I came to exactly the same conclusion from my reading of Jay Adams and particularly in examining his "Counsellors Casebook". In this he presents cases but gives no answers to his questions. After struggling through the first few cases it was suddenly realised that the thread through them all was the counsellees pride. After that, solving the cases was easy.

When counsellees avoid their responsibilities this can generate deep guilt which they then cover up by adopting various behaviours such as schizophrenia and depression to avoid their guilt.
In the book we examine these two major classifications and show that they are wrongly diagnosed as "illnesses" which allow patients to be sheltered from the normal stresses of living. Evidence is presented to show the inadequacies of present day psychiatric treatments and psychotherapeutic counselling and to show that schizophrenia can be cured simply by training patients to take increasing responsibility for their actions without drugs. In one case a complete ward of schizophrenics was fully returned to the community with very few relapsing. Prisoners have similarly been returned to society by this method. All such successful results have been completely ignored in this country. The church should return to counselling its members using True Biblical Counselling (TBC) and not commit them to secular treatments. This book is essential reading for all who are interested in counselling as it presents a completely different viewpoint to that of orthodox counselling and most Christian counselling. This applies even to many of those claiming to be "Biblical Counsellors" for they unwarrantably use secular psychiatric theories that are based upon man-made, godless philosophies.

DETAILS OF BOOK -

xiv+262 pages + Refs. + Index: 215x135mm: 10 b/w charts: 4 colour cover, stitched binding.
ISBN 0 9506042 5 9

The book retails at £9.95. Please obtain copies from your local Christian bookshop, but let them know the distributors are STL. If there is any difficulty in obtaining it, then it can be purchased from Sovereign Publications, Box 88, Bromley, Kent BR2 9PF with £1 added for postage and packing.

FOR AMERICAN ORDERS (and other overseas?) - It can be ordered from Blackwell's Bookshop for $18.38 including postage from the UK. Delivery is only a few days. Click here to go direct to their website -

Blackwell's homepage = http://bookshop.blackwell.com/bobus/scripts/welcome.jsp
Go to the top left corner and in the search box enter "Breakdowns are good for you".

"Breakdowns..." can also be ordered by internet by credit card from STL Distributors (This avoids high bank charges). Contact;
Wesley Owen's (=STL Distributors) website.

I am still looking for a distributor in America and others overseas.

Further information on the book -
Coloured front and rear covers of book (130Kb download)
List of contents of book -

It has been reviewed by "Our Inheritance" (The magazine of Protestants Today), "Banner of Truth" and "The English Churchman". They are given here together with a letter from a counsellor who testifies to the great effectiveness of TB Counselling - 8 commitments to Christ out of 10 unemployed successfully counselled within three months. Also a letter from a sufferer of manic-depression for 25 years after he had read our book -
Reviews of "Breakdowns are good for you", great evangelistic success of TBC, and letter from a manic-depressive

There is little reference to the book by almost ALL sections of organised Christianity (even many evangelicals!) - it contradicts their normal counselling practices - but there is a steady trickle of warm thanks from people who have had their eyes opened to their own bad behaviour or of that of friends. I give some extracts -
Comments and extracts from letters received by thankful readers

One comment often received is that there must be some "mental illnesses" that are non-organic. This article should clarify what we mean by "non-organic 'mental illnesses'"
Clarification about "non-organic 'mental illnesses'"

Recent research (April 2003) indicates that there is a link between a certain gene and susceptability to depression. This will doubtless be used to claim that people with this gene therefore cannot help their depression! Examination of the paper shows contradictory evidence is not referred to and the gene only "influences" any tendency to depression.
Genes linked to depression? a critical examination

A fairly critical review appeared in "Triple Helix" (Summer 2000) - the journal of the Christian Medical Fellowship. My reply letter was not published, but as their review appears on their website, I thought readers might like to read the main extract of their review and my reply letter -
Reply to the Christian Medical Fellowship review

VIDEO AND AUDIO TAPES -
Dr. Law has given a talk entitled "The Myth of Mental Illness". The 2 hour video (£9.95 incl UK p+p) of this and 2 audio tapes taken from the video sound track (£5 incl. UK p+p) both have clear printed copies of the 5 charts he uses in his talk, and are available from me. Contact me on my email address -
Click here to email me direct - address is mb@mbowden.info The video and audio tapes are accompanied by a fascinating chart in which Dr. Law has linked all the various psychiatric classifications, showing how they ALL stem from self-centredness and irresponsible behaviour- (160 Kb to download three versions of the chart) -
"Dr. Law's chart showing mental illnesses are rooted in self-centredness"

My first contact with Dr. Law was seeing only the title of an article he had written called "Breakdowns are Good for you". Once obtained, this proved to be one of the most brilliant articles I had ever read in any subject. I give it here -
"Essay - "Breakdowns are good for you" by Rev. Dr. R.J.K.Law MB. BS. (11Kb)"

I give a list of Bible references under headings and fully written out that can be used for counselling.
"List of Bible references"

Two examples of how counsellees who had been labelled as "schizophrenic" revealed they had fooled the psychiatrists, social workers etc.
How two counsellees labelled as schizophrenics fooled the psychiatrists

Since the book was published, we have three small additions on
- "deliverance from demons", "overcoming fears and phobias" and a review of "Manufacturing Victims"

For those engaged in counselling, two important suggestions on note taking and the length of the interview are given.
Counselling sessions - two important suggestions

Prof. Almy's lectures at the Metropolitan Tabernacle 2001. A 2,500 word summary of his eye-opening talks by this senior American psychiatrist who became a Christian after he qualified. He advised Christians NOT to go into psychiatry - and many similar "insider" observations critical of his profession.
"Prof. Almy's lectures"

As an indication of the line taken, I have put two of my essays on Biblical counselling below -
"Essay - "Pride - the root of all our personal problems" (18Kb)"
"Essay - "A Critique of Psychiatry" (16Kb)"

A cure for SCHIZOPHRENIA! I received several requests for more information on this in response to a letter I had in the Creation Ex Nihilo Technical Journal (v18 n1 2004). This is a summary of the evidence I send out to them.
"A cure for schizophrenia!"

DEPRESSION is increasing in our highly pressurised society. I give a full summary of our approach to this growing problem - what the real cause is and how to deal with it. The cause and cure of depression

It is often claimed that this placing of the guilt upon the patient is "heartless", "confrontational" and "judgemental". We deal with these criticism fully in the book.
We insist that the True Biblical Counselling approach of Dr. Law and the Nouthetic Counselling of Jay Adams and others are the only means by which a PERMANENT and BIBLICAL solution can ever be found. Those who accept that they have behaved in an irresponsible manner can be fully cured when they realise this; by comparison, the success rate of full cures by the psychiatric profession is abysmal. It all depends upon how the person reacts to the analysis given. Those who fully accept it are always eventually cured - but we recognise that it is tough retraining yourself to take responsibility for your actions when you have been deliberately avoided it for much of your life. Those who reject it are condemned to the same hopeless regime of drugs and treatments that they have undergone for years.

With many being cured by True Biblical Counselling (Reality Therapy is the secular version - but the present nearest is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)), those who use only the orthodox drugs, virtual incarceration etc., and ignore this proven means of returning their patients to normal society surely have much to answer for. One reason for its rejection is that psychiatrists abhor the words "guilt" and "sin" which are rejected out of hand as "religious concepts". They then continue to provide the counselee with an unending stream of excuses for their bad behaviour.

NEXT BIBLICAL COUNSELLING PAGE - Front cover of book

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