2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43
Many of you have heard and know the biblical story of the Sacrifice of Isaac. According to the biblical story (Gen. 22: 1-19), God called Abraham to bring his beloved, long-awaited son Isaac "for a burnt offering" "in the land of Moriah", on one of the mountains. Abraham did not hesitate and led his son to the slaughter in the indicated place. He tied Isaac, laid him on the firewood, and raised the knife over his son to stab him. At that moment, an angel came down and stopped Abraham. God reversed his command and saved Isaac. Father and son sacrificed a ram entangled by horns in the bushes and returned home.
There are many interpretations of this story. Many Theosophists, artists and philosophers have studied this history and its meanings. But now we will not talk about religion and philosophy, but about the pathopsychology of this story.
The first time I thought about the psychological meaning of this story, when a client approached me with contrasting, obsessive thoughts about the murder of his son. Interestingly, this man was a deeply religious person, like Abraham.
Eureka! Almost four thousand years ago, Abraham also suffered from contrasting thoughts about the murder of his beloved son.
As I delved deeper into the study of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and how to deal with it, I was convinced of my guess. Religiousness and obsessiveness are close in terms of biology and neurophysiology. Magical thinking, obsessive thoughts and rituals are not only the basis of all religions, but also features in a pronounced form inherent in the anankast (okr) personality.
One of the most prominent representatives of the combination of religiosity and obsession is Martin Luther the reformer of the Christian church.
The forefather of the Jewish people, Abraham, and modern moms and dads suffering from obsessive thoughts, have one more thing in common - boundless love for their child. Let me remind you that according to the Bible, Isaac was born when Abraham lived 100 years and was his only heir. His paternal love was immeasurable, and the thought of killing his son turned out to be so heavy. Seren Kierkegaard and Lev Shestov wrote about Abraham's doubts and the existential content of the story.
Interestingly, the story of Abraham's attempted sacrifice of Isaac is not just a description of OCD, but also a recommendation on how to deal with contrasting, obsessive thoughts.
Abraham's behavior is counter intuitive. He begins to do everything that God tells him and even comes from just thoughts to direct actions. In our time, contrasting thoughts about killing their children scare the hell out of modern parents, and then every kind of avoidance of knives and a child begins. This avoidance increases the anxiety and the disorder itself.
Abraham does the opposite, as if he was advised by Giorgio Nardone, Paul Vaclavic or Alessandro Bartoletti. He goes to his obsessive thought and, paradoxically, it disappears in a moment. This principle is the basis of the Short Term Strategic Therapy and the Paradoxical Intention method of Viktor Frankl.
Of course, I'm not encouraging sacrificing my children, but peeling potatoes and slicing lettuce together will help calm contrasting thoughts. Avoid avoidance.
The story of Abraham and his son Isaac can be interpreted in different ways. I see Abraham as a lamb entangled by horns in the bushes of his thoughts.
You can unravel the tangle of obsessive thoughts, even if they are so terrible! You need courage and certain knowledge.
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