The Executive Director of Lux Terra Leadership Foundation and Founder, Psycho-Spiritual Institute (PSI), Very Rev. Fr. George Ehusani has harped on the importance of providing healing and growth for spiritual persons battling with depression, anxiety and other emotional and psychological disorders. Fr. Ehusani made this disclosure in his message delivered at the 10th anniversary and 9th graduation ceremony of Psycho-Spiritual Institute (PSI), held recently in Nairobi, Kenya.
Speaking on PSI, Fr. Ehusani said it is an institute where some agents of the gospel are trained and equipped to facilitate the integration, healing and growth of persons, across the continent of Africa who are deeply spiritual in their worldview, but sometimes find themselves in difficult life situations of an emotional and psychological nature, and who often do not find adequate support. The priest said it was discovered that in time past, many of these people have ended up with qualified professional psychotherapists that do not share the faith and spiritual perspectives of the sufferer, and so could not offer holistic support for the required healing.
He noted that others have ended up with deeply spiritual counsellors, who however are not conversant with such modern skills and approaches in psychotherapy, which, when combined with their spiritual resources, would have more easily facilitated healing for the sufferer. According to him, “We dreamt of establishing such an institute that will bring about wholesome spiritual and psychological healing, personality growth and integration as well as help restore peace and functionality to many in our environment whose mind and spirits are confused or troubled, and who today are often acting out their unaddressed phyco-pathologies by way of widespread family dysfunction and all manner of pervasion, by way of addiction to alcohol and other substances, by way of violent crimes, including criminal rape, and by way of suicide and suicidal ideation, among other fallouts.”
He said after consulting with friends and associates and rigorous planning, in collaboration with Mr. Toni Goertz, the then Desk Officer for West Africa Region at Missio-Aachen, Germany, the Psyco-Spiritual Institute of Lux Terra Leadership Foundation came into being on August 5, 2013, with the active support of Missio-Aachen. He said: “By way of methodology, we set to draw from the best of our Christian spiritual heritage, use up-to-date psychotherapeutic tools and approaches, and take into cognizance our peculiar African historical, religious, and sociological context, in an environment of faith and Christian devotion, for the training of our candidates, who, upon graduation will function as psycho-spiritual therapists and counsellors in various settings across Africa.”
