of God. In addition, the existence of doctors and methods of healing has already indicated the will of God: "Give a place to the doctor, for the Lord created him, and let him not move away from you, for he is needed." (Sir. 38:12). So it is necessary to be treated, another thing is important - how and with whom.

«, July 2007

And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons..., they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:17-18)

Introduction

Christ, sending the Apostles to preach, "... gave them power and authority over all demons, and to heal from diseases ... and heal the sick" (Luke 9). The Savior prophetically told His disciples about everyone who believes in Him that “the works that I do, he will do also, and more than these he will do” (John 14). And indeed, holy people, by the power of God, performed miracles similar to those performed by the Lord. One of these miracle-workers-healers was St. John of Kronstadt. True, at first he considered it impossible to pray for the healing of the sick. But one day a deeply believing woman came to him and, as the saint recalled, began insistently demanding “that I pray for the sick person only for his recovery. I almost got scared! “How can I,” I thought, “have such boldness?”... Then I confessed my insignificance and sinfulness before the Lord, saw the will of God in all this work and began to ask for healing for the sick. And the Lord sent his mercy to him - he recovered. I thanked the Lord for this mercy. Another time, through my prayer, the healing was repeated. Then, in these two cases, I directly saw the Will of God, a new obedience from God to myself - to pray for those who will ask for it ... ". And he prayed with great perseverance, begging the Almighty for health for the sick, because the shepherd of the people loved his neighbors immensely. (Of course, if there is no God's will for the recovery of a particular person, then even great faith will not help). For example, Father John went nine times to pray with bold hope for the babies Paul and Olga, and only the tenth time the Lord healed them! But another in the place of the saint could have given up even after the first unsuccessful attempt. Truly, as one priest said, “it is irresponsible to always hide behind the words “for all the will of God”.” After all, “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11), and often this “faith working through love” is associated with a podvig…

Holy Scripture says: “The Lord is your healer,” but the Lord allows illnesses, because they often turn people to God. How can one not recall the words of the Psalmist here: “The days of our years are seventy years, and with greater strength, eighty years; and their best time is labor and sickness…” (Ps. 89:10).

While enjoying health and life, a person usually forgets about the Creator, the Giver of all blessings. Those who bloom with health rarely have a "memory of death." Enjoying health, the individual is, as it were, beside himself. The disease humbles, turns our gaze to our soul. Isn't that why many saints, when healing others, did not want to be healed themselves? For example, Saint Pimen the Many-Sick said to the monk healed by him: “God, who healed you from illness, can also grant me health, but I would not want that…”. On the one hand, on the other hand, this is known: “And the ascetics, holy people, after many labors, overloads associated with bodily exploits, acquired not only bodily diseases, but also nervous disorders” (see St. Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky) "I love suffering..."). For example, Prof. Vitaly Borovoy wrote: “John Chrysostom labored for two years in solitude, in the desert, and during these two years severe ascetic deeds and hardships terribly undermined his health, so that later he was ill all his life.”

According to experts from the World Health Organization, human health is 10% dependent on medicine, 20% on the state of the environment, 20% on heredity, and 50% on lifestyle. As the candidate of medical sciences, doctor of the Tyumen Holy Trinity Monastery Dmitry Durygin wrote: “... even with very severe heredity, the correct organization of a healthy lifestyle will significantly compensate for physical health deficiencies.

At the same time, medicine only helps, advises, coordinates the efforts of a person aimed at organizing a healthy lifestyle, and also helps to cope with the disease, if it does happen. Therefore, as a rule, the claims of patients to doctors who “cannot cure” are inappropriate - you always want to say, first of all: “Look how you live yourself ?! Have you done anything yourself to be physically healthy? ”... In the matter of health, the priority belongs to (a controlling stake in) God's Providence, however, a person is not silent at the same time - he has the opportunity to choose and act.” In confirmation of these words, I will cite the statement of the now living world-famous Russian surgeon Fedor Grigorievich Uglov, who is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest practicing surgeon in the world. One hundred and three-year-old Fedor Grigorievich believes that “a person's health depends very much on himself. Show reasonable care for health, eliminate the causes that crush life, and you can not only extend your life for decades, but make it full and happy ... "

“Not medicines, not doctors by themselves, not surgical knives cure a person ... but the power of life emanating from God. It heals, lives, resurrects directly and through medicines, doctors, surgical knives... Such is the theocentric consciousness, so necessary for everyone; people are falling away from it, but they are called to return to it,” wrote Archbishop John (Shakhovsky) of San Francisco. “... since the time of Jesus Christ, the significance of the disease is seen not in the fact that it should disappear from the face of the earth, but in the fact that the Divine power, which will eventually defeat it, is already acting on earth. For illness, although it has some meaning, is still evil. It will not be in eschatological revelations, and the leaves of the tree of life will heal the nations (Rev. 22:2)” (Bishop Konstantin (Goryanov) Tikhvinsky).

Hieromonk Anatoly (Berestov) testifies that in his practice he encountered such a phenomenon: after active churching, the majority of drug addicts are healed of severe illnesses. "Why is this happening? As a priest, I can say that this is the work of the grace of God. And from a medical point of view, I can try to explain this: the wrong way of life and heroin itself contribute to a decrease in the immune forces of the body. When a person begins to lead a healthy lifestyle, when he begins to believe, he develops psychological comfort, and then the immune system changes, the body itself can overcome the infection.”

As you can see, physical health depends on many factors, including psychological ones. So, St. Theophan the Recluse noted: “Health does not depend on food alone, but most on peace of mind... "(Coll. Letters III, p. No. 514). The same idea can be traced in the works of St. Seraphim of Sarov: “The Holy Fathers, having peace dispensation and being overshadowed by the grace of God, they lived a long time,” as well as in the letters of St. Macarius of Optina: “In peace of mind it is more convenient and we can bring repentance, and we will be preserved unharmed from illness ...”. By the way, scientists at the University of Wisconsin came to the following conclusion: “Gloomy thoughts seriously undermine health,” the scientists said. If a person often thinks about the bad, he may have an increased propensity for diseases ... ”(Izvestia.ru) ...

To answer the questions of such a multifaceted topic as health, we asked hegumen Peter (Meshcherinov).

* * *

Father Peter, many unchurched people get the impression that the Orthodox strive for illness and suffering, or at least do not make efforts to preserve and strengthen their own health (that is, they neglect it). Roughly speaking, they believe, in Orthodoxy it is bad to be healthy. Is it so?

Indeed, people who are just beginning to become churchgoers, who mindlessly read monastic ascetic literature, have a certain tendency to think so. Usually at this time, neophytes indulge in immoderate bodily exploits and ruin their health; At the same time, they think that “this is how it should be,” that this is the meaning of Christian achievement. Over time, however, people are convinced that the meaning of Christianity is completely different: in the moral and spiritual evangelical life, which requires evenness, concentration, inner peace and bodily health, because when a person is sick, he loses the world, and he is no longer up to "spiritual ". Neophytes confuse the patience of incurable chronic diseases and the pursuit of them; they are different things. Unfortunately, when neophyteism ends, its fruit is not the acquisition of the Light of Tabor, but precisely those very diseases ... which one already has to endure involuntarily.

Not so long ago, on an Orthodox website dedicated to the family, I read that since monks were traditionally involved in theology, little attention was paid to family life issues. (In our country, for example, the theme of marriage, marital relations, love and building a family is not developed or almost not developed). I think the same can be said about health. This idea can be traced in the works of Elder Paisios Svyatogorets: if a monk who died for the world has one attitude towards illness, then a family man with many children has a completely different attitude, because. he has a lot of duties to his neighbors. The elder gave an example. The peasants went for healing to St. Arseny of Cappadocia only when they saw that the disease interfered with work and their households began to suffer ... That is, according to Archpriest Evgeny Popov, with good health a person can do good more. In your opinion, do modern Orthodox theologians need to be engaged in the development of the doctrine of health specifically for family church people? And if yes, what could you, for example, advise?

In general, modern theologians have a lot to do, including the problem you are talking about. The doctrine of health, however, would contain very simple truths: health must be protected when it is shaken - along with participation in the Sacraments of the Church, seek and resort to good doctors (alas, in our time this is not available to everyone and not everywhere); if it is impossible to achieve healing by any natural and church methods, endure, betraying your position to God. In particular, health care should also consist in not blindly copying the ancient monastic rules regarding food, sleep, etc., but in proportion to the conditions of modern life. This is what Orthodox theologians should attend to, in my opinion, first of all.

Following common sense, it is clear that in order for a layman to have healthy children, he needs to be healthy himself. In this case, is the concern for one's health and its strengthening on the part of future parents a manifestation of the gospel commandment about love for one's neighbor?

The question itself contains the answer - yes, of course, the health of parents is the health of children.

As believing parents, those who have decided to take care of their health for the sake of their future children, not to lose the correct orientation in faith (that is, so that caring for the flesh does not turn into lust)?

It is difficult to answer this question in general. If the parents are true Christians, then their conscience, enlightened by the light of the Gospel, will tell them how to build their lives, on the one hand, remaining faithful to church tradition, on the other hand, so as not to “fall out of reality”, turning themselves into a “man for the Sabbath” .

Health is a gift from God. Nevertheless, many Orthodox, being healthy, practically do not cherish this gift. And when they get sick, they believe that the disease was sent to them for their sins. Is it a sin to not understand the value of health and to neglect one's own body?

I think it is; only it is, so to speak, a “derivative sin,” which generally results from an incorrect view of the world. Orthodox can not save the gift of health for two reasons: either because of irresponsibility, some kind of teenage “spitting” on their lives (which, generally speaking, is strange in an Orthodox person), or because of false asceticism, which we have already talked about.

Father Peter! Tell me, please, what should a church-going Orthodox (regularly participating in the Sacraments, taking communion) do, who sincerely repents, prays earnestly for healing, but cannot receive it?

Without leaving participation in the Sacraments and prayers, find a good doctor and be treated. If this does not bring healing, then endure, making sure that such is the educational, necessary for us, God's allowance.

How correctly, in Orthodoxy, should one pray in order to be healed?

According to the Orthodox, it will be like this: making all your efforts for healing, using both medical and church remedies, ask God for healing, but always adding: “not mine, but Your will be done.”

From your experience, could you tell us about cases when, after prayer, repentance or unction, a person was healed not only spiritually, but also bodily.

Such cases happen; but in my practice, I don’t remember anything particularly striking that I could specifically talk about.

How, from a spiritual point of view, to explain the fact that when sick actors by their role got used to the image of a healthy person, they were healed? At the same time, the more successfully they played, the faster they became healthy.

There is no general rule to be drawn here. If all without exception sick actors, getting used to the role of healthy people, were healed, then it would be possible to put such facts on a "spiritual discussion". Private, isolated cases should be considered privately. In general, it has long been known that you can “get used to the role” in such a way that you will remain in it ... but, I repeat, these are still rare and isolated cases in order to derive general recommendations from them.

“Is any of you sick, let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will heal the sick…” (James 5). Is the person right who said that healing will happen only when the elder himself believes in healing?

According to the teachings of the Church, the personal qualities of a lawful presbyter, who is not prohibited from serving, cannot be an obstacle to the celebration of the Sacrament.

Orthodoxy, on the one hand, teaches to give thanks for illnesses, and on the other hand, a prayer is said at every divine service: "deliver us from all sorrow, evils and illnesses ...". Is there a contradiction here?

No, there is no contradiction, but there is consistency. We pray for deliverance from sickness; if, after using all the means, the pain does not go away, and we begin to understand that the disease is allowed to us by God, then we need to thank God for this, believing that He builds everything (including the disease) for our spiritual benefit.

In Protestantism, it is believed that the will of God is that the believer be happy and healthy. Is it correct?

If you do not absolutize this position, then it is. But you need to know that this is still not the highest value in Christianity. God's Will is that whoever sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life (John 6:40); the diversity of life situations admits that this will can be realized only when that which a person has hoped for besides God is ruined; and the object of this hope is often, along with wealth, health. Besides, he who suffers in the flesh ceases to sin (1 Pet. 4, 1), says the Holy Scriptures; There are people for whom the will of God - that they come to their senses and stop sinning - is carried out, in particular, through illness. And it happens that, from the point of view of God, a person needs to be in sorrow until the end of his days. So I would not dogmatize this opinion of the Protestants.

The Gospel says: "They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." Did such a practice of healing exist in Orthodoxy, especially since there is apostolic succession in Orthodoxy? If yes, then why don't modern priests practice it?

This practice existed in the first centuries of Christianity, and then it came to naught; to a certain extent, charismatic healing has replaced the Sacrament of Unction. Modern priests do not practice this practice for the same reason that it would not occur to a normal person to feed five thousand people with five loaves.

St. Basil of Kineshma wrote: "The purpose of gymnastics is to strengthen a person's health ...". Physical education is good for physical health. And sports lead the younger generation away from alcoholism and drugs. Why does Orthodoxy practically not call, in secular terms, for a “healthy lifestyle”?

The Church calls first of all to the salvation of the soul, the union of a person with Christ, to the healing of sin and passions by the Holy Spirit. To agitate “for sports”, for a healthy lifestyle is still not the direct business of the Church. The Church states the need to protect health, to develop not only spiritually, but also physically; but does not extend his teaching to detailing and promoting this, leaving this sphere of life to the consciousness and freedom of every person.

Metropolitan Kirill said that the power of faith attracts the power of the Spirit, and St. John of Kronstadt said: "Faith is the mouth of the soul, serving to receive God's gifts." So, maybe a person is often not healed because he lacks faith?

We cannot assert this, much less reveal the hidden subtext of this assertion – “it is our own fault”. A person can not be healed for a thousand reasons, both related to faith and not having. The gospel commands to help the sick, to serve them, to alleviate their lot, but not to go into reasoning, why this or that disease has befallen a person.

Priest and doctor Valentin Chaplin wrote: “It would be absurd to deny the importance of psychological influence during treatment. The placebo effect in adults is well known. Conversely, cases of neutralization of a highly active substance are known in certain psychological situations. I personally observed how an absolutely drunk woman, a cook of the institute, after a session of hypnosis and the corresponding suggestion, became sober ...

It is quite obvious to everyone that the state of the human psyche has a decisive influence on the body's resistance. The disease is formed from within. The state of mind of a person affects the course of the disease, and external negative factors can be neutralized by an appropriate psychological attitude. As numerous observations show, even infectious diseases proceed differently depending on the state of mind of a person.

Of course, the Orthodox cannot practice hypnosis, but is it possible to engage in a psychological mood or suggestion? (To make it clear what I mean, I will give an example: once a monk complained to Father Siluan Athos that the abbot of the monastery did not love him. “And you love him,” Father Silouan answered him, “pray diligently for your abbot every day repeat: “I love my abbot, I love my abbot…” and when your love for the abbot flares up in you, he will begin to love you” (St. Nicholas of Serbia “Cassiana”, p. 135). I love my abbot" - I could call it self-hypnosis).

Without a doubt, the somatic state of a person depends on his mental and spiritual state. Therefore, the most important factor in putting your body in order is purity of conscience, peace of mind and balance, peace with yourself and those around you. If we talk about the healing factor of this, then you need to build your life in this way. But it is quite obvious that this creation is not achieved by any self-suggestion. It is absurd to inspire ourselves: “I’m all right,” when people objectively grieve at us, to whom we have done nasty things, at home with my wife and children sheer abuse, etc. The soul is put in order by moral evangelical work, prayer, teaching in the Holy Scripture, participation in the Sacraments and, most importantly, the fulfillment of God's commandments in relation to one's neighbor. Only by this can peace of conscience be achieved; This is where you need to put in your efforts.

Father Peter, thank you very much for the conversation.

Interviewed by Andrey Sigutin

It is generally accepted that health is the norm of human existence, and illness violates this norm. Orthodoxy differently considers the problem of illness and health. The Holy Fathers believed that illnesses and sorrows could serve the spiritual growth of a person, help him come closer to God.

Alexy Baburin, Valentin Zhokhov
priests

Christian attitude towards illness and healing

From the Orthodox point of view, illness is the norm of earthly life, since in the fall of the forefathers Adam and Eve, human flesh changed its qualities - it became weak, prone to illness and old age, death and decay. Illness is a natural phenomenon also because a person voluntarily or involuntarily falls into sins, which also lead to illness.
“The cause of the disease is sin, one’s own will, and not any necessity,” said St. Ephraim the Syrian. “Are all diseases caused by sins? - St. John Chrysostom asked. Not all, but most of them. Some come from carelessness. Gluttony, drunkenness and inactivity also produce diseases. “Diseases instead of penances come. Endure complacently: they will be like laundresses’ soap,” said St. Theophan the Recluse. The Monk John of the Ladder wrote that "sicknesses are sent to cleanse sins, and sometimes in order to humble the rapture."
It is known that the saints also had illnesses, often incurable. The Apostle Paul, for example, writes: “... a thorn in the flesh was given to me ... to oppress me, so that I would not exalt myself” (). Some saints prayed to God that a disease be sent to them as a test, making it possible to perform a purely spiritual feat.
Thus, the holy fathers did not consider illness as revenge for sins, but only as a means of correcting sins.
In the twentieth century, disease began to be understood narrowly, usually only as bodily suffering. This is an expression of a general wrong attitude to man as a clot of thinking matter, or to life as only to the movement of matter. The Orthodox understanding of the disease is wider than the medical one.
“Sick, brethren, together with you,” says St. Cyprian in the Sermon of the Fallen. “The fact that I myself am healthy and unharmed does not console me at all in my illnesses. For the shepherd is wounded in the ulcer of his flock ... ”(quoted from“ At the parish ”, T. S. Tikhomirov, M.-1915). Not only sin, but also pregnancy, for example, in the last century was called a disease, and on the other hand, childbearing for a woman is saving just like hard work for a man. In the Old Testament, “labor and sickness” often stand side by side (), and in magnifying the holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian, the church people sing: “... and we honor your sickness and labors, you worked in the image of Christ in the gospel of Christ ...” So sermons can also serve as a disease Gospels.
A special disease, even from a medical point of view, is old age as a process of gradual physical decrepitude of a person with a general weakening of all bodily functions. Often in this state, personality traits (the soul and spirit of a person) are revealed in a special way, which, in contrast to physical decrepitude, can have extraordinary strength, attractiveness and beauty: we are not an old man, but an old man who evokes a pious feeling. Such Christians with an icon-painting face can most often be found among the Orthodox. Goodness, however, does not come by itself, but is the result of their labors and patiently endured illnesses. The external and internal beauty of such personalities makes us think about their holiness and the truth of the Orthodox ways of saving the soul.
We believe that the death of a Christian is a transition to a new existence, a new reality - the eternal life of the human soul with God. What is the significance of bodily health in the temporary, earthly life of a person from the point of view of his eternal destiny?
From the Orthodox point of view, bodily health is of lesser value than spiritual health, for it is obvious that with the underdevelopment of the Christian worldview, bodily health can be disastrous for the soul, since it is easier to break some commandments of the Law of God when you are healthy than when you are weak. Physical health is certainly a blessing, and we are called to preserve it. The Old Testament sage advises us: “Before illness, take care of yourself ...” (). But in the Orthodox understanding, illness is also a blessing, for it can serve to save the soul of a person, making a moral revolution in him, turning him to God. For non-Orthodox or non-believers in Christ the Savior, the assessment of the “benefit or harm” of endured suffering is beyond human understanding.
In the story “Living Relics” (“Notes of a Hunter”), I.S. Turgenev described a man whom an incurable disease gradually led to internal renewal. The peasant woman Lukerya, clever and the first beauty, was bedridden. At first, by her own admission, she was “very languid”, then she “got used to it, got used to it” and even began to regard her position as better compared to those who have no shelter, who are blind or deaf. She thanks God for what she sees, hears, smells of flowers and herbs, for the fact that she always has “stocked spring water”. In her miserable position, she comes to the conclusion: God knows best what she needs. “He sent me a cross, which means He loves me…” – this conviction allows her to preserve her inner peace and endure suffering for Christ’s sake. “They said,” writes I. S. Turgenev, “that on the very day of her death she kept hearing the bell ringing ... However, Lukerya said that the ringing did not come from the church, but “from above.” Probably she did not dare to say: from the sky.
An illness can serve the spiritual growth of a person, but only when it becomes free suffering - a feat in which a sick person consciously, in accordance with the Divine will, agrees to endure suffering. Thus, a person discovers the virtue of patience, humility and obedience, which does not remain without a reward: firstly, the Lord, through the prayers of the sick person and his loved ones, eases the suffering of the sick person up to the miracle of healing; secondly, the Lord sends a doctor.
The desire to recover should include a spiritual feat - prayer, fasting (many diseases, especially in surgery, are treated by restricting certain types of food or even starvation), as well as turning the sick person to the Sacraments of Confession, Sanctification of the Unction, Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ.
Some patients (usually monastics) limit their desire to improve their health by refusing medical assistance, relying in everything on the will of God. Such a decision, if it is made without the knowledge of the confessor, is sinful, since in relation to ourselves we do not always correctly understand the will of God. In addition, the existence of doctors and methods of healing has already indicated the will of God: “Give a place to the doctor, for the Lord created him, and let him not move away from you, for he is needed.” (). So it is necessary to be treated, another thing is important - how and with whom.
On the methods of healing and the Orthodox attitude towards them.
Until recently in our country there was one system of healing, which we call scientific. It is based on scientific discoveries in the field of biochemistry, biophysics, microbiology and other natural sciences. Medicine as a science about a sick person does not, unfortunately, have a theory that reveals the essence of health and disease, it remains at the experimental level - the level of collecting facts and their statistical analysis, deriving average indicators of health standards and pathology boundaries with very probabilistic estimates of the disease prognosis. Practical goals are satisfied by the empirical level of science, modern technology allows a rather deep analysis of the patient's condition, but synthesis and prognosis, thank God, is still the duty of the doctor. Today, scientific medicine as a whole does not contradict Christian morality, so there is no reason to refuse the possibilities of science.
For the treatment of diseases, methods and traditional medicine can be successfully used. The experience gained by different peoples in the use of medicinal herbs, rational nutrition, therapeutic methods of physical influence on the patient, including those used in the East (for example, acupuncture), can be used for healing, but this valuable experience is compromised if it is associated with philosophical and pseudoscientific notions derived from various Eastern, pagan or non-Christian beliefs.
Finally, in recent years, there has been an emergence of healers who do not have any knowledge and experience, but only have unusual abilities for healing or diagnostics. Usually such people are called psychics. Few people are interested in the accuracy in determining the properties of these personalities, and they themselves do not mind: the magician or sorcerer sounds less modern and less harmonious. Often healers and healers of this kind really have the ability to influence a sick person, mainly through his personality. Unfortunately, most often the healers themselves cannot say anything intelligible about where such abilities come from - usually we are talking about biofields, connections with the cosmic mind or with an incomprehensible Absolute. These abilities are advertised using scientific terminology through the media. Everything is used in order to give a scientific look to their activities, to increase the significance of their person. Among psychics there are simply mentally ill people, there are charlatans, there are people who call themselves Christians, there are even those who, as a precondition for “treatment”, may require to perform the Sacrament of Baptism, put three candles in three churches or partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
Turning to a shrine not out of faith and piety, but out of superstition brings great spiritual harm! St. John Chrysostom in his teaching "On those who are cured of diseases by sorcery" strictly warns that it is better to die than to go to the enemies of God. The one who went to them “deprived himself of God’s help, neglected it and placed himself outside of providence…” This kind of pseudo-scientific healing is always an appeal to the spirit of lies, that is. the enemy of God, and is thus a serious transgression of the commandment, a sin and aggravates the disease. As a result, even the captivity of the soul by an unclean spirit (a demon) is possible: partial, with the preservation of self-consciousness and the ability to morally evaluate one's actions, with the need to counteract, but the lack of strength for this (demonic possession); or complete captivity, in which a person loses all self-consciousness, his moral feeling and volition for good are suppressed, resistance to communion with God (possession) arises.
The activities of various kinds of psychics, sorcerers, magicians, etc. are harmful, and in some cases criminal. In Moscow, almost any oncologist has experience in treating patients who have been "treated" by a psychic for a long time, and in connection with this, surgical treatment of the tumor was unsuccessful.
However, the methods of scientific medicine, especially those newly introduced into practice, as well as the goals of applying to them, require attention and moral assessment from both medical workers and patients. There is a fashion for various new techniques, which are often attributed to non-existent virtues or their effectiveness is exaggerated. Mankind has always dreamed of a "panacea" - a remedy for all diseases, and best of all - for old age and death.
For a person who is looking for the meaning of life, the history of these fruitless, often tragic searches speaks of the unearthly destiny of a person whose earthly life is a preparation for eternal life.
At all times, "heroic efforts" have been made, on the one hand, in denying the immortality of the soul, and on the other hand, in inventing means and methods for achieving eternal youth. I will give two examples from personal medical practice, without naming names.
About 20 years ago, medicine began to use the method of treating diseases with gas mixtures with a high oxygen content under excess pressure in special pressure chambers (hyperbaric oxygenation). Many missing virtues were attributed to the method, especially among the sick. Among others - the purification of the blood and the whole body (it is not entirely clear from what exactly the purification took place), rejuvenation, etc. And now the famous pop singer, who had creative success even in old age, is trying to maintain not creative activity and youthfulness of the spirit, but spectacular appearance and youthfulness of the body. Twice a year, she is prescribed 10-12 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. She really becomes more active and even more popular, but everything ends rather badly - after a few years, the patient develops dementia against the background of a general good physical condition. Her life ends in a psychiatric hospital with stomach phlegmon and an attempted "operation of desperation" that had no chance of success. One can, of course, argue about how useful or harmful an excess concentration of oxygen in the blood is for brain cells, but it is quite clear that the purpose of turning to a fashionable technique at that time, setting on bodily rejuvenation, was immoral, according to Orthodox, sinful .
Another example is in relation to non-Christian behavior in a condition that is not currently considered a disease, but which, through medical manipulation, has led to illness.
A young woman who had a loving husband and everything necessary for a life of contentment was barren. This condition is usually experienced by a woman as flawed and is often the reason for the dissolution of a marriage. In previous centuries, infertility was healed primarily spiritually, namely by prayer, donations and contributions to monasteries and temples, and pilgrimages to holy places. Currently, medicine offers us many different methods for diagnosing and treating this condition, based primarily on its social significance, but the use of these methods is on the conscience of doctors and the patient. In this case, almost all the methods available in the arsenal of doctors were used, and the patient paid money for most of them, some of the methods were used clearly for the purpose of profit, for example, massive hormone therapy. Thank God, things have not come to the most modern methods such as in vitro fertilization (the Russian Orthodox Church regards this method as sinful, contrary to Christian norms). But everything ended badly - due to the uncontrolled use of hormones, the patient developed tumors in both mammary glands, the diagnosis was made late, but there is still time for repentance.
Archpriest Foma Hopko writes in Fundamentals of Orthodoxy: “If we bear our infirmities righteously, courageously and patiently, with faith, hope and even joy, then we become the greatest witnesses of God’s salvation in this world. Nothing can compare with such patience, for the glorification of God in suffering and weakness is the greatest of all offerings that only a person can create from his life on earth.
Remember, Lord, all your foolish servants in your kingdom. Amen!
Care for the Soul of the Sick
The bodily illness and suffering of the sick person, no doubt, are in close relationship with the state of his spirit and soul. Archbishop LUKA (Voino-Yasenetsky) writes in his book “Spirit, Soul, Body”: “The powerful influence of the patient's psyche on the course of the disease is well known. The patient's state of mind, his trust or distrust of the doctor, the depth of his faith and hope for healing, or, conversely, mental depression caused by careless conversations of doctors in the presence of the patient about the seriousness of his illness, deeply determines the outcome of the disease. Psychotherapy, consisting in verbal, or rather, spiritual (my discharge - V.Zh.), the impact of a doctor on a patient, is a generally recognized method of treating many diseases that often gives excellent results.
No two people suffer in the same way, so every patient is a unique patient. In the last century, the founder of the Russian therapeutic school, Professor of Moscow University M. Ya. Mudrov, said that it was necessary to treat not the disease, but the patient. These words, like a spell, are repeated by modern doctors, but their original meaning has been lost - both the doctor and the patient put all their hope on a pill, which is prescribed 1x3 times a day, but it doesn’t reach the soul. Modern healthcare is characterized by the alienation of the doctor from the patient: in addition to the barrier of pieces of paper, which has existed for a long time, another barrier is being erected - all kinds of equipment, which so far dulls the doctor's intuition, and turns medical art into a craft.
The patient, called to the feat of patience and humility, receives almost no spiritual support. The word as a healing factor is gradually disappearing from the arsenal of a medical worker, who usually “does not have time” to talk with the patient, and in fact, until the twentieth century, all medicine stood on three pillars, which were the Word, Grass and Knife. And if we talk about the fact that the word was a healing factor, then in addition to human words of condolence, consolation and hope, the healing process also included the Incarnate Word of God - Jesus Christ, taught to the sick in the Sacraments of the Church, called to help the sick themselves, his relatives and even treating doctor! It is known, for example, that the ophthalmologist V.P. Filatov, the surgeon V.F. Voyno-Yasenetsky (later Archbishop LUKA) prayed before the operation.
Ascertaining the fact of the spiritual degradation of modern medicine, taking place against the backdrop of technological progress, one should not fall into despair and despondency, or into useless and even harmful gossip about who is to blame and what to do. Orthodoxy teaches in any difficult spiritual situation to start with yourself, to understand to what extent I am to blame and what to do. This is the basis for repentance - a change of mind (thinking) and mode of action, a condition for correct activity, capable of unspiritually joining the Kingdom of the Holy Spirit.
A “return to the roots”, a way out of the difficult spiritual crisis in which modern medicine is, of course, can occur, but not on the basis of general appeals and propaganda, but as a result of the personal efforts of each person. “A change of mind” and a change in the way of action are necessary first of all for medical workers, whose work (especially at the bedside of the sick) should be a service, a kind of sacred rite, because serving the sick by the Lord Jesus Christ is equated with serving God: “I was sick, and you visited Me... because you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me,” He will say on the Day of Judgment (; 40). To elevate spiritually and morally the work of a medical worker will be a return to the roots, that is, to the lost Christian traditions of Russian medicine.
Counseling for the sick is an area of ​​very responsible spiritual and spiritual work, which should be done by professionals, preferably clergy, but the conditions of modern life are such that this ideal cannot be realized, therefore, some preliminary work can and should be carried out by the relatives and friends of the patient. The purpose of this work is to prepare the patient for the meeting with the priest. Faithful medical workers can also be engaged in such work with a sick person very effectively.
You can talk about different forms of spiritual help to the sick, depending on the conditions. The simplest (and the rarest now) option, in which the patient is a church person and his relatives are Orthodox. They invite a priest, who most often knows the patient for a long time and heals spiritually according to the canons of the Church. Other situations are problematic and are much more common: the sick person was baptized, but actually fell away from Orthodoxy and does not know what and how he believes, and relatives - Orthodox Christians - are eager to help him spiritually. Or - everyone seems to be believers, but they visit the temple only once a year, at the Easter procession. Here the danger of a superstitious attitude to sacred things is very great.
It is impossible to provide precise recommendations for each specific case, but the experience of the Church shows that the Lord admonishes a person, sends him a “thought of good” and even meetings with the right people, if only the servant of God who is in sorrow turns prayerfully to God with the awareness of his imperfection, with a cry about help. Therefore, PRAYER is the beginning of spiritual care for the sick. The holy righteous John of Kronstadt in the book “My Life in Christ” writes: “Do not miss the opportunity to pray for any person at his request or at the request of his relatives or friends about him. The Lord looks with favor on the prayer of our love and on our boldness before Him. In addition, prayer for another is very useful for the one who prays for others: it purifies the heart, affirms faith and hope in God, and kindles love for God and neighbor.” Of course, the believing patient himself must pray for himself, but, as St. John of Kronstadt: “In illness, and in general in bodily weakness, as well as in sorrow, a person cannot at first burn for God with faith and love, because in sorrow and in illness the heart hurts, and faith and love require a healthy, calm heart.” Consequently, the feat of prayer falls on the relatives and friends of the sick person.
How to pray? The home prayer of an Orthodox Christian consists of a certain “rule” - the sequence of prayers read in the morning, during the day and in the evening. There is such a rule in the Orthodox prayer book. This rule can be changed by a confessor: increased, for example, by supplementing the rule with the reading of canons and akathists, the Psalter, or reduced due to circumstances. It follows from this that any person who wants to pray for a sick relative should go to the temple to the priest, best of all for confession, so that after confession he will receive a blessing from the priest for a special prayer rule, for example, reading the canon for the sick or the canon of the Mother of God, akathist. Prayer for others requires a certain spiritual state, therefore, if the confessor blesses, then one should commune after the confession of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. In prayer, one should be persistent, stubborn and demanding of oneself, relentlessly do what one has decided on one’s own free will, pray “secretly”, that is, not for show, humbly, combining the prayer of petition for one’s neighbor and for oneself with the prayer of thanksgiving to God for everything His blessings.
For the sick, they pray purely in the temple, according to the word of Jesus Christ: "... if two agree on earth to ask for any deed, then whatever they ask, it will be for them from My Father in Heaven." (). St. Theophan the Recluse gives us an example of a prayerful feat: “God listens to prayer when they pray with a soul that is aching for something ... But do you yourself attend prayer services? If not, then your faith is silent... You ordered, but, having given money for others to pray, you yourself threw off your worries... There is no one who is sick for the sick... Attend prayers yourself and ache with your soul for the sick... In the church at the liturgy, hurt during the proskomedia. And especially when, after “We sing to you ...”, the Theotokos hymn is sung “It is worthy to eat ...” Here the living and the dead are commemorated for the newly-perfect sacrifice ... “Therefore, praying for the sick at home, we should not leave the temple prayer for the Sunday liturgy, it is necessary to submit notes with names the sick for proskomedia, for prayers, and reverently give antidoron or prosphora and holy water to the sick.
The history of Orthodoxy knows a huge number of miraculous healings that took place through prayer to God, the Mother of God, the saints of God. But here is the testimony of a foreign doctor, Nobel Prize winner Alexis Carrel: “The results of prayer can be established with certainty only in cases where any therapy is completely inapplicable or turns out to be ineffective. The medical center in Lourdes (a city in the south of France, one of the world-famous centers of worship of the Mother of God, the place of Her repeated appearance, has a source whose water is recognized as miraculous - author's note) has rendered a significant service to science, proving that such healings really do happen. Sometimes the effect of prayer takes on an “explosive” character, so to speak... We knew patients who were almost instantly cured of serious illnesses. In a few seconds or a few hours, the symptoms of the disease disappear, and the anatomical damage is corrected. The miracle is characterized by an extraordinary acceleration of the processes of normal recovery ”(quoted from the Holy Book of the clergyman, vol. 8, p. 297).
Unfortunately, modern patronymic medical scientists are exploring the “abilities” of psychics with a public interest, being very skeptical about the healing effect of prayer and the grace-filled gifts of church shrines.
Common prayer in the temple at the liturgy, at prayer services suggests SACRIFICE and SACRIFICE as a special spiritual state, together with prayer, as if on two wings, raising the mind and heart to God and producing that necessary “kindling of love for one’s neighbor”, in response to which the Lord heals and soul and body. A note on proskomedia is a sacrifice; almsgiving, albeit modest, but from the heart - a sacrifice; work, even the simplest, but for the benefit of the church community or neighbor - a sacrifice! What is more useful: to clean the ward, wash the patient, change bed linen, or sit by his bed and scold the government for the lack of nurses in the hospital? For the sake of Christ, the good done turns to the good deeds of other people, changes the general mood, elevates a person. Gossip and idle talk harm peace in the soul, peace is lost, a person becomes weak and vulnerable to the spirit of malice.
Of course, now we are simply poor in material terms. But let us remember that the poor widow, who put two mites into the church mug, put in the most, as the Lord Himself said, because she put in everything she had, all her livelihood. Consider the Christians of the first centuries. “Those who could not give from their earnings subjected themselves to hardships in order to be able to give as alms what they had saved through FAST (emphasis mine - V.Zh.). Already in The Shepherd of Hermas, the shepherd teaches Hermas how he should fast. He must abstain from food and drink, and then calculate by the expenses of other days what he has saved, all this he must set aside and give to the benefit of widows, orphans and the poor. Such a fast will be a pleasant offering to God. In the Apostolic Decrees, a similar instruction is given: “If anyone has nothing to give, let him fast, and give what is intended for the day to the saints,” and in this place, Christians sentenced to hard labor are understood. (Quoted from "Christian Charity in the Ancient Church", G. Ulgorn, St. Petersburg, 1899, p. 144)
It is very important to take care of the patient’s growth in Piety, which is “useful for everything” (). Piety is usually understood as a whole complex of qualities of a Christian personality, which are gradually brought up if a person lives an inner church life. In this case, at first we can talk about two or three qualities. It is faith in God, even if vague, at the level of feeling that there is something holy in the world; the fear of God as an awareness of a more or less pronounced responsibility before God and, finally, the recognition of the immortality of one's soul. Piety is incompatible with a superstitious attitude towards God and is one of the conditions for the actual participation of a Christian in the Sacraments celebrated in the Church.
It is impossible to give concrete advice on how to convert a person to piety. Through prayer, the Lord puts into the mind of those who care about their neighbor the necessary word, especially since in a person’s illness the thought of death often visits and he becomes more sensitive, less hard-hearted. Be careful! If the patient talks about death, then in no case should you change the topic of conversation, convince him that such thoughts should be driven away from yourself. On the contrary, it is necessary to keep up the conversation, but thoughts about death and words about it must be countered with words and thoughts about the immortality of the soul, and then about the resurrection of the dead. Such conversations should come naturally and should not be deliberately initiated unless you are sure the patient is ready or willing to discuss the topic. Further, it will be natural to start reading the Gospel, it is better to selectively - about healings, the Sermon on the Mount, parables. Then it is necessary to arouse in the sick person thoughts about his sins and arouse the need to confess them. Growth in piety can occur in another way, the main thing is to make the patient aware of his sinfulness, and bring his thoughts to the Sacrament of Confession (if the patient is not baptized, to the Sacrament of Baptism), that is, to a meeting with a priest. Usually, a personal experience in the Sacrament of Confession of the action of the grace of God aggravates piety and naturally leads the sick person to the Sacraments of Unction and the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ.
How to behave at the bedside of a dying person? In my village, a dying person was said to be “working,” and they created a special atmosphere around the dying person: noise was strictly forbidden, conversations were conducted in an undertone, bright lights were shielded, it was forbidden to disturb the dying person, call him, or generally pronounce his name loudly. A lampada was lit in front of the icons, the neighbors who came in briefly prayed and silently spent some time at the bedside of the patient. This situation made a special impression on the children: the noisy ones became quiet, the naughty ones became humble. A dying person was never left alone.
This folk experience shows that we once had a godly attitude towards death. At present, most deaths occur in the hospital, that is, not at home, not in the circle of relatives and friends, and the agonizing patient is usually taken out to a separate ward, which is notorious throughout the hospital. In this chamber with bare walls, for some reason always cold and with a clearly uninhabited spirit, the sacrament of the transition from temporary life to eternal life takes place. And, as a rule, there is no one to support a person working with the last earthly labor in these difficult hours and minutes ...
It would seem, why sit next to the patient if he is unconscious, unable to speak or even drink water? An unconscious state, however, does not always mean that a person falls out of touch with the sensory world. Cases are described when a dying person recovered and accurately conveyed what was happening around him, and often those around him were ashamed of their behavior.
The terminally ill should be left alone as little as possible, the agonizing one should not be left at all. It is necessary to pray with the patient, and if he is an unbeliever, then you can tell him something like this: “You do not believe in God, I believe in Him. I need to pray now. Please be patient for a while, because it is impossible to pray in the hospital corridor ... ”It is unlikely that after such words the patient will protest. A reverent prayer or reading of the Psalter, the canon of the Mother of God, will certainly find a response in the patient's heart, which can grow into a real religious feeling.
Children should be brought to the dying. This is spiritually useful for the sick, and even more so for children, who should know about death not only theoretically from horror films, but also have their own personal experience of communicating with a dying person in an appropriate and worthy environment. We must be ready to answer their questions, which will be many. The opinion that communication with a dying person can be a traumatic factor for a child is false, such an experience is necessary for children for their future life.
We dedicate this humble work

surgeon, laureate of the State Prize, Professor GLEB Pokrovsky, his wife MARFE, Vladimir Petrovich and Galina Georgievna MISHENEV, and all pious donors and parishioners of the St. Nicholas Church in the village of Romashkov near Moscow.
(The article is abbreviated).

Sickness and death entered human life as a result of the fall. Before that, a person did not get sick and did not know death. Similarly, in the life of the next century there will be no diseases and old age. A person will be forever young, happy, full of creative powers. But it is there, in eternal life. And here, on the sinful earth...

WHY IS MAN SUFFERING?

Experiencing pain and suffering, a person begins to understand how imperfect and fragile he is in this world and that sooner or later he will have to leave here.

Man is spirit, soul and body. And this hierarchy is reflected in all of his life, including various kinds of diseases that visit his life. Diseases in the spiritual realm necessarily affect the psyche and somatics of a person.

By violating the commandment of God, a person upsets the integrity of his body, as if turning on the mechanism of internal self-destruction. And the pain that arises here is often a signal that not everything is in order with us, that we have gone astray.

For example, in the case of alcoholism and drug addiction. The horror and strength of the suffering of these unfortunates literally force them to look for a way out. Often, the search itself is painful, and this is due to the fact that a person is looking, as it were, in the dark, groping, stumbling, falling and getting up again. When this way out of the impasse, out of the desperate situation is found, then a person can no longer be ungrateful to the pain and suffering that impelled him to active actions, forced him to tirelessly knock on the doors of God's mercy. “Seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7), the Holy Gospel teaches us, and every sincere seeker will not be abandoned. It turns out that it is simply useful for an alcoholic and a drug addict, it is literally necessary to feel pain and remember the pangs of a hangover and withdrawal - they can stop him from breakdowns, remind him of future eternal torment.

Due to the occurrence of all existing diseases can be divided into two groups:
1. Diseases that arise due to a violation of the natural laws of nature.
2. Diseases arising due to violation of the spiritual laws of the Universe.

The first group includes diseases caused, for example, by malnutrition, hypothermia or overheating, overwork, etc.

The second group includes diseases caused by the violation of the commandments of God.

If in the treatment of natural diseases, medical assistance can be quite successful, then diseases resulting from sinful actions cannot be cured by medical treatment.

Here is what St. Basil the Great writes about this: Diseases come from material principles, and medical art is useful here; there are illnesses as a punishment for sins, and here patience and repentance are needed; there are illnesses for the struggle and overthrow of the evil one, as in Job, and as an example for the impatient, as in Lazarus, and the saints endure illnesses, showing to everyone the humility and limit of human nature common to all. So, do not rely on medical art without grace and do not reject it because of your stubbornness, but ask God to know the causes of punishment, and then deliverance from weakness, enduring cuts, cauterization, bitter medicines and all the healing of punishments».

« The cause of sickness is sin, one's own will, not any necessity.”, - said the Monk Ephraim the Syrian. And at the same time, according to the words of the holy Apostle Peter, illness often leads a person away from sins: Christ suffered in the flesh for us, arm yourself with the same thought; for the one who suffers in the flesh ceases to sin, so that the rest of the time in the flesh will live no longer according to human lusts, but according to the will of God» (1 Peter 4:1-2).

According to Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh, there are very fragile souls that the surrounding world can break, cripple. God protects such a soul with a veil of madness or some kind of alienation, misunderstanding. The soul matures in the silence of its inner world and enters eternity mature, ripe. And sometimes this “cover” is removed, and the person recovers.

Disease, according to the thoughts of the saints, does not allow passions to arise: « Every disease preserves our spirit from spiritual decay and decay and does not allow passions, like spiritual worms, to be born in us.”, - writes St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. " I saw those suffering grievously, who, with a bodily ailment, as if by some kind of penance, got rid of the passion of their souls.”, - points out John of the Ladder.

Sickness Brings the Sick Closer to God Through Prayer: « ”, exhorts St. Nilus of Sinai. The torments of the sick move the neighbor to compassion and prayer.

The disease is often imputed to a patient sufferer instead of a feat: « Whoever endures the disease with patience and thanksgiving, it is imputed to him instead of a feat and even more.”, - said St. Seraphim of Sarov. Illness has the power to soften hearts and make them aware of their weakness.. Sometimes only when we ourselves are seriously ill, in a state of helplessness and suffering, we begin to fully appreciate human complicity and care. " Saint Athanasius the Great, coming to Saint Niphon, who was lying on his deathbed, and sitting down beside him, asked him: “Father! Is there any benefit to being sick? Saint Niphon answered: “Just as gold, kindled by fire, is cleansed of rust, so a person who suffers illness is cleansed of his sins.».

That is, a disease with the right attitude towards it can bring a lot of benefits to a person.

So, based on the foregoing, we can draw the following conclusions.

The Lord allows sickness and sorrow to people:

1. For sins: for their redemption, for changing the vicious way of life, awareness of this viciousness and understanding that earthly life is a short moment behind which there is eternity, and what it will be for you depends on your earthly life.

2. Often for the sins of parents children get sick so that grief crushes their crazy life, makes them think and change). In these cases, however cruel it may seem to the modern seculative ( i.e. indifferent to religion) to a person brought up in the spirit of humanism ( a spirit that deifies the body and puts its needs and desires above all else), but the words sound true: illness is necessary for such people to save their souls! For, first of all, the Lord cares about the salvation of the eternal soul of man, and for this, man must become a new being, the way he was conceived by God, for which he must change, be cleansed of passions and vices. At the head of life should be God and the commandments of Christ, and not temporary, transient health, prosperity, abundance of food and clothing. All this is a golden calf, for which the ancient Jews often changed their Eternal God, just as many modern Christians betray Christ.

3. In view of the special life calling of the child.

4. Often to cultivate our humility and patience so essential to eternal life.

5. To prevent evil and disastrous deeds. There is a parable about the Lord. Once Jesus Christ was walking with his disciples along the road, and they saw a man without legs from birth begging by the road, and the disciples asked why he had no legs? Christ replied: If he had legs, he would go through the whole earth with fire and sword».

6. Often, to save us from a big trouble with a little trouble. For if in this situation we remained healthy and acted as usual, some greater misfortune could happen to us, and so, pulling us out of the ordinary course of life with illness, the Lord saves us from it.

WAYS OF HEALING

Now let's talk about the possible ways of healing from diseases that have appeared for spiritual reasons, and about the forces by which they are performed. Let's first look at this type of healing, as healing by divine power, which, like clairvoyance, given to a person with a purified heart, completely devoted to Christ, mostly an ascetic and ascetic. Such, for example, are the holy great martyr and healer Panteleimon, the unmercenary Cosmas and Damian, the holy martyr Cyprian, the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, and others.

Take a look at their lives. They treated first of all the soul and only then - the body. For the soul is an eternal thing, much more valuable than a temporary, transient body. And in the people healed by them, life itself changed, faith strengthened, the soul was cleansed of passions.

Thus, if we consider the healings that were performed by the power of God, we will see that the saints acted not by a biofield, not by pumping energy, but by the Holy Spirit. At the same time, first of all, the moral causes of the disease, if any, were eliminated. In the Gospel of Matthew, in the case of the healing by our Lord Jesus Christ of a “relaxed” (sick), we see that before he was told: “ Your sins are forgiven you, "- and then already" get up and walk» (Matthew 9:5).

You can also cite many cases of healing the sick, performed at the relics and clothes of the saints. Here is one case from personal practice: a mitten that belonged to St. Immediately after this, the patient began to move the fingers of the paralyzed hand and was soon able to walk. The attending physicians were amazed at such a quick healing.

So, The Christian attitude towards disease is:
- in humble acceptance of the will of God;
- in the awareness of one's sinfulness and sins, for which the disease was allowed;
- in repentance and change of way of life.

It is very important to confess cleanly and often, not to have serious sins in your soul, since sins are the very window, penetrating into which the unclean spirit acts on our soul and body. Periodic communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ fills our hearts with Divine grace, heals mental and bodily ailments. In the Sacrament of Unction (unction) we are forgiven for forgotten sins, our soul and body are healed. Holy water and prosphora, taken in the morning on an empty stomach, also sanctify our nature. Bathing in holy springs, anointing with consecrated oil taken from miraculous icons are very useful. Frequent reading of the Gospel and the Psalter enlightens our soul and drives away the disease-causing effects of fallen spirits.

Prayer, fasting, almsgiving and other virtues propitiate the Lord, and He sends us healing from diseases. If we go to doctors, then we need to ask God's blessing for treatment and trust them to treat the body, not the soul. Your soul, except for God, cannot be trusted to anyone.

Having miraculously received healing from an illness, many did not pay attention to the beneficence of God and their obligation to be grateful for the beneficence, began to lead a sinful life, turned the gift of God to their own detriment, alienated themselves from God, lost their salvation. For this reason, miraculous healings are very rare, although carnal wisdom respects them very much and would very much desire them. " Ask, and you do not receive, because you do not ask for good, but in order to use it for your desires."(James 4: 3).

The spiritual mind teaches that illnesses and other sorrows that God sends to man are sent by God's special mercy as bitter healing cures for the sick, they contribute to our salvation, our eternal well-being much more surely than miraculous healings.

In addition, many diseases arise as a result of the influence of unclean spirits, and the results of these demonic attacks are very similar to a natural disease.

It is known from the Gospel story that the crouched woman had a spirit of weakness (Luke 13:11-16). She was not possessed, but her sickness came from the action of an unclean spirit. In this case, any medical art becomes powerless. That is why St. Basil the Great says: Just as medical art should not run at all, so it is incongruous to place all hope in it alone.". For such diseases are healed only by the power of God by driving out the spirit of malice. This happens as a result of the correct spiritual life of the sick person, and if necessary, the reprimands made by the clergy, specially blessed for this by the hierarchy.

Many Holy Fathers wrote about the correct attitude towards diseases. And many of them came to a conclusion that is paradoxical for a secular person. They recommended rejoicing in illness. Here is how the holy righteous John of Kronstadt explains it: My brother! Take my sincere advice: endure generously your illness and not only do not lose heart, but on the contrary, if you can, rejoice in your illness. Why rejoice, you ask, when she breaks up and down? Rejoice in the fact that the Lord has exacted you with a temporary punishment, “for the Lord, whom the Lord loves, punishes him, and beats every son whom he receives” (Heb. 12: 6). Rejoice in the fact that you bear the cross of illness and, therefore, you are walking the narrow and sorrowful path leading to the Kingdom of Heaven».

The saints prayed in illness like this: I thank You, Lord, for everything that You deigned to send me for enlightenment and correction. Lord, glory to You for everything that happens to me! Be Thy holy will. Do not deprive me of Your mercy! Make this sickness be the cleansing of my sins!»

According to the teaching of the Holy Fathers, to those who endure the disease with patience and thanksgiving, it is imputed instead of a feat and even more. For a little suffering in earthly life, a person will receive a great reward in eternal life. If you do not treat the pain spiritually, it can harden. If, however, it is taken as a medicine from the hand of God, then the person receives Divine consolation and will be counted among the martyrs.

« Faithful is God, - encourages the Apostle Paul, - who will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength, but when tempted will give relief, so that you can endure"(1 Corinthians 10:13).

When a person does not grumble, but gives thanks for suffering, he is worthy of great glory and is equal to a hermit ascetic. But if the disease is a very common phenomenon, then the ascetic exploits of desert dwellers are the lot of the few.

At the same time, Holy Scripture testifies that “the health and well-being of the body is more precious than any gold, and a strong body is better than untold wealth; there is no wealth better than bodily health. Better is death than a miserable life or a continuing illness” (Sir.30:15-17). The Lord preserves a truly believing and repentant person from illnesses. " If you obey the voice of the Lord your God, the Bible instructs, and do what is right in His eyes, and heed His commandments, and keep all His statutes, then I will not bring on you any of the diseases that I brought on Egypt"(Ex. 15:26). The Lord made this general promise not only in relation to the "Egyptian plagues." He promised to remove all infirmity from the believers, to deliver them "from a fatal plague ... a plague that walks in darkness, an infection that devastates at noon" (Ps. 91:3,6). In the Slavic translation of this psalm, it is written absolutely unambiguously: “ Evil will not come to you, and the wound will not approach your body, as if by His Angel a commandment about you, save you in all your ways» (Ps.90:10-11). The wisdom of God saves from troubles (in the Slavic text - “deliver from illnesses”) those who serve her (Wisdom Sol. 10: 9). As already mentioned, health is the original norm of human existence, and disease is the result of the fall. Therefore, one can and should wish for health, but at the same time, an appropriate Christian attitude should be developed towards illnesses.

« My son! .. pray to the Lord, and He will heal you, - the biblical sage teaches. - Leave a sinful life and correct your hands, and cleanse your heart from all sin ... And give a place to the doctor, for the Lord created him, and let him not move away from you, for he is needed ... Whoever sins before the Creator of him, let him fall into the hands of a doctor !" (Sir.38:9-10,12,15). The Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church also wrote about the need for treatment. “Your illness grieved me,” St. Nektarios of Aegina wrote to his spiritual daughter. - You caught a cold due to dampness in your cell, as it was impossible to repair it with meager funds. Why didn't you write to me? I would send money... Don't freeze anymore, don't endanger your life... Illness hinders the spiritual growth of those who have not reached perfection. You need health for spiritual work. He who is imperfect and who goes out to battle will be smitten, know this, if he is not healthy, for he will lack that moral strength that strengthens the perfect. For the imperfect, health is a chariot that carries the fighter to the victorious end of the battle. That is why I advise you to be reasonable, know the measure in everything and avoid excesses ... Let P., together with A., take you to the doctor in order to make sure that your cold has not left any consequences. You should heed his instructions. Being in good health, you will be able to grow spiritually, otherwise your efforts will be in vain.».

« You can not be treated in the expectation that God will heal, - said St. Theophan the Recluse, - but it is very brave. It is possible not to be treated for an exercise in patience, in devotion to the will of God, but this is very high, and at the same time every “oh!” will be blamed, only one grateful rejoicing is appropriate". So, It is not forbidden for a Christian to heal or resort to the services of doctors. However, one must avoid the danger of placing all hope of recovery on doctors, medicines and medical procedures. The Holy Scripture speaks with reproof about the Israeli king Asa, who “in his illness did not seek the Lord, but doctors” (2 Chronicles 16:12).

The Christian must remember that whether he is healed miraculously or through doctors and medicines, healing in any case comes from the Lord. Therefore, according to the words of the Optina Elder Macarius, “in medicines and treatment, one must surrender to the will of God. He is strong both to reason with the doctor, and to give strength to medicine. And at the forefront of treatment, respectively, should put spiritual means: “ In illnesses, before doctors and medicines, use prayer”, - teaches Nil of Sinai.

PASSION AND ILLNESS

Man is a whole being. Consciousness and body, soul and spirit are indivisible parts of a single system. To achieve complete healing, you cannot treat only the symptoms of the disease, you need to treat the whole person. It is necessary to determine what violations at the spiritual, mental and physical level led to the onset of the disease. Therefore, with The most important thing for a sick person is reconciliation with God, the restoration of a correct spiritual life.. The second stage of recovery is the acquisition of spiritual integrity, peace of mind, peace with oneself, awareness of responsibility for one's illness. In Holy Scripture we find a number of indications of the connection between passions and illnesses: Jealousy and anger shorten the days, but premature care brings old age."(Sir.30:26); " Do not indulge in sorrow with your soul and do not torment yourself with your suspiciousness; the joy of the heart is the life of a man, and the joy of a husband is a long life ... Comfort your heart and remove sadness from yourself, for sadness has killed many, but there is no benefit in it"(Sir. 30:22-25).

HEART DISEASES

According to the patristic view, the center of a person's spiritual life is the heart. Here is what the Gospel says about it: For from within, from the human heart, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, malice, deceit, lasciviousness, an envious eye ... All this evil comes from within, and defiles a person"(Mark 7:21-23). The Psalter says this: Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a contrite and humble heart You will not despise, O God"(Ps.50:19). The heart is the feeling part of the soul and is considered by the Holy Fathers as the center of a person's spiritual life. " The heart here is meant not natural, but allegorically, as an internal human state, disposition and inclinations.». « A heart poisoned by sin does not cease to give birth from itself, from its damaged nature, sinful sensations and thoughts.", - writes St. Ignatius Brianchaninov. Therefore, “the whole power of the Christian life consists in the correction and renewal of the heart,” accomplished through repentance.

Also, many foreign psychologists believe that the heart is closely connected with the area of ​​feelings. In traditional cultures, the heart was seen as a symbol of love, the center of human vitality. The heart beats with joy, shrinks with pain, people take a lot to heart ... It is customary to talk about coldness of the heart, heartlessness, kindness. The heart responds to emotional shocks by changing the rhythm.

We must understand that the heart is apparently the most sensitive organ in the body. Our existence depends on its steady rhythmic activity. When this rhythm changes even for a moment, for example, when the heart stops or races, we experience anxiety for the very essence of our life.

I will briefly repeat the Orthodox point of view on the relationship between passions and heart disease.

Retribution for anger (malice)- hypertension, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, strokes, urolithiasis and cholelithiasis, neurasthenia, psychopathy, epilepsy.

Retribution for vanity, which is usually accompanied by anger, - diseases of the cardiovascular system and neuropsychiatric diseases (neurosis, manic states).

Coronary thrombosis and angina pectoris are increasingly causes of suffering for those possessed by obsessive-compulsive states and aggravated remorse of people who have great responsibility (physicians, lawyers and industrial administrators) - they, according to A. Lowen, are almost occupational diseases. The causes of heart disease are also:

1) fear that I will be accused of what I do not like;

2) feelings of loneliness and fear. Constant feeling that “I have flaws, “I don’t do much”, “I will never succeed”;

3) expulsion from the heart of joy for the sake of money, or a career, or something else;

4) lack of love, as well as emotional isolation. The heart responds to emotional shocks by changing the rhythm. Heart disorders occur due to inattention to one's own feelings. A person who considers himself unworthy of love, who does not believe in the possibility of love, or who forbids himself to show his love for other people, will certainly face manifestations of cardiovascular diseases. Finding contact with your true feelings, with the voice of your own heart, greatly alleviates the burden of heart disease, eventually leading to partial or complete recovery;

5) ambitious, goal-oriented workaholics are more likely to experience stress, and for them the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease increases;

7) a tendency to excessive intellectualization, combined with isolation and emotional impoverishment;

8) repressed feelings of anger.

Heart disease often arises as a result of a lack of love and security, as well as from emotional closeness. Heart disorders occur due to inattention to one's own feelings. A person who forbids himself to show his love for other people will certainly face manifestations of cardiovascular diseases. Learning to connect with your true feelings, with the voice of your own heart, greatly eases the burden of heart disease, eventually leading to partial or complete recovery. Orthodoxy always calls for sincerity, openness, spontaneity in expressing one's feelings. " Be like children”, says Jesus Christ (Mt. 18:3). And children, as long as they are not spoiled by wrong upbringing, are always sincere and whole. When they feel bad, they cry, when they have fun - they laugh, love and openly talk about everything. This is necessary for maintaining mental and physical health. You can not drive your feelings and emotions inside. They do not disappear, but, according to the law of conservation of energy, they rush into the subconscious, from where they have a destructive effect on the person as a whole. You may ask: what to do with negative emotions? Shouldn't they be overcome? Of course, you need to work with them. At the same time, we must remember that hidden, for example, malice, envy or lust have a destructive effect on the body of a sinner. You need to get rid of them. How? For example, heartfelt prayer and repentance before God. It is good to use earthly prostrations, to read prayers of repentance aloud. To improve the body, you can do hard homework or sports. Fast walking or jogging until you sweat, for men - shadow boxing or sports games contribute to the removal of negative energy. Any kind of creativity, playing musical instruments or singing will also be useful in this situation. It's all for body and soul. But, as we have already said, we must begin with spiritual work. If you do not repent of your sins and existing passions, do not counteract and overcome them, everything else becomes useless. Since the root of illness, sorrow and misfortune will remain intact. And the temptation will be constantly repeated, taking possession of a person and destroying him.

RHYTHM DISORDERS

psychosomatic reasons. Interruptions in the work of the heart indicate that you have lost your own rhythm of life and an alien rhythm that is not characteristic of you is imposed on you. You are in a hurry somewhere, hurry up, fuss. Anxiety and fear seize your soul and begin to rule your feelings.

The way of healing is in a change of activity. You need to start doing in life what you are really interested in, what brings you joy and satisfaction. Take time to be alone with yourself, calm your feelings, stay longer in prayer.

BLOOD PRESSURE DISORDERS

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

A person with high blood pressure may appear outwardly friendly and reserved, but it is easy to find that these superficial features are a reactive formation aimed at suppressing aggressive impulses. That is, external benevolence is not sincere, but superficial, covering internal aggressiveness. The latter, having no external outlet, bombards the cardiovascular system with accumulated energy, causing an increase in pressure. Hypertension patients who are chronically ready to fight have dysfunction of the circulatory apparatus. They suppress the free expression of dislike towards other people because of the desire to be loved. Their hostile emotions seethe but have no outlet. In their youth, they can be bullies, but as they age, they notice that they push people away from themselves with their behavior, and begin to suppress their own emotions. If they do not have repentance, prayer, directed struggle with their passion, then self-destruction will continue more and more intensely. Also, unresolved, including chronic, emotional problems can serve as the cause of increased pressure. Before them, you must definitely find out, perhaps with the help of a psychologist, bring them out, experience them, rethink them, and thus resolve them.

Hypotension (low blood pressure)

psychosomatic reasons. Often this is despondency or a defeatist mood: “It won’t work anyway,” as well as disbelief in oneself, in God’s help, in one’s own strengths and capabilities. A person suffering from hypotension often tries to avoid conflict situations and avoid responsibility.

The path of healing. It is necessary to live an active life, set realistic goals and achieve them, learning to overcome obstacles and possible conflicts. We must remember that despondency is a mortal sin. " I can do everything in Jesus Christ who strengthens me”, - said the apostle Paul (Phil. 4:13). And every believer should make this statement his creed. The Lord is omnipotent. And if He is love incarnate, and I am His beloved child, what is impossible for me? The Lord provides for every person: And the hair from your head will not be lost”, - said by Jesus Christ in the Holy Gospel (Luke 21:18). Therefore, in the life of a believer there is no place for despondency. And if one is found, it means that a demonic attack is underway, which should be resisted by prayer, confession, reading the Holy Scriptures, communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. The cause of hypotension can also serve as a lack of love in childhood. If a child did not receive maternal love, was lonely, spiritually and emotionally abandoned, at the bodily level this can be expressed in hypotension. Again, a full spiritual life, saturated with love, when a person knows how to give and receive love, is the fundamental basis for healing from this disease. Physically, sports, massage, outdoor activities are useful - everything that will make life more intense and fulfilling.

DISEASES OF THE STOMACH

Dr. Flander Dunbar of the Presbyterian Hospital in New York was convinced that some diseases were predominantly affected by people with a certain type of personality. People of the “gastric-ulcer type” may outwardly appear ambitious, strong-willed and stubborn, but hide under this weak will and character. That is, a person, violating his natural nature, adopts a style of behavior that is not characteristic of him. He wants to seem different from what he really is. And he constantly forces himself to do so. This emotional discomfort and the experiences associated with them, even if driven into the subconscious area, give disturbances in the work of the gastrointestinal tract at the bodily level. Complete healing is possible only with awareness and repentance of one's sinful inclinations (pride, vanity, conceit), humble acceptance of oneself as one is, and in natural, sincere behavior that expresses true emotions and feelings.

Gastric problems: ulcerative colitis, constipation - according to psychotherapists, are the result of "stuck" in the past and unwillingness to take responsibility for the present. The stomach is sensitive to our problems, fears, hatred, aggressiveness and worries. Suppression of these feelings, unwillingness to admit them to oneself, an attempt to ignore and forget them, and not to comprehend, realize and resolve, can cause various stomach disorders. Prolonged irritation, manifested in a state of stress, leads to gastritis.

Often people suffering from gastric diseases try to prove to others their indispensability, they experience envy, they are characterized by a constant feeling of anxiety, hypochondria.

People with peptic ulcer disease are characterized by anxiety, irritability, increased diligence and a heightened sense of duty. They are characterized by low self-esteem, accompanied by excessive vulnerability, shyness, resentment, self-doubt, and at the same time, increased demands on themselves, pride, suspiciousness. It is noticed that these people strive to do much more than they can. They are characterized by emotional overcoming of difficulties, combined with strong internal anxiety. Such people constantly control themselves and loved ones. Rejection of the surrounding reality and dislike for anything in this world, constant fears, an increased sense of disgust can also lead to peptic ulcer. The ways of healing lie in strengthening faith in God and trust in Him. It is necessary to learn to endure, forgive and love, to enjoy life more and not to focus on its negative manifestations, to cultivate positive emotions, love and peace in oneself.

Nausea, vomiting

psychosomatic reasons. There is something in the patient's life that he does not accept, does not digest and from which he wants to be freed. It is characterized by intransigence, a categorical unwillingness to accept this or that state of affairs, subconscious fears.

The path of healing. It is necessary to accept everything that happens as the Providence of God, to draw positive lessons from everything, to learn how to assimilate new ideas, to fulfill the commandment of God about love for enemies.

Motion sickness (motion sickness)

psychosomatic reasons. At the heart of the disease are subconscious fears, horror of the unknown, fear of travel.

The path of healing. In learning to trust yourself and the one who is driving. Believe in the divine Providence of God about you: and a hair will not fall from your head without the will of your Heavenly Father.

constipation

Constipation indicates an excess of accumulated feelings and experiences that a person cannot or does not want to part with. Their reasons are as follows:

1) unwillingness to part with an outdated way of thinking; stuck in the past; sometimes causticity;

2) accumulated emotional anxieties and experiences that a person does not seek to part with, cannot or does not want to get rid of them, making room for new emotions;

3) sometimes constipation is the result of stinginess and greed.

The path of healing. Let go of your past. Throw old things out of the house and make room for new ones. Work on the mental attitude: "I'm getting rid of the old and making room for the new." Remember the Providence of God for you, about His love and care. Accept everything that happens as if from the hand of God. In confession, speak out the thoughts and feelings that torment you. Overcome the love of money, develop in yourself non-possession and love for your neighbors.

Flatulence

Flatulence is often the result of tightness, fear and unrealized ideas, inability to "digest" the growing mass of events and information. The path of healing is to develop calmness and consistency in actions.

Learn to set goals and achieve them. Make a plan and act, but don't get carried away.

Indigestion

Its causes are animal fear, horror, restlessness, as well as constant discontent and complaints.

The path of healing is to strengthen faith in God and His good Providence for every person, regular confession and communion, the development of humility in oneself.

Diarrhea, colitis

Psychosomatic causes are manifested in strong fear and anxiety, a sense of the insecurity of this world.

The path of healing: when fear sets in, pray to God and the Mother of God. Read the 90th psalm many times. Learn to trust in God. Bring fears and worries to confession as sinful manifestations.

Heartburn

Heartburn, an excess of gastric juice, indicates repressed aggressiveness, as well as various kinds of fears. The solution to the problem at the psychosomatic level is the transformation of the forces of repressed aggression into an active life position, as well as creativity and those ways of overcoming aggression that were indicated above.

DISEASES OF THE INTESTINE

Diseases of the mucous membrane of the large intestine

The cause of this disease may be the mental sphere of a person. Layering of old experiences, sinful daydreaming, pondering past grievances and failures, a kind of trampling in the viscous quagmire of the past - all this can serve the development of this disease. We must remember that our mental sphere is constantly subjected to violent influence from the demonic world. And if we do not sober up, that is, uncontrollably accept all the thoughts that come to us, then we find ourselves defenseless against the destructive influence of fallen spirits. You need to constantly cultivate good thoughts in yourself, and drive away the evil ones with prayer and repentance at confession.

Hemorrhoids, abscess, fistula, fissures

Psychosomatic causes are manifested in difficulties in getting rid of the old and unnecessary in life. Anger, fear, anger, guilt about some past events. The pain of loss, unpleasant emotions driven into the subconscious.

The path of healing. Calm and painless getting rid of the old. Work on the attitude: “What comes out of my body is what I don’t need and interferes with. So, everything that hinders and hinders spiritual development leaves my life.” It is necessary to develop in oneself hope in the good Providence of God.

KIDNEY DISEASES

The kidneys symbolize the ability to get rid of what can poison our lives. The causes of kidney disease are psychosomatic. They are based on a combination of such negative emotions as harsh criticism, condemnation, anger, anger, resentment and hatred with strong disappointment and a sense of failure, as well as low self-esteem, seeing oneself as an eternal loser, a sense of shame, fear of the future, despondency and unwillingness to live. in this world.

The path of healing. Control over your thoughts, overcoming fear and anger, increasing self-esteem, developing patience, humility and love for others.

Kidney stones, colic

Psychosomatic reasons: aggressive emotions driven into the subconscious, anger, fears, disappointments. Renal colic is a consequence of irritation, impatience and dissatisfaction with the environment and people.

The path of healing is in the development of humility and patience, trust in God and His good Providence.

Inflammation of the urinary tract, urethritis, cystitis

Psychosomatic causes consist in irritation and anger at the opposite sex, anxiety and restlessness.

Path of Healing. Hope in God, the ability to forgive, endure and love.

Nephritis

Psychosomatic causes:
1) overreacting to disappointments and failures;
2) feeling like a worthless loser doing everything wrong;

The path of healing. We must accept everything that happens as a condition of our salvation, as a medicine sent by God Himself. One should realize: “I can do everything in the Lord who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). Psychological work to improve your internal self-esteem.

Diseases of the adrenal glands

psychosomatic reasons. Depressed mood; an overabundance of destructive ideas; disregard for oneself; sense of anxiety; acute emotional hunger; self-flagellation.

The path of healing. It is necessary to cultivate a creative principle in oneself, to develop the ability to love and sacrifice oneself for the sake of one's neighbor. Regularly participate in church services, actively contribute to the works of mercy. Be realistic, tune in to positive thoughts and emotions.

PANCREATITIS

psychosomatic reasons. Acute rejection of people, events, situations; anger and feelings of hopelessness; loss of joy in life.

The path of healing. Development of love, patience and compassion for people; hope in God in everything and life according to the commandments of God.

DIABETES

There are two types of diabetes. In both cases, the blood sugar level is elevated, but in one case, the introduction of insulin is necessary, because. it is not produced in the body, and in another it is enough to use sugar-lowering substances. In the latter case, it may be caused by atherosclerosis. Diabetes often occurs in older people who accumulate a lot of negative emotions in the subconscious: grief, longing, resentment for life. They have the impression that there is nothing good (sweet) left in life, they experience a strong deficit of joy. Diabetes is terrible for its complications: glaucoma, cataracts, sclerosis, vasoconstriction of the extremities, especially the legs. The patient often dies from these complications. At the heart of these diseases lies a lack of joy.

The ways of healing are in faith in God as the source of life, joy and love; in trust in Him; thanksgiving for everything; in repentance for all past sins. It is necessary to remember and implement the words of the Apostle Paul: Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. Thank you for everything"(1 Thess. 5:16-18). Learn to rejoice, to see the good, and let the bad pass by. Learn to give joy to others.

EYE PROBLEMS

On a psychosomatic level the basis of problems with the eyes can be the reluctance to see something, the rejection of the surrounding world as it is, as well as the accumulation of negative emotions in the soul: hatred, aggression, anger, anger. The eyes are the mirror of the soul, and if these sinful passions are alive in the soul, then they cloud the inner, and then the outer vision. To overcome this tendency, we must remember the Providence of God about each person and about the entire existing world. Everything that the Lord has allowed can play a positive role in our salvation, if we perceive it correctly. The sinfulness of other people should be perceived with pity for them, love and compassion. By committing a sinful act, they destroy themselves first of all, moving away from God and surrendering to the power of demons. An Orthodox Christian should not turn away and hate, but endure and pray for them. With such an attitude, the cause of psychosomatic illness will also disappear. At the same time, people often say: “I hate you”, “my eyes wouldn’t see you”, “I can’t see you”, etc. Pride and stubbornness prevent such people from noticing the good in the world around them. Taking demonic thoughts for their own, they see the world in a black light, through the eyes of fallen spirits. Naturally, with such a vision, their vision is destroyed. It is necessary to cultivate good thoughts in oneself, not accepting demonic ones, to live in communion with God, and psychosomatic causes will be removed.

Dry eyes

Dryness in the eyes (conjunctivitis, keratitis) can be generated by our evil look; unwillingness to look at the world with love; sinful attitude: "I'd rather die than forgive." Sometimes the reason can be gloating. The stronger the negative emotions (anger, hatred, resentment), the stronger the inflammation of the eyes. According to the "law of the boomerang", aggression comes back and hits its source in the eyes. Accordingly, healing from this disease occurs along with the eradication of sinful actions and attitudes, repentance at confession, the development of kindness in oneself, the ability to forgive and benevolence towards everyone around.

Barley

psychosomatic reasons. Most likely, you look at the world with evil eyes. Within yourself, you cultivate anger towards someone.

The path of healing. It is necessary to reconsider your attitude towards a hated person or circumstances. Learn to forgive, endure and love. The eyes are the mirror of the soul, and in many respects their state depends on thoughts. Learn to accept good thoughts and drive away evil ones.

Strabismus

psychosomatic reasons. One-sided view of things. Strabismus that occurs in childhood reflects a certain behavior of the parents. Most likely, they are in deep conflict and act against each other. For a child, parents are the two most important people in the world. And the conflict between them literally tears the soul of the child in half, which can also manifest itself in eye diseases.

The path of healing. Reconciliation of parents and close relatives, unanimity of father and mother, their love and attention to the child.

Glaucoma

With this disease, intraocular pressure rises, severe pain in the eyeball appears. It becomes difficult for the patient to look at the world with open eyes.

psychosomatic reasons. Some old resentments against people, fate, circumstances press on the subconscious of a person. There is constant heartache and unwillingness to forgive. Glaucoma signals to a person that he is subjecting himself to strong internal pressure, bombarding his nervous system with negative feelings from the subconscious.

The path of healing. You need to learn to forgive and accept the world as it is. In prayer, turn your feelings and thoughts to God, ask Him for help and intercession. Don't be afraid to express your positive emotions. Wash your eyes with holy water several times a day, ask the Mother of God and the saints for help. You can recommend light physical activity, long walks in the fresh air, taking air and water baths, some breathing exercises.

Cataract

Most often occurs in older people.

psychosomatic reasons. Lack of hope for a happy future, gloomy views of the future, expectation of old age, illness, death. Thus, self-programming for suffering in old age occurs.

The path of healing. Faith in God and immortal life. Understanding that God is love and will reward with joy and happiness to everyone who chooses the path of light. Awareness that there is a need and its charm in every age.

ASTHENIA, FEELING POWERFUL

Today, these ailments affect many people. Anyone who does not find sufficient strength in himself to overcome the disease, in fact, simply escapes responsibility for his own life. Behind all this lies a lack of trust in God, a fear of making mistakes, a lack of boldness. The beginning of getting rid of asthenic manifestations will be the realization that God is Love. He cares for every person. Opening to His holy will and living in accordance with it is the task of every Christian. And when you are with the Lord, nothing is impossible for you.

Mentally asthenia may be the result of past unsuccessful endeavors. Having been defeated several times, a person sticks the label of a loser on himself and gives up in advance the thought of the possible success of his intentions. As a result, low self-esteem dominates his entire life.

Here you need to increase your self-esteem. We must remember our successes and successful undertakings. Associate them with the upcoming activity and say to yourself: “As I did it then, so it will work today.” And praying to God, start your own business. To avoid self-confidence, which can also be the cause of failure, a person must constantly remember that he is not better or worse than others, but like everyone else. And if others can do it, then he can do it too.

ONCOLOGY

Cancer has long been considered a disease beyond individual control, irreversible and incurable. Cancer strikes without warning, and it seems that the patient is almost unable to influence the course or outcome of the disease. Recently, there have been several widely publicized attempts in the scientific community to change this view. According to the current theory of this disease, cancer cells are constantly being produced in every body. The immune system successfully fights back by flushing them out of the body until one or another factor reduces the body's resistance, causing susceptibility to cancer. A significant body of evidence suggests that stress reduces resistance to disease by affecting the immune system and hormonal balance.

According to the psychosomatic theory, cancer is generated by unforgiven grievances, excessive fixation on some kind of loss, hatred, loss of the meaning of life. Hidden grievances of the past, anger and anger, hatred and the desire for revenge literally devour the body. This is a deep internal conflict. The place of manifestation of the disease also depends on spiritual causes. For example, damage to the genitals indicates that our femininity or masculinity is affected. The defeat of the digestive tract is associated with rejection of events and unwillingness to forgive; respiratory organs - with deep disappointment in life.

Path of Healing. To avoid this disease, you just need to live according to the Christian commandments, be able to endure, forgive and love. This was also commanded by Jesus Christ Himself in the prayer to God the Father, which He gave to people. "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Just as the Lord forgave everything to everyone and even prayed for His crucifiers, so He commanded His followers to do as well. For healing, a complete change of one's worldview to a Christian one is necessary. You need to take responsibility for your life, illness and health. Determine the meaning of your life and rid your mind of everything alien. Try to enjoy life more.

NERVOUSNESS

Nervousness often manifests itself as a state of internal restlessness - urges and impulses for disorderly activity due to chaotic emotional outbursts. A person is aware of the need for change, but does not understand what exactly he should change. Nervous, he experiences internal pressure, constantly feeling that reality is not as he would like. He either rushes about in search of solutions to problems, or painfully adapts his requests to reality. Most often this happens because a person has not gained faith in God and has not rebuilt his entire life in accordance with the commandments of God. Nervousness can also arise due to a discrepancy between the desired and the actual.

In this case, a person should calm down and analyze the causes of his nervous state. Having found out, take spiritual and mental actions to overcome them.

PSYCHOPATHY

Let us now consider the main types of psychopathy and their moral causes, indicated by Academician D.A. Avdeev.

1. Excitable psychopaths, epileptoids: the cause is pride, the passion of anger, anger, intolerance, rage.

2. Tantrums: the cause is pride, the passion of vanity. Common signs are the desire for an external effect, posturing, capriciousness, egocentrism.

3. Schizoids: the reason is the passion of pride, emotional coldness, alienation, non-contact, lack of love, preoccupation with oneself.

4. Unstable psychopaths: the reason is the passion of pride and anger. Extremely strong criminal orientation, lack of any mercy.

5. Cycloids: the reason is pride, despondency, vanity. (The change of phases is shorter than the phase of euphoria and longer than the phase of depression. Lack of moral guidelines, substitution of their moods.)

A severe mental illness that darkens the mind and will frees from responsibility for one's actions. People suffering from Down's syndrome, oligophrenia, autism, schizophrenia and similar diseases, God judges differently from mentally healthy people. And what is forgiven by the first, will not be forgiven by the second. Therefore, one of the ways to save the soul, which the Heavenly Father chooses, is a congenital pathology of the brain, which limits or completely disables. Elder Paisios Svyatogorets speaks very categorically on this score: mentally underdeveloped children are saved. " Without much difficulty they go to heaven. If like this, spiritually, the parents consider this matter, then they themselves will benefit, and will have a spiritual reward.". In one of the letters of St. Theophan the Recluse there is a remarkable phrase about weak-minded people: “ Idiots! Yes, they are only idiots for us, and not for themselves and not for God. Their spirit grows in its own way. It may turn out that we, the wise, will be worse than idiots.».

Epilepsy, convulsions, convulsions, spasms

psychosomatic reasons. Often these diseases are caused by strong mental stress, which can be generated by causeless panic fear, persecution mania, a feeling of strong internal struggle, a desire to commit violence. A person so inflates himself with “his” thoughts that the body at times refuses to listen to him and makes erratic movements. During a seizure, consciousness is partially or completely turned off. This once again emphasizes that the causes of the disease are hidden in the subconscious and outside influences. Often, but by no means always, these seizures are the result of possession and madness. Often, epilepsy is detected during adolescence, just at the time when puberty begins. This is the so-called crisis of adolescence, when the control over emotions and thoughts in children is minimal. Patients are often characterized by a high level of subconscious aggression towards the outside world and other people. This aggression can be expressed in hatred, contempt, jealousy. All this testifies to the deep spiritual defeat of such people.

The path of healing. Awareness of one's sinfulness. Deep repentance. Overcoming the passions of pride, anger, rancor. Control over your thoughts and feelings. Prayer, participation in church sacraments. Verbalization of one's feelings and experiences, development of openness to the world and people, trust and love for others.

Hyperactivity, nervous tics

psychosomatic reasons. A common cause of the disease is the parents' rejection of their child as he is, their lack of trust in him and lack of love. Perhaps the mother of such a baby had abortions in the past, or the parents considered the pregnancy untimely and undesirable. Perhaps, after the birth of a child, parents were visited by thoughts that the worries that appeared prevent them from being realized in life, moving up the career ladder or arranging a personal life. Often the cause of a child’s illness is resentment, mutual claims, lack of love for each other from his mother and father.

The path of healing. When parents change their behavior, begin to truly love the child and each other, the child calms down and relaxes. Prayer for the child, communion in the Church, accustoming him to holy water, spiritual reading and prayer helps a lot.

insomnia

psychosomatic reasons. Fears, anxiety, struggle for a "place in the sun", vanity, strong emotional experiences. All this makes it difficult to relax, calm down and disconnect from daytime worries. An unclean conscience, guilt can also contribute to the formation of insomnia.

The path of healing. It is necessary to change the approach to solving emerging problems. Learn to trust yourself, other people and, most importantly, God. Trust in His good Providence, putting oneself completely into His hands makes a person free from fear. It is necessary to cleanse your soul with repentance, reconcile with your neighbors, and sleep will improve.

RESPIRATORY DISEASES

Asthma

Asthma, lung problems are caused by the inability (or unwillingness) to live independently, as well as the lack of living space. Asthma, convulsively holding back the air currents incoming from the outside world, testifies to the fear of frankness, sincerity, of the need to accept something new that every day of God brings. The skill of accepting the Providence of God in mournful and joyful circumstances of life, trusting God and, as a result, gaining trust in people are an important psychological component that contributes to recovery.

We list only some common causes of asthma.

1. Inability to breathe for one's own good. Feeling overwhelmed. Suppression of sobs. Fear of life. Reluctance to be in a certain place.

2. A person with asthma does not seem to have the right to breathe on his own. Asthmatic children tend to be conscientious. They take the blame for everyone.

3. Asthma occurs when love is suppressed in the family. The child suppresses crying, is afraid of life and does not want to live anymore.

4. Compared to healthy people, asthmatics express more negative emotions, are more likely to get angry, offended, harbor anger and seek revenge.

5. Suppressed sexual desires and at the same time mental immersion in them. On a spiritual level, repentance for impure desires and thoughts is necessary here. When attacking them, it is necessary to read the Gospel, the Psalter or the Theotokos rule (12 or 33 times read “Hail to the Virgin Mother of God”). It is also necessary to channel sexual energy into a creative channel.

6. Asthma in children is most often caused by fear of life, strong unmotivated fear, unwillingness to “be here and now”, self-blame.

Pulmonary diseases

Their psychosomatic causes- depression, sadness, fear of taking life as it is. Patients often consider themselves unworthy of living a full life, have very low self-esteem. The lungs are also a symbolic ability to take and give life. Those who smoke a lot usually deny life. They hide their feelings of inferiority.

Tuberculosis

psychosomatic reasons. Depression, excessive sadness, despondency, intense melancholy, originating in subconscious aggression directed at the world and people, life and destiny. The lack of a full life and the meaning of existence, the fear of breathing deeply.

The path of healing. Finding faith and the spiritual meaning of life. The ability to forgive and seek the Providence of God in everything. Develop patience and humility. Constant reading of the New Testament. Full Confession and Communion.

Bronchitis

Often its cause is a nervous atmosphere in the family, continuous arguments and screams. To overcome this disease, it is necessary to establish correct family relationships, to achieve a peaceful, spiritual atmosphere in the family.

Runny nose

Psychosomatic reasons may be: the body's request for help, internal crying; feeling that you are a victim; non-recognition of one's own value in this life.

psychosomatic reasons. Feeling of loneliness, abandonment; desire to attract the attention of others: “Look at me! Listen to me!" On the other hand, cough acts as a kind of brake. A cough can interrupt the emerging conflict, help shift the negative accents of the conversation.

The path of healing. In the first case, you need to learn how to express your feelings in a worthy way, not to drive emotions inside, especially positive ones. Be able to properly analyze negative feelings.

Asphyxiation

psychosomatic reasons. Strong fear of life and emerging problems, distrust of life. Frequent states of anger, resentment, irritation caused by unwanted events, fear of their repetition.

The path of healing. Faith in God, hope in His good Providence. Fight against greed. Regular reading of the Gospel and the Psalter, frequent confession.

ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Often its causes are stubborn resistance to ongoing events, rejection of them, as well as constant tension, fierce persistence. Refusal to see the good, constant pessimism.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Often it is generated by maximalism, hardness of heart, iron will, lack of flexibility and fear that not everything will go according to plan.

Psychosomatic roots sclerosis and its varieties are often rooted in a lack of joy. Learn to rejoice - and your vessels will be cleansed! Metabolism largely depends on the emotional mood of a person.

Rejection of the surrounding reality and hatred for what is happening, constant tension - all these processes negatively affect the state of blood vessels and often lead to atherosclerosis. Often people with vascular sclerosis are very stubborn. They stubbornly refuse to notice the good in life, they constantly insist that this world is bad, and life is hard and unbearable. Such a state arises from unbelief and demonic influence on a person. “Always rejoice, pray without ceasing, give thanks in everything,” the Apostle Paul teaches us. If we live in the world without God, without hope, without the help of the grace of God, then our destiny is sorrow, sadness and illness. Only having acquired the highest meaning of life, fulfilling the commandments of God, do we feel the joy of the presence of God in our hearts, we receive grace through the sacraments of the Church.

To change the destructive mental state, one should learn to perceive the world and events as they are. If I believe in God, then I know that He is looking after me. Therefore, whatever happens to me happens according to the Providence of God and is directed to my good. For example, in order to acquire the necessary virtues or overcome pathological passions, I learn to change not the world, but my attitude to current events. I try to promote the triumph of good by my prayers and righteous behavior. Reading the Holy Scriptures, and especially the Gospels, helps a lot in acquiring such a dispensation. It is necessary to learn to enjoy life, to see its positive aspects and to thank God for everything.

RHEUMATIC DISEASES

Rheumatism

It is generated by a sense of vulnerability, the need for love, chronic pessimism, resentment. Rheumatism is a disease acquired from constant criticism of oneself and others. Patients with rheumatism usually attract people who constantly criticize them. There is a curse on them - their desire to constantly be "perfection", and with any people, in any situation. In Orthodoxy, this sin is called human pleasing, based on vanity.

Treatment of the disease should begin with overcoming these sins.

Rheumatoid arthritis

The reason for its occurrence may be an overly critical attitude towards ourselves in various life dramas, which we often create for ourselves, not noticing the joy that surrounds us. First of all, it is a sin of despondency, excessive introspection, low self-esteem.

PHLEBEURYSM

psychosomatic reasons. Often this disease leads to being in a situation you hate, fear and anxiety for the future, disapproval of others, and often self-disapproval. For some time, trying not to notice the feeling of being overwhelmed and overwhelmed, a person builds up a feeling of constant dissatisfaction with himself, which finds no way out and makes him “swallow resentment” every day, mostly far-fetched. One of the causes of this disease is an incorrectly chosen direction of the life path.

The path of healing. Think about whether you have chosen the right profession. Does it allow you to unleash your creative potential or slows down your development. Work should give not only money, but also the joy of creativity, the possibility of self-improvement. The way out of this situation is either to come to terms with the circumstances and try to accept them, or to change your life at once. The spiritual path is the acquisition of humility, the calm acceptance of what the Lord sends. Pray for help and for those around you.

THROMBOSIS

psychosomatic reasons. A stop in inner development, clinging to some dogmas that are outdated for you and, possibly, false principles.

The path of healing. Spiritual development and self-improvement.

obliterating endarteritis

psychosomatic reasons. Strong subconscious fear of the future, self-doubt, anxiety for financial situation, hidden grievances.

The path of healing. Trust in God and His Good Providence. Repentance for unbelief. Warming up faith in the Lord.

HYPOGLYCEMIA (LOW GLUCOSE IN THE BLOOD)

Most often this is the result of depression by the hardships of life. Overcoming it with faith and prayer is the way out of this situation.

ANEMIA

psychosomatic reasons. Lack of joy, fear of life, inferiority complex, old grievances.

Way to overcome. It is necessary to determine exactly where (work, money, relationships, love, faith, prayer) life does not bring joy. When you find existing problems, start solving them. The most important thing is to find living communion with God, the source of joy and happiness.

BLEEDING

psychosomatic reasons. Joy is leaving your life, being forced out by old grievances, distrust, hatred, anger driven into the subconscious.

Way to overcome. It is necessary to forgive all insults, learn to endure, forgive and love; remember that God is love, light and joy. Thank God for everything as often as possible, drive away unkind thoughts from yourself.

LYMPHATIC DISEASES

Many experts consider them a warning that you should reorient yourself to the most important thing in life - love and joy. Holy Scripture calls for the same, and Christ Himself, and many saints of God.

Inflammation of the lymph nodes, mononucleosis

psychosomatic reasons. This disease signals that love and joy are leaving a person’s life. Most often it occurs in children. In this case, the reason is rooted in the relationship of the parents, their constant irritation, resentment, anger at each other.

The path of healing. We need to find the reasons why love and joy have left our lives, and eliminate them. Parents of a sick child should make peace, maintain a favorable family atmosphere, and pray together for the child. It is good to go to church together, with the whole family, to go to confession and take communion with one confessor.

SLEEP DISTURBANCE

insomnia

psychosomatic reasons. On the one hand, fear, distrust of life and a sense of guilt, on the other hand, flight from life, unwillingness to recognize its shadow sides.

Way to overcome. Hope in God, prayer, confession and Communion. Possibly a meeting.

HEADACHE

Often occurs as a result of the following reasons.

1. A person suffering from headaches underestimates himself, gnaws at himself with excessive self-criticism, and is tormented by fears. Feeling inferior, humiliated, such a person treats others in the same way.

2. Discrepancy between thoughts and outward behavior.

3. Headaches also often come from the body's low resistance to even minor stresses. A person complaining of constant headaches is all tense and clamped both psychologically and physically. His nervous system is always on edge. And the first symptom of future diseases is a headache. Therefore, doctors working with such patients, first of all, teach them to relax. It is also necessary to try to control your thoughts, not to accept enemy thoughts, to bring your thoughts and actions to unity, to learn flexibility and tact in dealing with other people. You should say what you think, and move away from communication with those who are unpleasant to you. Accept yourself as you are. Learn to see the good in people. Try not to see the bad, or at least do not focus on it.

Fear can also cause headaches. It creates excessive tension, anxiety. Find the phobia that is bothering you. Learn to trust the world around you - God's creation, to believe in the good Providence of the Lord for you. Life in harmony with oneself, love and trust in the world around dissolve any fear.

Often a headache occurs with its constant simulation. For example, a reference to it helps to evade some duties. So, a woman, trying to avoid sexual intercourse, refers to a headache. She does this once, twice, and then with the onset of the evening her head starts to hurt regularly. And pills won't help. Here you need to calmly sort things out with your husband and make an informed decision.

Learn to be mindful and calm about your headaches. Take it first of all as a signal that something in life is going wrong. Do not suppress it with pills. They can only bring temporary relief. Suppressing pain is not the same as curing it. Find the true causes of your headache and eliminate them. In the spiritual plan, the actions should be as follows: forgive yourself and accept yourself as you are, ask for forgiveness from God, rely on His Holy Will, and your headache will disappear by itself.

Migraine

Migraine is a neuralgic headache that is most often localized in one place and tends to appear with a certain frequency. Often arises as a result of hatred of coercion, resistance to the course of life, sexual fears. Migraine affects people who want to look perfect in the eyes of others, as well as those who have accumulated irritation with reality. Simple painkillers do not help here. As a rule, such pains are calmed by tranquilizers and antipsychotics. But only temporarily, since drugs do not eliminate the immediate cause of the disease. And the causes of migraine are most often the same as in the case of an ordinary headache, but certain neurotic character traits are still layered here. In a spiritual sense, a person suffering from this disease must fight human pleasing, overcome vanity, develop humility and patience in himself.

AMNESIA (LOSS OF MEMORY), WEAKNESS OF MEMORY

Fear, which has passed into the subconscious, can be one of the main causes of amnesia, or memory weakness. And not just fear, but an escape from life. Man tends to forget everything. What advice is most often given by close and unpleasant situations? "Forget about it!" And if you follow this advice, then over time you can feel the deterioration of memory.

Sometimes, with the help of amnesia, the subconscious protects a person. Events associated with physical pain or severe mental suffering leave consciousness. But the negative experiences driven into the subconscious do not disappear, but continue to bombard the human body with negative impulses. We need to pull them into the realm of the conscious, re-experience and work out a constructive attitude towards them. You need to speak your feelings out loud, take them to confession, express them in prayer to God, ask for His help and protection.

BRAIN DISEASES

Brain tumor

A brain tumor often occurs in people who want the whole world around them to match their ideas. Such people are very stubborn and refuse to understand and accept the point of view of others. Everything around should be built according to their will. This leads to aggression towards people and surrounding circumstances. Such individuals are characterized by condemnation, hatred and contempt for people, which, in turn, is a product of pride and selfishness. Healing from sickness must begin with repentance, humility, and meekness. One must understand one's modest place in this world and not try to remake it, but first of all work on oneself, overcoming one's self. “Save yourself, and thousands around you will be saved,” said the Holy Fathers. And only on the path of such self-improvement can this disease be overcome.

THROAT DISEASES

The following reasons can cause sore throat.
1. Inability to stand up for yourself, express your thoughts and feelings.
2. Swallowed anger.
3. Crisis of creativity.
4. Unwillingness to change and accept ongoing life processes.
5. Resistance to life changes.

Throat problems arise from the feeling that we "have no right" and the feeling of our own inferiority. A sore throat is the result of constant internal irritation. If he is accompanied by a cold, then, in addition to everything, there is confusion and some confusion. The condition of the throat largely reflects the state of our relationships with loved ones.

Way to overcome. Realize yourself as a beloved child of God. Believe in the Providence of God, His cover and protection. We need to understand that we are no worse and no better than others. You should develop the ability and desire to change for the better.

Angina, pharyngitis, laryngitis

psychosomatic reasons. Fear of expressing your thoughts aloud; swallowing, suppressing anger and other emotions. Feeling of one's own inferiority, dissatisfaction with oneself, one's appearance, actions, constant self-flagellation and at the same time condemnation of others.

The path of healing. Learn to express your thoughts and feelings directly. Try to overcome low self-esteem and inferiority complex. Eradicate self-love and vanity in yourself. Refrain from judging others. Accept and express yourself as you are.

NOSE DISEASES

Symbolizes self-esteem, personal uniqueness.

stuffy nose

psychosomatic reasons. Inability to recognize one's own worth, doubts about one's masculinity, cowardice.

Way to overcome. Increasing self-esteem, trust in God, His mercy, Providence and love. Cultivating courage.

Runny nose (allergic and children's)

psychosomatic reasons. Suppressed feelings, tears, inner crying, disappointment and regret about unfulfilled plans and unfulfilled dreams. Allergic rhinitis indicates a complete lack of emotional self-control and may be the result of a strong emotional shock. Sometimes a runny nose is its own
a figurative request for help, and more often in children who do not feel their need and value.

Way to overcome. Learn to freely and independently express your feelings, adequately evaluate yourself. Strengthen your faith and trust in God. For children: more parental attention and love, more praise and encouragement.

Adenoids

This disease is most common in children and is characterized by the growth of lymphoid tissue in the nasal cavity.

psychosomatic reasons. Dissatisfaction with the child on the part of the parents, reproaches, frequent irritation on their part, perhaps their disagreement with each other. Lack of true love between husband and wife (or one of them).

The path of healing. Parents must change by developing love and patience. More love and patience for the child, less reproaches. You have to accept and love him the way he is.

Nose bleed

psychosomatic reasons. Blood represents joy. When people have the feeling that they are not loved and not recognized, then joy disappears from life. This disease is a peculiar way in which a person expresses his need for recognition and love.

The path of healing. More attention and love from others. Develop love and faith in God. We must realize that He always loves us and never leaves us.

DISEASES OF THE MOUTH

The mouth symbolizes the perception of new ideas. Oral diseases reflect the inability to accept new ideas and thoughts.

gum disease

psychosomatic reasons. Inability to implement the decisions made. Lack of a clear attitude towards life.

The path of healing. Strengthening faith, life according to the commandments of God.

Bleeding gums

psychosomatic reasons. Lack of joy, dissatisfaction with decisions made in life.

The path of healing. The search is always and in everything for the will of God, faith in His Providence for us. The introduction into practice of actions that correspond to the instructions of the Holy Scriptures: “ Always rejoice, give thanks in everything, pray without ceasing».

Wounds on the lips and in the oral cavity, stomatitis, herpes

psychosomatic reasons. Prejudice towards someone. Poisonous and caustic words, accusations, swearing, bitter and angry thoughts are literally driven into the subconscious.

The path of healing. Forgive insults. Speak negative emotions, confess them. Develop love for your neighbor.

Smell from the mouth

Psychosomatic causes:
1. Angry thoughts, thoughts of revenge.
2. Dirty relationships, dirty gossip, dirty thoughts. In this case, the past, false attitudes and stereotypes of actions clearly interfere.

The path of healing. Acquisition of the virtue of meekness. Repentance for the sins of anger and revenge. A zealous struggle with these passions. Speech control. An end to judgment and profanity. Sobriety and the fight against bad thoughts.

Language

Problems with the tongue speak of a loss of zest for life. Psychosomatic causes. Negative emotions and feelings enslave a person and prevent him from seeing the positive aspects of life.

The path of healing. Forgiveness, reconciliation with enemies. Development of love and Christian forgiveness in oneself. We must remember the words of the apostle: "Always rejoice, in everything give thanks."

Diseases of the teeth

Psychosomatic causes:
1. Constant indecision.
2. Inability to capture ideas, analyze and make decisions.
3. Loss of vital activity.
4. Fear.
5. Instability of desires, uncertainty in achieving the chosen goal, awareness of the insurmountability of life's difficulties.

Path of Healing. To overcome lack of faith, always and in everything to seek the will of God, to live according to the commandments of the Lord, to actively participate in the sacraments of the Church.

EAR DISEASES

Ear inflammation (otitis media, mastoiditis)

Psychosomatic causes. Unwillingness or inability to listen and perceive what others say, listen to the opinions of other people, which is a product of pride and pride, an attempt at self-affirmation. As a result, anger, irritation, annoyance accumulate in the subconscious, which leads to inflammation of the ear. If this disease occurs in children, then most likely they cannot or do not know how to express their feelings. Most often, the disease occurs as a result of a recurring state of fear, fear of others. For example, when parents often quarrel, swear, the child reacts to this with an ear disease, as if telling his parents: “Be attentive to me! I need peace, tranquility and harmony in the family.”

The path of healing. For an adult - overcoming pride and selfishness, developing the ability to listen to others and admit one's mistakes. For children - a change in the situation in the family, the peace and love of parents, increased attention and signs of love for the child from relatives.

Deafness, tinnitus

psychosomatic reasons. An unequivocal rejection of someone or something. Unwillingness to listen, understand or accept other points of view, caused by stubbornness and pride. As a result, there is a strong aggression towards the outside world, which leads to hearing loss. If a person does not want to hear and understand something, then the body, following his order, tries to isolate himself from the outside world, which causes deafness.

The path of healing. Inflammation of the ear always indicates the presence of an internal conflict. Here you need to listen to the voice of your conscience, check the compliance of your behavior with the commandments of the Lord; resolve internal conflict on the basis of gospel truths. It is also necessary to work on the acquisition of humility and patience, to learn to overcome aggression and pride.

Acoustic neuritis

psychosomatic reasons. Nervous strain as a result of the perception of negative emotions, thoughts (requests, complaints, crying).

The path of healing. Cast everything you hear on God. Inner prayer during such fellowship, prayer for those in need of help, regular confession and Communion - this is help in this illness.

THYROID

Goiter

psychosomatic reasons. You experience a lot of pressure from outside, it seems to you that the world is against you, you are constantly humiliated, and you are a victim. There is a feeling of a distorted life, resentment and hatred for the imposed way of life, negative thoughts, emotions, minor grievances, claims that rise in the throat. If the disease occurs in children, this indicates the destructive behavior of parents in relation to the child, possibly excessive severity, pressure.

The path of healing. Learn to be yourself, openly express your desires, forgive and endure, be indulgent towards others. Parents of a sick child should change their attitude towards him and towards each other.

COLD

psychosomatic reasons. Too many events at the same time; confusion, disorder; petty grievances. If a cold is accompanied by strong nasopharyngeal discharge, then children's grievances, unshed tears and experiences can also be the cause.

The path of healing. Forgiveness, repentance, prayer and reading the Gospel.

GASTRIC ULCER

Psychosomatic causes:
1. Longing for the unfulfilled.
2. A strong need for control over ongoing events, which is often accompanied by increased cravings for the absorption of food. This craving stimulates the secretion of the stomach, and a chronic increase in secretion in a predisposed individual can lead to the formation of an ulcer.

The path of healing. Change your attitude to life, stop controlling every act of your neighbors. Realize that everyone chooses his own destiny and is responsible for his own life. Strengthen faith in God's providence for our lives, develop a regular prayer rule.

WOMEN'S DISEASES

Women's diseases often occur for the following reasons.
1. Rejection of oneself or rejection of one's own femininity.
2. Belief that everything connected with the genitals is sinful or unclean.
3. Abortion.
4. Multiple prodigal cohabitation with different partners.

The path of healing. It is necessary to realize your gender and live according to feminine nature. To understand that I am who I am, and God accepts and loves me this way and is ready to help my spiritual transformation. It all depends on my choice. It should be realized that fornication is sinful, but not marital relations, because God originally created a man and a woman and commanded them to multiply and inhabit the earth. It is necessary to repent of abortion as a mortal sin that kills the child in the womb, and suffer the corresponding church penance (punishment). Repent of prodigal sins and feelings and continue to lead a chaste life.

Vaginitis (inflammation of the vaginal mucosa)

psychosomatic reasons. Anger at a partner sexual guilt; the conviction that a woman is powerless to influence the opposite sex; vulnerability in his feminine.

The path of healing. Refusal from an unrighteous life, from prodigal sins; overcoming selfishness. It should be understood that love and prayer can change for the better any person.

endometriosis

psychosomatic reasons. Feeling of insecurity, feeling like a potential victim, expecting only bad things from men, inability to be realized as a woman. Replacing true love with some other feelings.

The path of healing. Love and trust in God and people. Strengthening faith in the good Providence of God for us.

Fibromyoma of the uterus

psychosomatic reasons. Rancor towards her husband or other men, strong resentment, selfishness, constant scrolling of previous grievances.

The path of healing. Try to learn to forgive, endure and love. Develop humility and pray for those around you. Change your behavior with your husband.

Cervical erosion

psychosomatic reasons. Wounded female pride. The feeling of being feminine.

The path of healing. It is necessary to change thoughts and behavior in relation to oneself and men, to overcome an inferiority complex. We must not forget that you are the way God created you, which means that you are beautiful. Remember that love and a kind attitude make a person attractive and necessary to others.

Dysmenorrhea (menstrual irregularities)

psychosomatic reasons. Hatred of one's own body, doubts about one's femininity. Male-directed aggression, guilt and fear associated with sex.

The path of healing. It is necessary to accept yourself the way you were created by God, and remember that everything created by God is good. One should keep chastity and purity, but remember the blessing of the Lord on marriage and offspring.

Toxicosis of pregnant women

psychosomatic reasons. Strong fear of childbirth, hidden subconscious unwillingness to have a child (at the wrong time, from the wrong person, etc.).

The path of healing. Faith in God and in His good Providence for our life and the life of the unborn child. Since the Lord allowed it, it means that it is better for us. You need to want and wait for the appearance of a new person in the world.

Miscarriage

psychosomatic reasons. Strong fear of the birth of a child and the future associated with this, uncertainty about the reliability of the father of the child, a feeling of untimely pregnancy.

The path of healing. Trust in God. Nurture the responsibility for yourself and future children.

infertility

psychosomatic reasons. Distrust, contempt for men, prodigal life in the past, resentment, jealousy, hatred, aggression towards the opposite sex. Unclean thoughts, passion for pornography, erotica, etc. Fear, uncertainty about the future, lack of readiness for the appearance of a child. Fear of spoiling your appearance, figure with childbirth.

The path of healing. Changing internal beliefs, overcoming fear of childbirth and the future. Change in value orientation. Surrendering oneself to the will of God, developing in oneself love for God and neighbor.

Breast disease, cysts and lumps

psychosomatic reasons. Excessive concern for someone, living someone else's life. A state of codependency.

The path of healing. Changing attitudes towards yourself and the world around you. Overcoming codependency.

Mastitis

psychosomatic reasons. Fear and excessive anxiety about the child, disbelief in one's own strength. Fear of not coping with the responsibilities of caring for a child.

The path of healing. It is necessary to betray the child to the good Providence of God, to raise one's own self-esteem, to strengthen faith in one's own strengths and capabilities.

MALE DISEASES

Impotence

Psychosomatic causes.
1. Fear of being "not up to par."
2. Sexual harassment, guilt.
3. Social beliefs.
4. Anger at a partner.
5. Fear of the mother.

The path of healing. Refusal from vicious life, from prodigal sins. Marital fidelity or chastity in case of loneliness. Refusal of passionate thoughts, appropriate films and reading, prevention of masturbation. Repentance for past sins, confession and Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

prostate, external genitalia

psychosomatic reasons. Long-term resentment, anger, claims and discontent towards women. Fear for one's masculinity, subconscious fears. Feelings of guilt on sexual grounds (treason).

The path of healing. Changing your worldview, forgiveness of insults, developing love and compassion in yourself. It must be realized that women are a “weak vessel” and require special love and indulgence. Prayer to God and pure confession of the sins committed.

BODY ODOR

psychosomatic reasons. Self-hatred, fear of others.

The path of healing. Strengthening faith in God and His Providence for our lives. If God is with us, then who can be against us? (Rom. 8:31).

FULL, OBESITY

psychosomatic reasons. Fear and need for protection; dissatisfaction and self-hatred; self-criticism and self-criticism; excessive concern for the health of children; filling emotional emptiness or experiences with food; lack of love and satisfaction with life.

The path of healing. Bringing your thoughts into a state of harmony and balance; rise in self-esteem; strengthening faith in God; life according to His commandments.

SKIN DISEASES

psychosomatic reasons. This is an old, deeply hidden inner spiritual dirt, something disgusting, striving to come out. These are deeply suppressed negative emotions, anxiety, fear, a feeling of constant danger. Or anger, hatred, guilt, resentment, a thought like "I have stained myself." Another possible reason is a sense of insecurity.

The path of healing. Complete repentance for all sins. Removal of negative emotions from the subconscious. The acquisition of humility and forgiveness in relation to others. Cultivating positive thoughts. Awareness of the infinite love of the Lord and His forgiveness in case of repentance.

Itching

psychosomatic reasons. Desires that go against our character; internal dissatisfaction; repentance without repentance; the desire to overcome a difficult situation by any means.

The path of healing. Bringing our desires into line with the commandments of God; repentance for sinful aspirations; the realization that the meaning of our life lies in the search for the will of God and life in accordance with it; pure and complete confession; a prayer to God for a change in a painful situation, an understanding that God is omnipotent and nothing is impossible for Him.

Rash

psychosomatic reasons. Constant strong irritation, driven into the subconscious; hiding your true feelings; guilt that you have stained yourself with some unworthy actions. A rash in children is a signal to parents about the wrong relationship with each other. In women - negative emotions during pregnancy; lack of calm and affection, attention and tactile emotional sensations.

The path of healing. You should remove negative emotions from the subconscious, learn how to openly express your feelings. Pure repentance and faith in the all-forgiving love of God are needed. With children's rash - a change in the relationship between parents; unanimity, increased attention to the child and the maximum manifestation of love for him.

neurodermatitis, eczema

psychosomatic reasons. A child with neurodermatitis has a pronounced desire for physical contact, which does not have the support of parents, therefore, there are disturbances in his organs of contact. There may be extreme antagonism, rejection of someone or something, hidden and overt aggression; mental breakdowns, severe stress.

The path of healing. Rethinking your childhood, forgiveness and justification of parents for the lack of love shown; prayer for them; forgiveness; sincerity, openness, liveliness of expressing positive feelings. Place yourself and your entire life in the hands of God.

Allergy, urticaria

psychosomatic reasons. Lack of emotional self-control; deeply driven into the subconscious and striving to break out irritation, resentment, pity, anger, lust; rejection of someone or something, suppressed aggression. In children, the disease is often a reflection of the wrong behavior of parents, their thoughts and feelings.

The path of healing. Forgiveness; cultivating love and patience in oneself; change in their attitude to surrounding stimuli; the search always and in everything for God's will and life in accordance with it.

Psoriasis

psychosomatic reasons. Strong feelings of guilt and desire to punish yourself; stressful situations; increased disgust caused by hatred or contempt for anything in this world.

The path of healing. The realization that we live in a world created by God whole and harmoniously, and God provides for each of us; complete repentance at confession; acquisition of humility and forgiveness.

Vitiligo

psychosomatic reasons. Self-isolation; a feeling of alienation from the joys of this world; old grudges. Lack of feeling like a full member of society; inferiority complex; stressful situations.

Path of Healing. Strengthening faith in God and His good Providence; overcoming an inferiority complex; forgiveness.

Pimples, acne

Psychosomatic causes. Dissatisfaction with one's appearance, rejection of oneself.

Path of Healing. Learn to accept yourself the way you are. Clear your mind of dirty, obscene thoughts in relation to the other sex.

Furuncles

Psychosomatic causes. Constant internal stress; anger driven into the subconscious.

Path of Healing. It is necessary to remove negative emotions from the subconscious, control your thoughts; often confess and take communion.

Fungus, endermophytosis stop

psychosomatic reasons. Inability to forget old experiences and grievances; unwillingness to part with the past.

The path of healing. Forgiveness; cleansing of negative emotions. We boldly move forward under God's protection.

NAIL DISEASE

psychosomatic reasons. Feeling of insecurity and constant danger; feeling threatened; contemptuous and squeamish attitude towards many people.

Path of Healing. Hope in God and faith in His good Providence for us; overcoming self-love and pride.

HAIR LOSS, BALDING

Psychosomatic reasons s. Fear, strong internal tension, stress; distrust of reality; trying to keep everything under control.

Path of Healing. Changing attitudes towards oneself, people, the world; acquisition of the Orthodox worldview.

LIVER

psychosomatic reasons. Hot temper, rage, anger. People with liver and gallbladder disease often suppress their anger, irritation and anger at someone. Driven into the subconscious, negative emotions first cause inflammation of the gallbladder and stagnation of bile, then the formation of stones occurs.

Such people, as a rule, are prone to excessive self-criticism and condemnation of other people, they are characterized by pride and gloomy thoughts.

CHOLELITHIASIS

Psychosomatic causes. At the heart of this disease are pride, anger, "bitter" thoughts for a long time. Colic often comes at the peak of irritation, impatience and dissatisfaction with others.

Path of Healing. Development in oneself of humility, patience and meekness; struggle with negative thoughts and cultivation of good thoughts; repentance and non-repetition of past sins; development of love and compassion for others.

DRUG ADDICTION, ALCOHOLISM

Psychosomatic causes. Those prone to these diseases usually find themselves unable to cope with life's problems. At times they experience a terrible fear, a desire to hide from reality. They are characterized by an escape from the real world. It is generally accepted that these diseases develop as a result of a conflict of the individual with himself (intrapsychic conflict) or with other people (interpsychic conflict).

The path of healing. Strengthening of faith, deep repentance for committed sins and frequent confession. Constant prayer rule, daily reading of the Gospel and the Psalter, regular communion. Finding the spiritual meaning of life.

BACK PAIN

The lower back symbolizes support and support, so any overload, both physical and emotional, affects its condition.

Lower back problems often indicate that you have taken on an overwhelming burden (too much fuss, haste).

Diseases of the lower back

psychosomatic reasons. Hypocrisy; fear for income and for the future; lack of financial support.

The path of healing. Repentance for hypocrisy and greed. The development of the virtues of truthfulness, sincerity and non-covetousness. Strengthening faith in God and trust in Him. Understanding that everything on earth is perishable and nothing of the earthly “good” can be taken with you to the next world.

Diseases of the middle back

psychosomatic reasons. The patient feels guilty. His attention is focused on the past. He seems to say to the world around him: "Leave me alone."

The path of healing. Deep repentance and confession of the sins committed are necessary. One should live in the present according to the word of the apostle: "Forgetting what is behind and stretching forward" (Phil. 3:13).

Diseases of the upper back

psychosomatic reasons. Illness can be caused by a lack of moral support, feeling unloved, or repressed feelings of love. It is characterized by convulsions, tension, fear, the desire to grab onto something, to catch on.

The path of healing. We need to realize that God is unchanging love. We change, but He is always Love. Pray to the Mother of God, the Guardian Angel and the saints. Express positive emotions freely. Participate actively in the sacraments of the Church.

Neuralgia

Psychosomatic causes:
1. Hypertrophied conscientiousness, the desire to be punished for their "sinfulness".
2. Hateful situation; the pain of dealing with an unloved person.

In the first case, neuralgia is a kind of self-punishment for supposedly monstrous sinfulness. And here the path to healing lies in the realization that God is Love and desires salvation for every person. God does not need our pains and sufferings, He wants us to follow the path of spiritual perfection, and He is always ready to help us in this.

In the second case, it is necessary to understand how and why such tense relations arose between people. What is your partner trying to tell you with this behavior?

Path of Healing. Reconciliation with one's neighbor, forgiveness of him, prayers to God for him, work on one's own humility and patience.

stroke, paralysis, paresis

psychosomatic reasons. Strong jealousy, hatred; the desire to avoid responsibility, any situation or person; deep-seated "paralyzing" fear, horror. Rejection of one's life and fate, tough resistance and disagreement with current events. In this state, a person feels unable to change anything in life, he literally “paralyzed” himself and doomed him to inaction. People prone to paralysis tend to be rigid, unwilling to change their minds and delusions. You can often hear from them: "I'd rather die than betray my principles."

The path of healing. It is necessary to realize the falsity and sinfulness of the thoughts that led to such a state, and to be cleansed of them. Realize that there is a way out in any situation, that God is omnipotent and can help us if we turn to Him through confession and Communion of the Holy Mysteries, unction. Sometimes a stroke is caused by a subconscious need to reunite the family. When disagreements in the family reach their limit, the experiences caused by the “hopelessness” of the tragedy can hit the corresponding centers of the brain. What is needed here is not fruitless experiences, but prayer to God, love for one's neighbor and a righteous life according to this love.

DIZZINESS

Psychosomatic causes. Cultivation of fleeting, incoherent, scattered thoughts; lack of concentration, concentration; inability to deal with their problems. “The head is spinning from problems,” sufferers of this disease often say. Having no definite purpose in life, they rush from one to another.

Path of Healing. Think about why you live in this world, what is your main goal in life and prospects for the near and more distant future. There must be clarity and discipline in your life. This will give you confidence and allow you to stand firmly on your feet. Faith in God, trust in Him, following the commandments of the Lord give clear life guidelines.

POLIO

psychosomatic reasons. The desire to stop someone in his action and the feeling of his own powerlessness to do this; intense jealousy.

Path of Healing. It is necessary to realize that God gave freedom to man and does not impose His will on him, especially since a person cannot control the fate of his neighbor. We must look for ways of agreement and find a compromise, pray for our neighbor so that God will soften his heart, enlighten him, and our faith and love will work a miracle.

So, from all of the above, it follows that passions and sinful habits cause many mental and physical illnesses. As research results show,

• retribution for gluttony - obesity, diseases of the liver, gallbladder, stomach, pancreas, atherosclerosis ...
• retribution for voluptuousness - diabetes, allergies, dysbacteriosis, diseases of the teeth, intestines ...
• retribution for addiction to alcohol - alcoholism, personality degradation, psychosis, degeneration.

The list can be continued, but what has already been said is enough to recognize a direct connection between sinful passions and various kinds of diseases.

ACCIDENT AS SELF-PENALTY

There are people who are especially prone to accidents and fractures. There is a special psychopathology here, the result of inward-directed aggression.

These include such categories of self-destruction as suicide, neurotic incapacity, certain types of alcoholism, antisocial behavior, self-mutilation, intentional accidents, and polysurgery (i.e., a pathological attraction to surgical operations). Below we will consider in detail such a problem as the propensity to accidents.

More than 20 years ago, the German psychologist K. Marbe noticed that a person who has once suffered an accident is more likely to suffer again than someone who has never experienced anything like this before. And Theodor Reik, in The Unknown Assassin, drew attention to how often criminals give themselves away and even carry out their own punishment through a deliberate accident. Sigmund Freud describes the case of a man rejected by his mistress, who "accidentally" got hit by a car, meeting this woman on the street, and was killed in front of her.

In 1919, M. Greenwood and X. Woods investigated the characteristics of accidents at a munitions factory and came to the reasonable conclusion that most accidents occur with a small group of individuals - in this study, it was found that four percent of the factory's women accounted for twenty-eight percent of all accidents. The basis of this accident proneness, Menninger argues, is the prevailing cultural belief that suffering expiates guilt, and that the individual who applies the same principle to his own personality acts as an internalized judge demanding suffering for his bad deeds. Suffering alleviates the remorse of a guilty conscience and to some extent restores lost peace of mind. An accident prone person is usually someone who once took a rebellious attitude towards his parents and subsequently transferred this attitude to those in power, combining it with a sense of guilt for his rebelliousness.

In traffic accident statistics, the United States National Security Council found that among car drivers "there are about fourteen times as many people who have been in accidents four times as there should be on the theory that failure could only be pure accident, while people who had seven incidents during the time taken for the study, there were nine thousand times more than the laws of probability prescribe. Moreover, people who have suffered many accidents, as if under the influence of an unstoppable force, have fallen into the same type of accidents, and Menninger argues that, based on his experience, examination of those who, as they say, "drive like a suicide" often convincingly proves that's exactly what they're after.

In general psychology, traumatic events in early childhood, along with adolescent events in the patient's life, are considered to be the main sources of neuroses and many psychosomatic disorders. In observing patients in unusual states, it has been found that their neurotic or psychosomatic symptoms often involve more than the biographical level of the psyche. At first it might be assumed that these symptoms are related to traumatic events that the patient had to experience in infancy or childhood, as traditional psychology describes. However, as the process continues and the experience deepens, the same symptoms become associated with specific aspects of the birth trauma. In this case, it can be traced that the additional roots of the same problem go even further - to transpersonal sources, to unresolved archetypal conflicts and, in particular, to ancestral sin.

Thus, a person suffering from psychogenic asthma could, first of all, experience one or more events associated with suffocation in childhood (perhaps he drowned, had whooping cough or diphtheria). A deeper source of the same problem for this person may be a situation close to suffocation while passing through the birth canal. To completely get rid of this form of asthma, it is important to extract from the subconscious the experiences associated with this problem and try to “speak” them.

Painstaking empirical work has uncovered similar layered structures in other conditions dealt with by psychiatrists. The various levels of the unconscious are rich repositories of negative emotions and sensations and are often a source of anxiety, depression, feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy, as well as aggressiveness and fits of rage. We can also talk about the demonic influence emanating from this source. Reinforced by later traumas of infancy and childhood, this emotional material can lead to various phobias, depressions, sadomasochistic tendencies, crime, and hysterical symptoms. Muscle tension, pain, and other forms of physical discomfort resulting from birth trauma can develop into psychosomatic problems such as asthma, migraines, digestive ulcers, and colitis.

According to some reports, suicidal tendencies, alcoholism and drug addiction also have perinatal roots. Of particular importance appears to be the affordable use of anesthesia during childbirth; it is possible that certain substances used to alleviate the pain of the mother teach the newborn at the cellular level to perceive the state caused by the drug as a natural way to escape from pain and anxiety. These findings have recently been confirmed by clinical studies linking various forms of suicidal behavior to specific aspects of biological birth. Among them, the choice of drug-assisted suicide was a consequence of the use of anesthesia during childbirth; the choice of suicide by hanging - with strangulation during childbirth; and choosing a painful suicide with a painful birth.

Traditionally, the roots of all these problems can be found in the transpersonal sphere: direct demonic influence and disposition to sin. And through him - subordination to the world of fallen spirits, going along the line of the family tree. If these people have not brought complete repentance for their sins, as well as their disposition towards them and the desire for sins, then they are completely dependent on demonic forces.

Our understanding of emotional difficulties is not limited to neuroses and psychosomatic disorders. They can develop into extreme psychological disturbances called psychoses.

Traditional attempts to explain the various symptoms of psychosis in terms of psychology have not been very convincing, especially when clinicians have tried to interpret them only in terms of biographical events experienced in infancy and childhood. Psychotic states often include extreme emotions and physical sensations, such as complete despair, deep metaphysical loneliness, "hellish" physical and mental anguish, violent aggression or, on the contrary, unity with the Universe, ecstasy and "heavenly bliss". During the manifestation of psychosis, a person can experience his death and rebirth, or even the destruction and re-creation of the entire world. The content of such episodes is often fantastical and exotic, featuring various mythological creatures, visions of Paradise and the underworld, events related to other countries and cultures, and encounters with "extraterrestrial civilizations". Neither the strength of the emotions and sensations nor the unusual content of psychotic states can be reasonably explained in terms of early biological traumas such as hunger, emotional deprivation, or other mental disorders in the infant.

An important aspect of the unconscious, birth trauma is the result of a painful and potentially life-threatening event that typically lasts for many hours. Thus, it is definitely a more likely source of negative emotions and feelings than most other childhood episodes. In addition, the mythological dimensions of many psychotic experiences represent a common and natural characteristic of the transpersonal realm of the psyche, according to Jung's concept of the collective unconscious. Moreover, the emergence of such episodes from the depths of the unconscious can be seen as an attempt by the psyche to get rid of traumatic consequences and further self-regulation. It may also be a reminder from the mystical realm that the lifestyle of a given individual is disastrous for him. All this makes one think that many of the conditions currently diagnosed as mental illnesses are treated accordingly with the help of suppressants. In fact, such states can be psycho-spiritual crises, or "spiritual extreme states", which can also be caused by a person's mystical afflictions, starting with possession and ending with rage. If such states are properly understood and clarified, as well as helping a person to find the spiritual meaning of life and direct him along the path of churching, then such measures can lead a person to healing and transformation. I personally know many cases of spiritual and bodily healing of people after their repentance, changes in lifestyle and participation in the sacraments of the Orthodox Church.

Faith in God and life according to Orthodox canons protects a person from many mental and physical illnesses. Compliance with the laws of spiritual life (the commandments of God) leads to the harmonious development of the human personality, which determines his mental and physical health.

Archpriest Alexy Moroz