Counselling

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- anuska
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OP - May 29, 2015, 12:27 PM

Hello
I am not a Muslim. I come from a Catholic country but my family was never much into religion anyway. I became an atheist at age 14. However I am interested in the phenomenon of religion. I am presently writing a book on the evolution and adaptive value of belief.
Since I moved to the UK I became aware of the repressive nature of Islam and the plight of young Muslims who question their beliefs. So I got this motivation to help those who feel they need help with the process. I am a biologist with a solid background on the evolution of behaviour and my approach to understanding religion is different from psychologists who offer counselling. I offer biological explanations to why do you feel the way you do. Free from any prejudices or judgemental approaches.
I am now aiming to create an online counselling support group for those who want to talk freely and in confidence.
I joined this group to ascertain how many of you would be interested in accessing such a service. If the numbers are high, we may be able to get some funding to train and hire more counsellors. For the time being this is a pilot and I am asking for some volunteers to open up and express your concerns about leaving your religion.
Counselling to those leaving religion is different from other types of support. It must be tailored to your needs and the specific points of your cultural background. I think that there are few people in teh UK specialized in providing this type of counselling. Professionals are wary of dealing with issues that have a political component and feel that dealing with religion issues in general and Islam in particular is like threading on egg shells. But I am willing to do research on this subject and create a support infrastructure , not only for ex-Muslims, but for ex-religious believers in general.
I would like to hear your thoughts about this.
- suki
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Reply #1 - May 29, 2015, 02:05 PM

Welcome

Not very familiar with your counselling technique, sounds fascinating, i will read over your post again
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Reply #2 - May 29, 2015, 03:25 PM

Welcome to the forum anuska, have a rabbit!

Your idea sounds very interesting, and your research will be very enlightening I'm sure. What types of explanations do you hypothesize for why people feel the way they do, especially with regards to religion?

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Reply #3 - May 29, 2015, 03:59 PM

Quote from: anuska on May 29, 2015, 12:27 PM
However I am interested in the phenomenon of religion. I am presently writing a book on the evolution and adaptive value of belief.

Here's a book I read a long time ago looking at counselling/therapy from the point of view of people's religious or other deeply held beliefs, and the possible links between some kinds of religious world view and depression:

Dorothy Rowe - The Construction of Life and Death: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Construction-Life-Death-Dorothy-Rowe/dp/0006373844

Unfortunately I can't find any extracts or reviews of it online but if you're writing a book yourself it might be worth trying to find a copy. As I remember she comments on psychological and counselling theory being open to the discussion of sex but treating religious belief as a kind of taboo area, in contrast to pre-Freudian psychologists such as William James who were happy to talk about religion but not about sex.

Which side are you on?
- cosmicdancer
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Reply #4 - May 29, 2015, 05:58 PM

There is definitely a need for front line services such as counselling to be aware of the very specific needs of exmuslims.
- three
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Reply #5 - May 29, 2015, 06:52 PM

I wrote a four-page guide for my local domestic violence advocates. I couldn't think of any other place an apostate would turn to.
There are places here in the States that provide counselling to those leaving cults. Mercy House says they provide help by phone.
If you have similar agencies you might call them and see if they have been providing help to the population you are targeting.

Don't let Hitler have the street.
- ladybird
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Reply #6 - May 29, 2015, 06:52 PM

Have been thinking bout this for a while. I go to a psychologist. But, I dont feel they understand my problem really. They are all Dutch and dont have the same background as I do. All they can say is: oh run away, cuz u dont believe and ur parents are muslims. -___-'' While I want someone to help me deal with this problem instead of running away from it, cuz it wont help but make it worse.

Dogs never bite me - just humans. ~ M. Monroe

Religions seem to cause more grief than good.

Exmuslim Chat
- lua
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Reply #7 - May 29, 2015, 09:47 PM

Welcome! Sounds like an interesting idea.

Quote from: three on May 29, 2015, 06:52 PM
I wrote a four-page guide for my local domestic violence advocates.

That's amazing, three. Thank you for doing that.
- three
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Reply #8 - May 29, 2015, 10:52 PM

I think it would be more impressive if it were for a major metro area. But many shelters are awful and corrupt organizations, and the local one is very good. They really care about their clients, so I knew it would be well received. Sadly, there are only two families here it would ever apply to. But you never know. I need to get some credentials on this so I can be taken more seriously.

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Reply #9 - May 30, 2015, 12:45 AM

Hi anuska,

Welcome to the forum

Your idea sounds great. I think there is definitely a need for that.
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Reply #10 - May 31, 2015, 12:47 AM

`But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.
`Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: `we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.'
`How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice.
`You must be,' said the Cat, `or you wouldn't have come here.'
- Closet
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Reply #11 - May 31, 2015, 10:49 AM

Welcome!

I wish there are more therapist like this. It is hard because religion is accepted as a norm around or something that is too sensitive to touch on.
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