Chapter Three (Religious Spiritual Cure )

Treatment Through the Praise and Remembrance of Allah

In the early nineties, researches and clinical studies conducted by specialists for more than four years revealed the fact that mentioning Allah and reflecting on the Quran’s meanings have a direct effect on the thinking process which could be of benefit in psychological treatment.
Lately in the West a number of studies confirmed that effect of contemplation and mental factors on different psychological disorders which was previously mentioned. Meanwhile, they also refute theories of psychoanalysis which relate the person’s personality and conduct with his childhood, sexual complexes, subconscious, and the degree of fulfilling his instincts.
Modern studies and experiments proved the possibility of modifying one’s thoughts and behavior as well as controlling the thought processes while occurring. The main objective is to stop or reject unwanted ideas, while replacing them with new and better thoughts. Experiments conducted by Dolard and Miller also proved that one’s emotional response depends on the use of language, the indication of symbols, and the meanings that a person says to himself and is convinced with.
The psychologist, Canver, states that the effectiveness of modern psychological patterns depends on the way of thinking and the patient’s conviction with certain meanings and beliefs which, in turn, affects the patient’s conscience with reality whether it is a neutral or threatening one.
Mahoni in Cambridge University refers to the importance of the experiments introduced by the students of the scientist Pavlov which relates one’s emotional responses to his thinking. This means that anyone can emotionally stimulate himself to become afraid and worried or he can reassure himself by concentrating his thoughts and repeating words calling for that. For instance, if someone keeps repeating the words ” I will succeed in doing this work and I have a strong power to do it ”, his emotional condition improves which helps him accomplish the required job. In this case the body succeeds in utilizing all his psychological and biological abilities. This is contrary to the case where one may say to himself ” I will fail, I have a weak will and I can not do this work”. In this case, he uses all his psychological and biological capabilities to discourage himself and eventually fails as expected. Here we notice that thinking and self inspiration affect one’s abilities and the motivation of his emotions, expectations and behavior. A depressed person can lower his depression through repeating to himself pessimistic ideas and phrases.
Thus, any change in one’s thoughts leads to a change in his behavior and emotions; similarly, any behavior is often accompanied with certain thoughts and emotions. For instance during sexual intercourse one can neither think of something good nor bad for he employs all his thoughts and emotions in his present actions. Similarly, if someone is feeling sad he can not think of something funny. Thus a change in thinking means a change in emotions and behavior; this rule can be used as a basis in treatment.
As previously mentioned, it was proven that certain meanings and thoughts can be replaced with other ones. This indicates the possibility of not only amending behavior and emotions, but also the neurological and hormone activities as soon as thinking is changed through repeating ideas or words. If the repetitive words denote elevated and accredited religious meanings- as in the case of mentioning Allah- the more one becomes capable of controlling his mental activity and discarding negative feelings causing depression and psychological ailments. This is especially true if the person repeating these words contemplate on their meaning, and imagine the sacred places and the vast seas that witness upon the Ability and Greatness of the Creator.
Following is a review of the wrong ways of thinking that lead to psychological disturbances, and which can be cured through remembering and praising Allah. This will help in refuting wrong ideas, or stopping their negative effects and replacing them with positive ones.

 FIRST: MISTAKES RELATED TO THE CONTENT OF THE IDEAS AND CONCEPTS

These errors include those of many wrong beliefs, concepts, illogical points of views, and exaggerated ideas, which lead to the failure and defeat of a person in facing life’s different situations. For example, a person may thing that he is better than other people and deserves to be respected by them, or believe that all women should be cruelly treated, or a woman who thinks that all men are disloyal, etc.

SECOND: MISTAKES RELATED TO THE WAY OF THINKING

• Extreme judgment: in this case a person sees things as either black or white, he either love or hate without moderation.
• Inflexibility: this means facing the different situations with the same approach.
• Exaggeration: this refers to exaggerated interpretation of a certain situation which arouses fears and anxieties; also exaggeration in estimated others, whether positively or negatively which disturbs their relationship.
• Over-generalization: it is a wrong way of thinking leading to generalizing partial experiences in a negative way which results in a number of pathological patterns such as depression and schizophrenia.
• Duplicity and Multiplicity: this is part of the sufferings of the narrow-minded character that lacks flexibility, thus adopts a certain attitude in public and another in private.
• Selective dispossession: in this case a person isolates a certain characteristic from its context and asserts it in another as when one may assert that he is not welcomed from all people if one of those present did not welcome him.

Researchers assert that the continuity of wrong thoughts and mistaken imagination leads to a pathological case where one loses his subjective consciousness of reality and sound evaluation of himself. Thus, one gets used to emotional exaggerations while anticipating dangers from non threatening causes. Adopting wrong ways of thinking often lead to various negative feelings such as fear, anxiety, and sadness.
Increase in the wrong ways of thinking previously mentioned will result in distorting reality and self image through directing one’s emotions and behavior in a morbid direction. If this distortion persists, then these thoughts will turn into delusions that can neither be logically discussed nor changed.
”Treatment through the remembrance of Allah” is based on training the patient, or any person with a problem, to control the thinking processes and to develop his capabilities to discard negative and destructive ideas. This is accomplished by replacing these negative thoughts with the Quranic verses and meditations, in an environment which allows mental contemplation and positive imagination while controlling the degree of consciousness and the different thinking processes.
Many successful schools of psychiatric treatment worldwide now include programs that can treat anyone through changing his way of thinking and developing his ability of self control, to stop negative thoughts that arouse motions centers. This is achieved in a number of ways like repeating phrases that help self inspiration or the patient may direct his attention to another stimulant, etc.
A number of patients with psychological problems were trained to control their negative, scary, and annoying obsessions through praising and glorifying Allah. Repeating Quranic verses and remembering Allah, while being in deep contemplation and meditation, helps in understanding the meanings of every word indicating Allah’s power and His ability to help. This over fills one’s mind to the extent of stopping negative and destructive thoughts.
Alfa waves were detected on the brain graph of some patients who performed self psychological treatment using the Quran. Other positive changes indicted were: low breathing rate, low blood pressure, and weak pulse which prove the effectiveness of this psychological and biological treatment.